Mei help please.

[johnb]

Try as I might I struggle with mei translation...Maybe it's my age or could it be that I'm dyslexic? Probably a combination of the 2. So gentlemen...any help would be much appreciated.

 

 

John B

[cabowen]

Kanenaga

[johnb]

Thank you Chris, much appreciated. It's pretty crude mei I have to say.

 

 

Johnb

[Grey Doffin]

Actually, this isn't crude; pretty standard mei carving on Nihonto.

Here I go again trumpeting my own horn, but I honestly believe that a set of my Kanji Flashcards is the answer to learning how to read sword signatures if you aren't going to learn how to read Japanese. The Kanji were chosen to be relevant to sword signatures (you don't have to learn the Kanji for watermelon) and they are written Kanji, not print, so they look like what you see on swords. There are a few stroke mistakes in the set but guess what, there are a few stroke mistakes in sword signatures.

When I got my set 20 years ago, I went through the 270 cards once a day for a month, and at the end of the month I could regularly get all but 4 or 5 correct. With that knowledge and a copy of Hawley's book to fill in the parts of the mei I didn't know, I could read the great majority of signatures with little trouble. $25 plus postage; a bargain I think.

Grey

[Brian]

As an admin, it's my job to wag my finger at Grey for commercial self promotion postings in the general threads...

However as a sword enthusiast, I have to agree with him that they are very useful and worthwhile. :lol:

Slap on the wrist...with a mild endorsement. That ok?

 

Brian

[Grey Doffin]

Sorry about that, Brian. I won't do it again.

Grey

[johnb]

I'll take a set Grey!!

 

John