Wakizashi translation help

[David Price]

Gentlemen

 

I got a chance to briefly view a very nice looking wakizashi in shirasaya that the son of a WII vet sold to my friend’s gun shop. It came along with a Type 44 carbine that had it’s mon ground off. This wakizashi looks very nice. The condition of the polish is very good with very slight surface rusting that may clean up with very gentle cleaning with uchiko, It is not bad enough to warrant a repolish. The shinogi is very clean and crisp. Under bad florescent lighting it looks to be in a hadori polish with suguha hamon and O-mokume hada. I was not able to get photos of it. It is a fairly wide shinogi-zukuri blade with a copper habaki. 18”-19” nagasa, lori-mune with chu-kissaki or maybe a longish ko-kissaki, ko-maru boshi and very nice 1 ½” long nagashi on the mune-saki The nakago is ubu, I think funa-gata with (if my memory is correct) katte agari yasurime. The nakago has a dark patina with some lumpy rust on it and is signed on both sides.

 

As a beginner that is trying to learn I ask for your help with the translation. This is the best translation that I can come up with. I welcome any help with the translation and additional information. I will try to get photos to post of it. Hopefully after I buy it! :D The gunshop owner is showing it to a few people that he knows that buy Japanese swords trying to get a value for it.

 

 

Omote mei

 

河

内

守

永

國

“Kawachi no Kaminaga Kuni” would be “Kaminaga of the Kawachi province” Not sure about “naga”.

 

Ura side mei

安永 Era = a sloppy "Anei"? 1772-1781

肥 Hi / Shi / Koe

?

?

本 Hon?

作 Saku = made

之 Shi / no / Kore?

 

Thank you

Dave Price

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Dave,

You have the omote perfect except for a space. It reads: "Kawachi no Kami Nagakuni." Lord of Kawachi, Nagakuni.

The ura I don't know. The 1st Kanji isn't Anei. Anei is written with 2 Kanji and this is just one. I'll let others tell you what it says.

Grey

[Veli]

Hi!

 

Second to fourth kanji on the ura probably read "Hishu Kumamoto" 肥州 熊本, which is a town in Higo (nowadays Kumamoto) province.

 

BR, Veli

[cabowen]

Per the written order:

 

Oite Hishu Kumamoto Saku Kore

於肥州熊本作之

 

Made in Kumamoto in Hishu

[Veli]

There is a signature example of Kawachi no Kami Nagakuni (the one who worked in Higo) in Fujishiro's. If you post a photo of the mei, it can be compared with the authentic example.

 

Veli

[David Price]

Thanks all, I will try and get photos next week. I am happy that I did as well as I did with the translation. It wasn't that long ago that it all just looked like "chicken scratchings" to me.

 

Dave P

[David Price]

New post with photos.

 

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8231

 

Opinions please.

 

Thanks

Dave P