Newbie Trying to get Translations

[Ironheart]

 

Photo 1.   is from a O Wakizashi    Photo 2 is from a Fuchi   Photo 3  is O-Tanto Tang    Photo 4  one side of a Tachi Tang  Photo 5. is the flip side of Tachi the top half of the writing.  Photo 6. is the Bottom Half of Tachi Tang

 

 

 

 

 

[ROKUJURO]

1) Possibly KOZUKE no KAMI HISAKUNI   

 

[Nobody]

1. 上野守久國 – Kozuke no kami Hisakuni

 

2. 喜多川秀典製 _ Kitagawa Hidenori/Shuten made

 

3. 濃州加治田住人兼住作 – Knesumi in Noshu Kajita made

[Ironheart]

Thank you Gentlemen,  I forgot to set my notifications on.....just came on and discovered the responses.  My ex wife from many many years ago was born in Japan, grew up there until high school then moved to USA.  She was fluent in 7 languages.   Could have used her help.  LOL     

[Ironheart]

This is what I found out about Hisakuni.     H2.1) Hisakuni, 1716, Tosa, Kozuke (no) Kami Hisakuni 上野守久国, Tosa ju Kozuke Daijo Fujiwara Hisakuni土佐住上野大掾藤原久国. Adopted son of Kozuke Daijo Kunimasu 国益 and a student of the nidai Hisamichi and died in 1741. Works are in similar styles as his teacher.

 

The O Wakizashi  is in its original polish and is in a Shirasaya

[uwe]

No.4 bears a date “弘安八年ニ月日” (1285)??…that makes me curious…(haven’t tried the inscription yet).

[Ironheart]

That is the one my daughter got off the Heritage Auction 5 years ago (back when she was learning Kenjutsu and she quit, she was 13)---A day or two after she won it the owner tried to buy it back for twice, then offered 3 times the amount to buy it back and she said no.  She figured it must be worth something.    The Agent at Heritage Auction told me that the owners rep had put up some 10 swords up for the auction and placed this one in by error.  That is all I know, it is a very large Tachi, very heavy.  I was surprised by the nice polish and condition. 

[Ironheart]

On 6/21/2024 at 6:27 AM, uwe said:

No.4 bears a date “弘安八年ニ月日” (1285)??…that makes me curious…(haven’t tried the inscription yet).

 

When I put through a translator of the fonts it says January 11 , 8th year of the Koan era by Julian calendar February 16 , 1285  

[PNSSHOGUN]

Hi Rory, can we see further pictures of the Tachi blade?

[SteveM]

 

12 hours ago, Ironheart said:

When I put through a translator of the fonts it says

 

It's just a date of "a day in the 2nd month, 1285". There is no exact day on it. 2nd month is normally February, but since the old Japanese calendar was a mostly lunar calendar, it doesn't correspond exactly with the Gregorian calendar we use. 

 

The other inscription on the front is 

正翁子日壽於義弘囗鍛之     

Masa-okina-no-ko Nishitoki ni oite Yoshihiro ? kitae-kore

 

Son of "Masa", hitoshi ni oite, Yoshihiro (?) kitae kore

 

The Masa, I assume is Masamune. So this is trying to be a Gō Yoshihiro signature, I think. Or Gō Yoshihiro tribute piece. I don't know the meaning of the 日壽於. 日壽 nowadays means 100th anniversary, but I don't know if  that is the correct interpretation. The reverse side is completely opaque to me. 

 

勧赫九天　三光九造

 

Can't even make a wild guess. And, in case your are tempted, its really no help in putting any of this into an online translator, because online translators are still unable to recognize and interpret feudal-era Japanese language. (I reckon it is not far away though... maybe 5 years or less?). 

 

 

[Nobody]

8 hours ago, SteveM said:

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

 

The other inscription on the front is 

正翁子日壽於義弘囗鍛之     

Masa-okina-no-ko Nishitoki ni oite Yoshihiro ? kitae-kore

 

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

 

 

I think I could recognize each character, but I could not decipher their actual reading or meaning. Also, I could not find such a smith name.

I can only show my guess here.

 

正翁子日壽於義弘舘鍛之

“正翁子(Seioshi?)日壽(reading?)” forged this at “義弘舘(Gikokan?)”.

[uwe]

Could it be 働?

 

Kyūten 九天 (heavens, palace, sky or celestial sphere)

Sankou 三光 (sun, moon and stars or the 3 radiant bodhisattvas)

 

 

[Ironheart]

Give me a few days to put up some good photos.  My daughter has my good camera and she left to spend a few days with her friends.  I will try what I can do with my cell phone until she gets back with my good camera

[Ironheart]

[Ironheart]

That is the best I can do with the size of the files.  Sorry they are out of sequence because when I load them they are the size of a postage stamp and can't see that small in this PC

 

 

[Ironheart]

[Ironheart]

Without the proper back drop, tripod and lighting I just can't give them justice.  Without the flash from whichever angle was my shadow over them and plus my cell phone will not focus at a foot away to get the details.

[Brian]

Nakago shape, that square mekugi ana, the mei and sugata....this is one I would seriously consider having professionally looked at. It's a pity you missed the chance to put it through the recent US shinsa.

[PNSSHOGUN]

The Sugata looks more like something from Nanbokucho or Shin Shinto, with such wide Mihaba and long Nagasa. Very intriguing indeed.

[Ironheart]

     It did have its papers on it at one time and it wore off the Saya. Some of the ink transferred on it. 

[Ironheart]

I tried loading these the other night but it wouldn't allow me to.  The Center photo I took was too blurry so I didn't bother loading it up on here.  But you can tell it has been polished and sharpened many times. When I looked at it under a scope it look as though it has had been done 3 times because the Hamon is beginning to fade away.  I may be wrong.   I could only find 2 slight fissures and only 4 or 5  small pitting. But my eyes are getting bad too!  To be honest it looks though who polished it last did not finish it with the Hazuya and Jizuya stones for that mirrored look.    

 

[uwe]

You can tell if it was polished many times by looking at the back of the blade (munemachi area), comparing the thickness of the blade and nakago (hilt) there.

[Matsunoki]

1 hour ago, Ironheart said:

To be honest it looks though who polished it last did not finish it with the Hazuya and Jizuya stones for that mirrored look.    

The current polish could have been done well over 100 years ago. Maybe longer - so you’d expect the finish to be “worn” plus older polishes were often “softer” and not done to the same level of finish and contrast as modern day work.

That looks one heck of an interesting sword.

[ROKUJURO]

2 hours ago, Ironheart said:

..... I could only find 2 slight fissures....

Rory, 

how do these look like? Can you provde photos of them? Cracks in the cutting edge (HAGIRE) would not be good! 
 

[Ironheart]

11 hours ago, uwe said:

You can tell if it was polished many times by looking at the back of the blade (munemachi area), comparing the thickness of the blade and nakago (hilt) there.

I did not think to look back at the Nakago but I did look down the length of the Naganese it was narrower than the Yokote which flared out wider from there to the Kissaki.  The fissures were near to the Mune but extremely small.  The pitting was within the Kissaki and the Yokote line but were hairline in size and not deep, so I plan to place some oil there and at the other two which are a few inches before the Habaki.    When I get my digital camera back and feel well enough I will take much better pictures.  

[ROKUJURO]

1 hour ago, Ironheart said:

..... I did look down the length of the Naganese.... The fissures were near to the Mune but extremely small.....   When I get my digital camera back and feel well enough I will take much better pictures.  

Good close-up photos are really needed to get an idea of the KIZU. Even small hairline cracks can make a difference in case they go through.

Take photos on a dark background for a good contrast, light from the side to avoid reflection, tip-upwards for all NAKAGO photos ! 

When using oil, take care that no oil ends up in the SAYA !

'Naganese' = NAGASA ? 

[Ironheart]

Sorry,  I have not been able to get back to this discussion.  I was badly injured in an accident with my ribs along my back from the Scapula down along the T4, 5, 6 and my left hand crushed along the 3rd, 4th, 5th Metacarpal, the 4th medial phalange was dislocated as well.  But what made it worse is the Radiologist informed me there were tumors inside my bones.  So if anyone is interested in purchasing my swords let me know.