Tanobe sayagaki

[Ray Singer]

Hi all, would greatly appreciate translation of this sayagaki for Bitchu Ko-Aoe kodachi I own...

 

Many thanks,

Ray

 

[Nobody]

少磨上無銘也 但シ茎ハ舊態ヲ残セリ 年代鎌倉前期也 姿形優美

亦地刃古雅有之而同派ノ特色ヲ明示シ滋味掬スベシ 珍重

 

Slightly shortened and mumei. However, the nakago retains its original traces. Era; early Kamakura. The blade shape is elegant. And its Ji-Ha shows the elegance of antiquity. It clearly shows the characteristics of the school and its goodness should be appreciated. Be prized.

[george trotter]

Hey Ray,

can we see the blade?

George.

[Ray Singer]

Thank you Moriyama-san for the quick reply and translation.

 

Here are a few photos of the Ko-Aoe as requested...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[george trotter]

Ray, thanks for the pics...nice little blade.

Hate to bother you, but can you tell me how long your blade is?

The reason I ask is that I have a very small sword very similar to yours in sugata (except nakago)....my blade is 52 cm (20 5/16 inches) strongly tapered, deep sori with ko-kissaki.

I am interested as the only pics I have seen of blades identified as ko-dachi all seem to lack the fumbari seen in yours (and mine), in fact they look to me like your usual wakizashi....mine is like yours...a perfectly proportioned miniature tachi type blade. I have always assumed mine to be a Bizen-den of c. late Kamakura period, or Nambokucho...possibly later, I just don't know. It is suriage also but I don't think o-suriade...so, I would be interested in the measurement of your blade.

I wonder if members know what the purpose of ko-dachi was? Were they the wakizashi of their time...or?

You are lucky to have sayagaki.

Regards,

George.

[Ray Singer]

Hi George, the Ko-Aoe measures 2 shaku 6 bu = 62.42cm. It is approximately 6cm machi-okuri, so this was a tachi of more conventional length when ubu...

 

Also interesting in this piece is that there is a faint mei there, signed tachimei (which is less common for Bitchu Aoe). The kanji for KUNI is the only one that can be read clearly...

 

Best regards,

Ray

[george trotter]

Hi Ray,

Thanks for the info...it seems yours was a conventional sword then (most likely)...mine on the other hand, while it is also 6 cm suriage (I estimate), would still have only been about 58-60 cm when made...why so small is another of life's little mysteries!

I envy you your sayagaki and faint "Kuni"...that is a very helpful information.

Regards,

George.

[Bazza]

Ray,

Reaching into the dark recesses of my mind, I think I recall reading of Aoe blades having "spotted" steel and also I think I have read that chirimen hada is a feature of Aoe blades. I can see lots if nie (?) scattered over the surface of your blade and I wonder if this is "spotted" steel or just ji nie?? (EDIT) and chikei...

 

For George's benefit, I once had a Bitchu kodachi that I must write about when I get back home in a couple of weeks... I have a full-length oshigata of it I'll have to dig out of deep storage...

 

Regards to all,

BaZZa.

[Ted Tenold]

Barry, the spotted steel you mention is probably what is normally described as "Sumigane" (ink metal) or "Namazu hada" (catfish skin) that are patches of darker, denser, steel of little or no pattern at all. This is a trait of Aoe works along with the Chirimen hada.

 

Nice looking sword there Ray. It'd be interesting to try and narrow down the smith possibilities by combination of workstyle, and practice of inscribing a longer (meaning more than just two characters) in tachimei. As a Ko-Aoe piece this would tender possiblities of about 14 different smiths over about 80 years. Gotta love an old nakago like that too! :D

[Basho12]

It's my understanding that, yes, the ko-dachi was worn as a companion blade to the tachi, much as the later wakizashi was to the daito(Kanzan Satos' THE Japanese SWORD says as much).