Tanto Mei / Smith info request - Minamoto ??Yasuyuki??

[Tcat]

Gentlemen,

 

I recently aquired a tanto which I believe to be Edo period. The forging is quite fine and there are no flaws that I can see so far.

 

I believe the mei reads "Minamoto Yasuyuki", but with my limited resources I have been unable to find anything more about the smith. Nagasa is 31cm. I do not at the moment have the blade to hand for more measurements...

 

I would be very grateful if anyone could suggest who signed like this! School/Dates? Any other thoughts would be most welcome.

 

Thanks in advance.

[SwordGuyJoe]

My initial thoughts on this was that it was Sagami/soshu, late shinto, perhaps early shin-shinto. I took a look on NihontoClub.com and found a Yasuyuki from Owari that worked mid to late 1600's (http://nihontoclub.com/smiths/YAS773). This is assuming that you are right on your translation, which I cannot confirm.

 

Even if you aren't, I have a similar blade that I believe to be soshu and the patina IMHO looks right for shinto to shin-shinto.

[Toryu2020]

Definitely Shintô -

An excellent finish on the nakago and a practised hand in the signature - My reading would be Yasusada (安定) of the Edo Yasutsugu school - an important smith if indeed this is he...

-t

[Grey Doffin]

None of the Yasusada who made it into any of my references signed like this; maybe it isn't Yasusada.

My gut reaction on seeing the nakago was Shinshin-to up to meiji. My gut reaction and a buck gets you on the bus.

Grey

[Stephen]

beautiful (green with envy smilie)

[huntershooter]

Lovely blade!

[Tcat]

Thanks to all for the helpful feedback - but now I am puzzling as to whether the mei should be read Yasuyuki or Yasusada! In any case, is there a good chance that neither this smith nor mei were recorded in any references?

[Toryu2020]

From the Shinto Oshigata Shu, the Shodai at least did Sosho mei - Yasusada is well published, will look at other references tomorrow to see if I can find some other Sosho mei for this group of smiths...

-t

[Markus]

Seems to be Minamoto Moriyuki.

 

源守之

 

Hawley MOR454.

[Tcat]

Seems to be Minamoto Moriyuki.

 

源守之

 

Markus, many thanks for your input; you dont think its "源尚之"? That second character looks more like a 尚 to me...but I am coming at it from a Chinese (as a foreign language) perspective...

[Markus]

"源尚之"[/size]

 

At a glance, I thought about this reading too, but then the smith in question

would be "meikan-more", i.e. not listed in any references. I also thought about

"Masayuki" (当之) but ditto. Minamoto Moriyuki on the other hand is listed, and

the artistic period is about matching. That´s why I tend towards Moriyuki.

[Tcat]

Thanks Markus and all contributors. Oh boy I have a lot to learn....