Help with understanding blade

[DateMasamune]

Hello. 

 

I am in need of help with understanding the markings on an O-Wakizashi from the first half of the 1600's. 

Is the Bonji atributed deity Fudô-Myôô (不動明王) ? 

And does the dubble lines mean to serve or servant? Servant of Fudô-Myôô? 

 

Is it right that the other side show a battle with Dragon King Kurikara and Fudô-Myôô? 

[nulldevice]

First off, welcome!

 

Here is a great blog article on the topic of Horimono

Sesko - Horimono

 

Based on your blade it seems that on the first image you have the bonji sitting above a gomabashi (the 2 lines which represent chop sticks used in Shinto shrines) and also a Tsume or "claw".  The bonji does appear to be a representation of Fudi Myo but I'm no expert. 

 

The other side appears to be Shin no kurikara (detailed dragon around a ken) as well as another Tsume underneath. 

 

Hope this helps! I'm sure other, more knowledgeable people will also be able to add much more than I can on this topic!

[DateMasamune]

Thank you for the clarification of Goma-bashi (護摩箸, Chopsticks) that means a power of Budda. 

 

I found further information on Horimono. 

 

kurikara (倶梨伽羅) – According to legend, the guardian deity Fudô-Myôô (不動明王) once had to fight a deity from another religion, the dragon king Kurikara, written with the same characters as stated above. He changed himself into a flaming sword but Kurikara did the same and the fighting went on without a winner. But then Fudô-Myôô transformed into the dragon Kurikara, wound himself around the opponent’s sword, and ate it from the top. Also referred to as kenmaki-ryû (剣巻龍, lit. “dragon winding around a sword”). There are quite many kurikara interpretations but basically we differentiate between three approaches that follow the shin-gyô-sô mentioned at the beginning, i.t. shin no kurikara (真の倶梨伽羅, “full” or “realistic kurikara”), gyô no kurikara (行の倶梨伽羅, “more or less abbreviated kurikara”), and sô no kurikara (草の倶梨伽羅, “abbreviated,” “stylized,” or “abstrac kurikara”). A shin no kurikara is often seen on blades of Nobukuni, Heianjô Nagayoshi, of the Sue-Bizen school, at Awataguchi Ikkanshi Tadatsuna, Hizen Tadayoshi, Echizen Yasutsugu, Higo no Daijô Sadakuni, Suishinshi Masamune, Hosokawa Masayoshi, Taikei Naotane, and at the shinshintô and gendai Gassan school. A gyô no kurikara can be found on Nobukuni and Heianjô Nagayoshi blades, at Kagemitsu, the Sue-Bizen and Sue-Sôshû schools, Echizen Yasutsugu, Kotetsu, Hizen Tadayoshi, Taikei Naotane, and Tairyûsai Sôkan (泰龍斎宗寛). And a stylized sô no kurikara is typical for the Hasebe school, Nobukuni, Heianjô Nagayoshi, the Kanabô school, the Sue-Sôshû and Sue-Bizen school, the smiths around Osafune Kanemitsu, Awataguchi Ikkanshi Tadatsuna, Echizen Yatsuugu, Hizen Tadayoshi, the shintô Hôjôji school, Ômi no Kami Tsuguhira (近江守継平), Harima no Daijô Shigetaka (播磨大掾重高), Yamashiro no Kami Kunikiyo (山城守国清), and Taikei Naotane. And please note that Heianjô Nagayoshi often combined a gyô no kurikara and a sô no kurikara  or two differently stylized sô no kurikara distributed on the two sides of one blade. The same peculiarity is seen at the Kanabô school. But it has to be pointed out that sometimes it is hard to say if a kurikara is shin or already gyô or gyô tending to sô.  

 

https://markussesko....8/kantei-1-sugata-4/

 

If it turns out the Bonji is Fudô-Myôô the sword is now completely explained, and I will write everything down.

[SteveM]

Yes, its Fudō-Myōō

 

https://fukoku-kobo.net/html/page1.html

[DateMasamune]

Thank you, you have been most helpful.