Kanji on sword I have

[blades87]

Good morning, NMB.

 

I have a huge favor. I got a couple of really beat up blades that I thought were scrap. However, as I look at this one mei, I think it might be legit and if it is, I am keeping the blade instead of selling it for scrap. What are your thoughts? The more I look at it, the more I think it may be legit.

 

EDIT - I am keeping this blade. I have been staring at late Showa kanji too long, so this mei looked odd at first. A little baby powder made the characters stand out better.

[blades87]

Alright, cranking through the ura mei:

 

First two: 三王 sano? ---->CORRECTION - 三玉

Second kanji is gyoku

 

Last three kanji: 治正作 (harumasa saku or osatada saku)

 

Harumasa or Osatada? Neither are listed in Slough's book, so I am going to dig a little further. I will post some pictures of the nagasa and nagako soon. I found a Harumasa on the Nihonto club website: http://nihontoclub.com/smiths/HAR11

 

I am stuck on the middle two kanji, so if anyone has any ideas, I would appreciate the assistance.

 

Here is what I have so far - 三玉 (?)(?) 治正作

 

 

Thanks,

[John A Stuart]

It looks like もじ Moji. 三玉 Mitama.

浩正 Hiromasa. 三玉もじ浩正作 Mitama Moji Hiromasa Saku. John

[blades87]

Thanks for the kanji clarification, John. Looks like I misinterpreted hara for hiro. Going to look into mo ji, as I have not seen those kanji before.

 

As promised, here are pictures of the nagasa, nagako and kissaki. overall length is about 34"

 

Cheers,

 

Toby

[John A Stuart]

Moji is a name written in hiragana. John

[blades87]

I looked up Moji through one of the translation sites I used and was going to inquire if the kanji used on the mei was classified as a "radical". http://tangorin.com/words/%E3%82%82%E3%81%98

 

 

So if I read the mei correctly, Mitama Moji is the province and Hiromasa is the name of the sword smith, correct?. I was trying to determine if Mitama Moji was the name of the town or province where Hiromasa came from or if it is the smith's full name, as I have not been able to locate the province. I am going to check a book I bought from Grey to see if I can dig up some more information.

 

Thanks for your help, John. I learn more every time I dig into the topic of Japanese swords.

 

Cheers,

[John A Stuart]

Mitama (三珠町, Mitama-chō?) was a town located in Nishiyatsushiro District, Yamanashi, Japan.

If this is the town, the kanji are different. Only one I could find. Maybe someone else knows.

On October 1, 2005 Mitama was merged with the towns of Ichikawadaimon and Rokugō to form the new town of Ichikawamisato.

 

Moji is a name only, AFAIK. John