Menuki translation

[Okan]

Hello guys, appreciate if you help out with this one..sharing both sides with multiple angles. Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

[Higo-san]

Dear Okan

 

the signature on the second menuki reads Miyashita (宮下). I am not 100% sure on the very first kanji on the first menuki but the second is definitely Masa (正). A quick research let me to page 221 of “The Japanese Toso-kinko Schools“ by Markus Sesko where the family name Miyashita is mentioned. The article is about an artist by the name of Toshinori. The Nori-Kanji looks like an extended version of the missing first kanji on your first menuki. Therefore, I would suggest NORImasa as a possible translation of the mei of the first menuki.

 

Kind regards

 

Chris

[Okan]

Dear Chris, 

 

Thank you very much!! Here is the excerpt from Markus's book. I'm still amaze that they were able to sign on a "micro" spot where I can't even read with a 10x magnifier

 

Toshinori (寿矩) was a student of Kiyotoshi. His civilian name was

„Morimiya Heikichi“ (森宮平吉) and he was born in the first year of

Tenpō (1830) the son of a cooper (okeya, 桶屋). His former family

name was, according to transmission, „Miyashita“ (宮下). He used the

gō „Ryūseimin“ (竜青眠 or 龍青眠) and died on the 15th day of the

ninth month of Meiji 30 (1897). His son Heijirō (平次郎), who

continued the original family name „Miyashita“, specialized after the

Meiji Restoration in the mounting of rayskin (same, 鮫) on sword hilts

under the name of „Samehei“ (鮫平).

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

I was going to suggest with a degree of uncertainty, Miyashita 平Hiramasa, but Okan's post does lend some credibility to such a reading as the character 平 was in use by the Miyashita line. (?)

[Okan]

One more try with the pictures.

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Really hard to make that out... 

[Shugyosha]

The ? in ?masa looks a bit like the right hand side of 伊. I really struggle to track down older/ obscure kanji but it might give one of you better researchers a lead?

[Okan]

From Markus:

 

"The mei appears to read: Miyashita – Tadamasa (宮下・尹正)" 

 

Looks like another mystery is solved..thank you everyone! 

 

@Shugyosha You cancel your next eye exam appointment!

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Dang, should’ve got that! Ansei…