Puzzling date?

[wakiboy]

Hi all

I cannot make head nor tail of the first character 😱 any help please.

Ian

 

 

[John C]

Could it be year of the dragon, 8th month?

 

John C.

[wakiboy]

I don’t honestly know when the year of the dragon was, I tried looking at the Chinese years but couldn’t fathom anything from it 😱

[SteveM]

Year of the dragon comes every 12 years. It just so happens that 2024 is the year of the dragon. So the previous one would have been 2012, then before that would have been 2000, etc.

[Bugyotsuji]

So if this is a Showa blade, that narrows it down a bit for you.

[wakiboy]

Thanks Steve 

I didn’t know that, I will see if I can get an approximate year , I will check with my friend who made the blade.

ian

[ROKUJURO]

Ian,

is there something chiselled on the other side of the NAKAGO?

[wakiboy]

 Jean, sorry for long delay in responding…

The blade is signed (Hitachi Kuni Hirochika)

 

 

 

 

[ROKUJURO]

Thank you Ian,

I was hoping that it would help us in dating the sword more precisely.

The condition of the NAKAGO lets me believe that it is not old, possibly GENDAI.

[wakiboy]

I can’t find any information on the smith but as you say the Nakago looks quite new poss Gendai, I’ve only seen the pictures and have not been able to find a Gendai or Shinshinto smith with this name…

Ian

[wakiboy]

Piers

I have found a reference to a Hirochika working Anei1772-1781 in Sesko’s Swordsmiths of Japan . Do you think this could be him?

Ian

 

 

[wakiboy]

  On 4/1/2024 at 3:56 PM, wakiboy said:

Piers

I have found a reference to a Hirochika working Anei1772-1781 in Sesko’s Swordsmiths of Japan . Do you think this could be him?

Ian

 

 

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I don’t know why but the picture came out upside down sorry 😔 

[oli]

maybe this helps:

HIROCHIKA (広近), 1st gen., Enpō (延宝, 1673-1681), Ōshū – “Ōshū Nakamura-jūnin Yamato no Daijō Minamoto

Hirochika” (奥州中村住人大和大掾源広近), “Ōshū Uda-gun Nakamura-jūnin Yamato no Kami Hirochika”

(奥州宇多郡中村住人大和守広近), real name Fushimi Uemon (伏見右衛門), student of Sukehiro (助広), he signed

his name first also with the characters (寛近), he worked for the Nakamkura fief (中村藩) which was ruled by the Sōma

family (相馬), ō-gunome-midare, wazamono

HIROCHIKA (広近), 2nd gen., Hōei (宝永, 1704-1711), Ōshū – “Yamato no Kami Hirochika” (大和守広近),

student of Sukenao (助直)

HIROCHIKA (広近), 3rd gen., An´ei (安永, 1772-1781), Ōshū – “Ōshū Nakamura-jū Minamoto Hirochika”

(奥州中村住源広近)

 

HIROCHIKA (弘近), An´ei (安永, 1772-1781), Musashi – “Jōyō Suifu-jū Hozumi Hirochika” (常陽水府住穂積弘近),

he came originally from Hitachi province but moved later to Edo

HIROCHIKA (寛近), Eishō (永正, 1504-1521), Mino – “Fujiwara Hirochika saku” (藤原寛近作), “Izumi no Kami

Hirochika” (和泉守寛近), “Hirochika saku” (寛近作), according to a theory, this was the early signature of the 2nd gen.

Izumi no Kami Kanesada (兼定), jō-saku

HIROCHIKA (寛近), Tenbun (天文, 1532-1555), Ise – “Seishū Kuwana-jū Fujiwara Hirochika” (勢州桑名住

藤原寛近)

HIROCHIKA (寛近), Enpō (延宝, 1673-1681) → HIROCHIKA (広近), 1st gen., Enpō (延宝, 1673-1681), Ōshū

 

Regards

Oli

[wakiboy]

Hi Oli

Thanks for the information, there is only one that came from (Hitachi) so he is the best contender so far….

 

 

HIROCHIKA (弘近), An´ei (安永, 1772-1781), Musashi – “Jōyō Suifu-jū Hozumi Hirochika” (常陽水府住穂積弘近),

he came originally from Hitachi province but moved later to Edo,

Thanks

Ian

[wakiboy]

Working on the year of the Dragon 12yr cycle it would put the date as 1772……

this could be a result 😁👍

Thank you all..

Ian

[SteveM]

The signature on your sword is 廣近, not 弘近, so the smith on your sword can't be the one below.

 

  On 4/1/2024 at 5:23 PM, wakiboy said:

HIROCHIKA (弘近), An´ei (安永, 1772-1781)

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Plus, the patina on your tang looks very recent. And, as far as I know, no swordsmiths signed with a date using just the zodiac animal. It is too vague a date to be useful. It is like saying, "I made this in a year that ends in "4"". Its just not a useful way of dating things. It needs to have the era name and/or the elemental branch that defines the date. 

[wakiboy]

I agree Steve regarding the character for Hiro but Sesko’s book does not show the standard character for Hiro and considering I can’t find any reference to a later smith I have nothing else to go on, that’s why I have been asking for help, it’s giving me a headache 👍

Ian

[John C]

  On 4/2/2024 at 6:49 AM, wakiboy said:

I can’t find any reference

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Ian:

You might also consider that the sword is simply gimei. The date and style of signature may not have an actual reference for you to find. I think at this point you will need to start kantei and focus on the features of the blade. 

John C.

[wakiboy]

John

Looks like it’s back to the books, the blade is not mine and so will have to wait until my friend brings it to me, 

will let you know more when I’ve seen it 👍

Ian