Another juyo sayagaki

[giuseppepiva]

Thank you again to all for your help of my Kencho katana.

This is a Masamitsu which came with a translation but I have the feeling it is incomplete in the last part and since it will go on my catalog I'd rather be sure it's well done  

Anyone sees any missing part?

 

The translation I have:

 

“Bizen [no] Kuni Osafune Masamitsu. Blade length ~ 69.6 cm. Ō-suriage, mumei, ō-kissaki, high shinogi. Sugata style around Enbun and Teiji  period. Midare utsuri hamon and Itame hada kitae. Ō-notare with gunome hamon and wide yahihaba with good nie yaki. Style of Kanemitsu school and many great features of  his master Kanemitsu. Written by Tanzan [Tanobe] Michihiro [+kao]”

 

[Prewar70]

Great overall shape and lovely kissaki 

[SteveM]

Its missing the date of the appraisal, which I believe is 2019, Spring. (時在令和紀仲春). I am assuming 紀 means "First year of Reiwa").

The measurement in cms is incorrect. 2 shaku, 2 sun, 9 bu should be 69.39cms. 

 

Overall, it feels like it could use some rewriting (the translator missed the bits about the kasane being thin, and the utsuri being faint, and the notare hamon being majestic, etc...)

 

 

 

 

[giuseppepiva]

Thank you Steve. I had already corrected the nagasa, which I will express in shaku.

I'll try to work on the inscription. Unfortunately I don't know kanji by heart and I have to look for them

Giuseppe 

[Gakusee]

Does Tanobe sensei really describe this hamon as “majestic”?  What is the Japanese term please? I have not seen it used like that so will appreciate the kanji please. Thank you. 

[Bugyotsuji]

Who said a 'majestic' hamon, Michael? I can't see it either in the posts above, or in Tanobe San's writing.

[Gakusee]

Steve mentioned the notare midare hamon being majestic. 

[Nobody]

FYI,

(Unsure ---> in red color)

 

備前國長舩政光

 

(1)  大磨上無銘也

(2)  幅廣・大鋒デ鎬地ヲ卸シ

(3)  鎬髙・重薄ノ延文・貞治型ノ形状ヲ呈シ

(4)  淡ク乱映ヲ伴フ板目ノ肌合ニ

(5)  大ラカナ湾主調ニ互乃目交ジリノ刃文ヲ焼キ厚ク沸付キ

(6)  兼光一類ノ特色ヲ示シ

(7)  取分一門中同工ニ収斂スベキ者ガ認メラレル優品也

 

刃長貳尺二寸九分余

 

時在令和紀仲春

探山識

[Nobody]

36 minutes ago, Gakusee said:

Does Tanobe sensei really describe this hamon as “majestic”?  What is the Japanese term please? I have not seen it used like that so will appreciate the kanji please. Thank you. 

Maybe that is 大ラカナ湾 - gentle notare.

[Nobody]

58 minutes ago, giuseppepiva said:

Thank you Steve. I had already corrected the nagasa, which I will express in shaku.

…….  

貳尺二寸九分余 means a little longer than 2-shaku 2-sun 9-bu. So, 69.6 cm might be correct.

[giuseppepiva]

Thank you so much to everyone.

I have added few information to my former translation but I still have problems in translating the last part (row 7 on David's transliteration)

I am now writing:

 

“Bizen [no] Kuni Osafune Masamitsu. Ō-suriage, mumei, wide Haba, ō-kissaki, dropping shinogi-ji, high shinogi, thin kasane. The shape style is that of Enbun/Teiji periods [1356–1368]. Itame hada showing a pale midare utsuri. Rich hamon with wide yakihaba and good nie, showing ō-notare mixed with gunome. Shows the style of Kanemitsu school ______________.  Blade length: slightly more than 2 Shaku 2 sun 9 bu. Spring or Reiwa 1 [2019]. Written by Tanzan [Tanobe] Michihiro [+kao]”

[SteveM]

I read it as 大ドカナ　hence, majestic. A close-up of this section would help. (I am open to other interpretations/translations).

 

The thing I am not sure about is his use of 同工, which at first glance seems to refer to Kanemitsu mentioned earlier, but it is odd for him to say a Masamitsu blade exhibits the qualities of Kanemitsu, so I'm guessing this 同工 refers back to the first mention of Masamitsu. 

 

 

[giuseppepiva]

Yes, it's 大ドカナ.

Actually Masamitsu could show Kanwemitsu's qualities. I have for now translated as "Shows the style of Kanemitsu school and many great features of this master."  Would that work?

 

 

[SteveM]

Well, he is saying it is showing the characteristics of the Kanemitsu school, and in the next section he is saying "in particular all the qualities of this smith are contained in this sword".

 

So, yes its definitely showing aspects of the Kanemitsu school. But its that second bit that makes me think he's referring back to Masamitsu, otherwise I feel if it showed all the qualities of Kanemitsu he would have attributed it to Kanemitsu. But, as I say, its not entirely obvious to me what he's saying.

[giuseppepiva]

Thank you Steve. I only assume that by include elements from the school and from Kanemitsu himself, he is implying that it closely resembles his works.

I'll go for  "This sword displays the style of the Kanemitsu school and contains all the qualities of this smith." which needs a bit of interpretation.

[Nobody]

取分一門中同工ニ収斂スベキ者ガ認メラレル優品也 – This is a good work. And among the school, its characteristics show that the attribution must be narrowed to this smith (Masamitsu), especially.

 

[Nobody]

49 minutes ago, SteveM said:

I read it as 大ドカナ　hence, majestic. A close-up of this section would help. (I am open to other interpretations/translations).

 

.............................

 

You were right. It was 大ドカ. However, it means 大らか or 鷹揚 (generous).

[giuseppepiva]

Thank you Koichi. That makes definitely more sense.

[giuseppepiva]

On 2/7/2023 at 8:51 AM, SteveM said:

Its missing the date of the appraisal, which I believe is 2019, Spring. (時在令和紀仲春). I am assuming 紀 means "First year of Reiwa").

 

 

I spoke to the person who ordered the sayagaki and that was last year, so Reiwa 4. Any chance that he forgot to write the actual year?

[SteveM]

He is human, so he can make errors. But...this would be a particularly egregious error. I don't know why he used 紀 instead of 四 (4). 

[Toryu2020]

Could it be the JIKKAN - Tsuchinoto? Also read "Ki"

 

-t

[Bugyotsuji]

仲春 Chushun apparently means "the middle of the first three months of the year", i.e. February.

 

As to why he used 紀, it is possible that he wanted to avoid the 'unlucky' aspect of this number, so chose to use 'the beginning of Reiwa', for the auspicious aspect.

Etymology of 紀, from choosing Ki for children's names.

「紀」の意味や由来、読み方って？「紀」を使った男の子・女の子の名前51選 | はじめてママ (hajimete-mama.jp)

漢字の持つ意味

漢字の部首に「糸」がついているから「糸をきちんと巻き取る」という意味があります。

筋道が立つように整理するという意味が込められているのです。

何事にもきちんと筋を通す。

そんな人格の持ち主に成長してもらいたい。

親の願いはその部分に集約されているわけです。

規範や指針という意味があります。

 

「紀」という漢字はとても誠実な印象があります。

素直でまっすぐなイメージです。

おさめる、正すという意味にも使われる漢字。

[Van]

If I may, the problem with 令和紀 is also interesting to me. Normally 紀 would mean the same as 年 in this case.

Although maybe it's not 紀, but 卯? 令和卯 is 2023. A close up picture could clarify that. 

[Bugyotsuji]

記... (?)

[giuseppepiva]

Thank you all.

Van, here you are a detail of the date inscription. It looks 紀 to me.