Katana-bukurogaki?

[Bryce]

G'day Guys,

What do you call a sword description written on a sword bag?

This sword bag belongs to a very nice Gassan Sadakazu katana in what looks to be its original koshirae. I can see that Gassan Sadakazu is mentioned and it is dated Showa 3 (1928) and perhaps signed by Mr Ishikawa. Can anyone help me to fill in the many blanks?

Cheers,

Bryce

[Bryce]

This is a partial translation someone else was able to give me.

Sounds like Mr Ishikawa really liked it.

Cheers,

Bryce

[SteveM]

Would it be possible to flatten out the cloth so that the characters are a bit more readable?

And, could you give us a shot of the tang? The last two lines of the cloth are just repeating what is written on the tang of the sword (supposedly) so I'm curious to see the tang. From looking at the cloth, it feels like the writing on the tang is some kind of classical Chinese poem or something. It doesn't read like typical Japanese language of the early 20th century. 

[Bryce]

G'day Steve,

The nakago is simply signed and dated, no poem. The shot of the writing is the best I can do for the moment.

Cheers,

Bryce

 

[SteveM]

Hello Bryce, thank you very much for that. Now I'm even more intrigued. As I mentioned, the two vertical lines on the far left of the bag indicate what is written on the mei. Or, that would be the normal interpretation of the words prefacing those two lines;

銘曰 (mei iwaku)(picture below)*. Your translator has translated this word as "Iron speaks" which is a mistranslation. It literally means "The mei says...". The problem is, those following two vertical lines on the bag are completely different from the mei on the sword. The lines on the bag read, as I mentioned, like Chinese couplets or quatrains or something, but they have nothing to do with the mei, from what I can tell. 

 

So, other than the first line (This sword, a Gassan Sadakazu work, is a family treasure), and the date, the rest of the writing is rather enigmatic. I can see how your translator arrived at some of the phrases, but for me it seems a bit too florid. It feels a little off to me, but maybe the writer was trying to be poetic. A couple of the connecting words and phrases are slightly hidden by folds in the cloth, so maybe a clearer shot would help make the preceding part make more sense (to me, anyway). 

 

 

*I just wrote about this phrase in another thread, where I mentioned that it was a phrase only used by Kazutaro Torigoye. It's appearance here is a very interesting coincidence. 

[Bryce]

Thanks Steve. I will try to get a better shot of the writing in the next few days.

Was the writer's name Ishikawa Shoshinsen?

Cheers,

Bryce

 

[SteveM]

To me it looks like Ishikawa Suishinsen, but there is something after that which I can't make out. 

[Nobody]

I think that the part is 石川水心先識す (Ishikawa Suishin senshikisu) – Ishikawa Suishin foresee.

[Bryce]

G'day Guys,

I finally got around to getting a better photo of the writing.

Cheers,

Bryce

 

[SteveM]

Sorry to leave this hanging. The picture is much clearer, but a couple of the characters are still lost on me. I'm afraid I can't offer you a better translation than the one you have already - although I have misgivings about it. As I said, I think its a bit over-the-top, but we're talking about style rather than content, at least for the first 6 vertical lines. The last two vertical lines under the heading of "mei" (as I mentioned previously) seem very unusual, and not like typical Japanese. Well, its all a bit atypical. Wish I could offer you some more clarity. 

[Nobody]

I cannot decipher several parts, and I tried a guess work.

I am especially unsure about the blue parts.

 

此刀ハ我か珍蔵月山貞一之作也□を脱すれハ電光

閃き星芒将ゐ人をして寒からしむ然れども装鞘素朴

鐔鐵剛強維新志士が剱撃闘争活躍ニ実

用せし物たること歴然たり吾其の手澤を愛惜して

改造せす後人をして其間を偲び士気を養ふる資□□

と云□

昭和三年十月吉日　石川水心先識す

 

This sword is my rare collection made by Gassan Sadakazu. If it is drawn, lightning flashes and sparkles scatter, and it makes a man frightened. However, its fittings/scabbard are simple and iron tsuba is firm. It is obvious that it was practically used in sword battles by samurai of the restoration. I have a deep affection for this favorite item, and I will leave it unrestored to make later generations think of that era and raise their morales.

Showa 3^rd year, a lucky day in 10^th month　Ishikawa Suishin foresees.

[SteveM]

Bravo! 

I can't understand the 寒からしむ phrase, so I assumed it was, as in the previous translation, "dispells the cold". I completely missed 維新, so that changes that whole mid-section to something much more realistic and less florid. So there are quite a few revelations in Moriyama-san's translation that are a huge improvement in both substance and style. The last characters must be 云爾, indicating the end of the sentence.

 

[Nobody]

27 minutes ago, SteveM said:

Bravo! 

I can't understand the 寒からしむ phrase, ..................................................

 

 

FYI: 「心肝を寒からしむる(しんかんをさむからしむる)」の意味や使い方 わかりやすく解説 Weblio辞書

 

[Bryce]

Fantastic guys. Thanks very much for your help.

Cheers,

Bryce