Help with a Partial Mei, Please

[Bruce Pennington]

Star stamped, August 1944 RJT blade, but mei is only partial.  Can you give me the part that is showing?

 

Sword for sale at this Sofe Auction.  They claim " The tang is signed Ushu Yamagata Ju Saito, likely Fujita Akiyoshi who made gendaito for the army from Ushu."

 

[Ron M]

Unshu Yamagata Ju Fujiwara

is the mei

[Ron M]

Showa 19

[Bruce Pennington]

  On 12/8/2024 at 3:24 AM, Ron M said:

Unshu Yamagata Ju Fujiwara

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Thanks Ron!  A little cleaner than the auction house's rendition.

 

I can see similarities to the 出羽山形住藤田昭吉 Fujita Akiyoshi name.  Not exact, but then neither was the mei on @Crusader22's blade.  He must have played with his mei, like some smiths did.

[Nobody]

羽州山形住齋藤 - Ushu Yamagata ju Saito

 

There is no Fujiwara in the mei.

 

[Ron M]

  On 12/8/2024 at 12:33 PM, Nobody said:

羽州山形住齋藤 - Ushu Yamagata ju Saito

 

There is no Fujiwara in the mei.

 

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Thank you for that correction 

[Bruce Pennington]

Well, I don't see a "Saito" in the names of the RJT smiths.  It would mean finding out which of them are from Yamagata, then searching Sesko for one that uses that name.

 

If anyone has a clue, let me know. @mecox? @vajo? @Kiipu? @BANGBANGSAN?

[John C]

  On 12/8/2024 at 2:01 PM, Bruce Pennington said:

searching Sesko

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I could not find a reference for "Saito" in Sesko's Sword smiths of Japan." Maybe listed somewhere else?

 

John C.

[Kiipu]

Gendaito Project

YOSHIHIRO (慶広・慶廣), Saitō

MOTOHIKO (元彦), Saitō

KIYOMARU (清丸), Saitō

KAZUFUSA (和房), Saitō

MASANAKA (正中), Saitō

[BANGBANGSAN]

There is a 齋藤國吉

[BANGBANGSAN]

And a 羽州永井住齋藤國吉，but unfortunately no photo of the Mei only has register paper.

[Bruce Pennington]

Well that throws it all in a tailspin.  I only have 1 Kunyoshi on file and he didn't use that "yoshi":

 

The JSI list has 2 Kuniyoshi on file, and I don't see either in Sesko's list:

Ono Kuniyoshi
Haga Kuniyoshi