AMA no ma hitotsu no Mikoto

[Toryu2020]

Here’s one -

I know this is from the Sasafuku-jinja dated 1995 - I know the subject is a tanto by Kunitomo but cannot understand more than that. I thought about emailing the jinja but thought I would try here first. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,

-t

[SteveM]

鍛人祖天目一箇命笛裔蒙神息者國友鍛之
Made by Kunitomo, successor of the lineage beginning with Amano Mahitotsu-no-Mikoto, God of Swordsmiths.

 

蛟龍赤不曻雲霄
告訪竒人呼風雨
将非池中之物也

Two of these 3 lines are from Sangokushi, and are a metaphor alluding to how extraordinary people are destined for extraordinary things. But its written slightly differently from the lines in Sangokushi, and I don't know if that's just an error or if there is significance to it. The line in blue is not from Sangokushi, and I don't know where it comes from or its meaning. It may be put in there as a reference to the person who brought in the sword? Or a reference to Kunitomo himself?

 

You have the date already. 

 

線起書日楽々福神是鐡神成安綱名刀此鐡鍛錬成囗見大原鍛冶之
系図同系名人國友小刀家在而奇遇哉
元三揃有今此一刀也
楽々福神社第三十三代宮司　蘆立達雄 

Can't get the first part of the last bit. I'm not sure if it says Yasutsuna is one of the patron gods of Sasafuku Shrine (I think not), or if its saying something else. I may have the first character wrong.

 

Last lines are: The Kunitomo that made this tantō (says kogatana but I guess in this case it means tantō) is from the same lineage as Yasutsuna of the Ōhara lineage of swordsmiths. It is the last remaining of what was originally a three piece set.

33rd Head Priest of Sasafuku Shrine, Adachi Tatsuo

 

[Brian]

Steve.....a ton of us owe you a ton of stuff.
Gotta let us buy you a nice dinner sometime.

[Toryu2020]

Very impressive Steve, I expected to wait a few days for someone to even notice - thank you!

 

-t

 

Ditto Brian.

[SteveM]

To tell the truth I looked at it and gave up almost instantly. Too difficult. I could pick out the kanji, but the entirety of it was an absolute mystery. Then one thing led to another and I made a few connections. Your "Ama no ma hitotsu" was one of the keys that let me unlock some things. 

Then a lucky hit on the search engine led me to the Sangokushi reference. Dumb luck and perseverance, and of course always standing on the shoulders of Morita-san, Moriyama-san, and Markus. 

 

But... I still don't know what it is. Did someone bring the blade to the shrine to dedicate it to the shrine? Did they bring it to the shrine for some kind of ceremony? What does the mystery line of the Sangokushi reference mean. Does the word 笛 in the first line have a significance that I'm missing, etc., etc., etc. 

[Toryu2020]

It is a "Gyotaku" of a little tanto blade - it also includes an oshigata - I will post pictures later.

 

I am also curious about the line "Ike no naka" - was it found in a pond?  

 

-t

[SteveM]

No, that's part of the Sangokushi quote. 

 

蛟龍得雲雨終非池中物也

 

In Japanese, 

蛟龍雲雨を得ば池中のものにあらず

Literally: Given a raincloud, the water dragon will not remain in the lake.

In other words, with the right opportunity, someone with ambition/talent will break out of their constraints. 

 

 

[k morita]

鍛人祖天目一箇命苗裔蒙神息者國友鍛之
Kunitomo made (a copy?) (the Tanto) of Shinsoku(神息) who inherited the genealogy of Amanoma-Hitotsu-no-Mikoto, the god of swordsmithing.

[Toryu2020]

Thank you Morita San.