Grey Doffin Posted January 5, 2011 Report Posted January 5, 2011 Hi guys, Someone has sent me pictures of a ken with the inscription below on the blade. Beyond my feeble translation skills, I'm afraid. Any & all help will be greatly appreciated Thanks, Grey Quote
drbvac Posted January 5, 2011 Report Posted January 5, 2011 Well I can't help you Grey but would love to see the entire blade if you can wrangle a picture Quote
cabowen Posted January 5, 2011 Report Posted January 5, 2011 Grey- This is the Nichiren Lotus Sutra.....Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo.... Quote
Grey Doffin Posted January 5, 2011 Author Report Posted January 5, 2011 Thanks Chris. No promises, Brian (picture of whole blade). Maybe. Grey Quote
Ed Posted January 5, 2011 Report Posted January 5, 2011 Grey, I had a tanto with this inscribed on the shirasaya. The following is what I was able to find on it, might save you some time. Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō - 南無妙法蓮華経; Devotion to the Law of the Lotus Flower Scripture) is a mantra that is chanted as the central practice of all forms of Nichiren Buddhism. The mantra is referred to as Daimoku (題目, title; also, in some schools, O-daimoku: お題目) and was first revealed by the Japanese Buddhist teacher Nichiren on the 28th day of the fourth lunar month of AD 1253 at Kiyomizu-dera (also, Seichōji) near Kominato in current-day Chiba, Japan. The practice of chanting the daimoku is called shōdai (唱題). The purpose of chanting daimoku is to attain perfect and complete awakening (enlightenment). Namu: The words na and mu derive from Sanskrit. A close translation of its meaning is "to devote oneself". Nichiren established the practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as a means to enable all people to put their lives in harmony or rhythm with the law of life, or Dharma. In the original Sanskrit, nam indicates the elements of action and attitude, and refers therefore to the correct action one needs to take and the attitude one needs to develop in order to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. Myoho: Myoho literally means the Mystic Law, and expresses the relationship between the life inherent in the universe and the many different ways this life expresses itself. Myo refers to the very essence of life, the mystic law which is "invisible" and beyond intellectual understanding. Renge: Renge means lotus flower. The lotus blooms and produces seeds at the same time, and thus represents the simultaneity of cause and effect. The circumstances and quality of our individual lives are determined by the causes and effects, both good and bad, that we accumulate (through our thoughts, words and actions) at each moment. This is called our "karma." The law of cause and effect explains that we each have personal responsibility for our own destiny. We create our destiny and we can change it. The lotus flower grows and blooms in a muddy pond, and yet remains pristine and free from any defilement, symbolizing the emergence of Buddhahood from within the life of an ordinary person. Kyo: Kyo literally means sutra, the voice or teaching of a Buddha. In this sense, it also means sound, rhythm or vibration. "When deluded, one is called an ordinary human being, but when enlightened, one is called a Buddha. This is similar to a tarnished mirror that will shine like a jewel when polished. A mind now clouded by the illusions of the innate darkness of life is like a tarnished mirror, but when polished, it is sure to become like a clear mirror, reflecting the essential nature of phenomena and the true aspect of reality. Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo." —Nichiren, On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime Quote
Grey Doffin Posted January 8, 2011 Author Report Posted January 8, 2011 Thanks Ed, I have a picture of one side of the nakago (not very good picture; sorry); looks like Hiragana maybe? Can anyone make sense of this please? Thanks, Grey Quote
cabowen Posted January 8, 2011 Report Posted January 8, 2011 Katakana コクイナ ????? maybe 十二 at the bottom.... Quote
cabowen Posted January 8, 2011 Report Posted January 8, 2011 Unusual nakago shape for a ken.... Quote
Justin Grant Posted January 9, 2011 Report Posted January 9, 2011 Here is my Gohonzon with the inscription as set forth by Nichiren. Quote
kuromido Posted January 11, 2011 Report Posted January 11, 2011 Hi grey, found this kabuto pic in my files. Cheers, PeterD Quote
Aloof Pegasus Posted January 11, 2011 Report Posted January 11, 2011 re the use of the katakana, I'm wondering if it may indicate special emphasis (the way you might see だめ written ﾀﾞﾒ ) as a way to highlight some sort of injunction connected with the inscription on the other side. Any chance of a better shot? The katakana are post Meiji but what about the sword? Maybe the katakana were added later? Quote
Eric H Posted January 11, 2011 Report Posted January 11, 2011 Kakejiku in my collection : Kato Kiyomasa Eric Quote
Justin Grant Posted January 11, 2011 Report Posted January 11, 2011 Eric- That is great. Thanks for sharing. Justin Quote
Grey Doffin Posted January 11, 2011 Author Report Posted January 11, 2011 Hi guys, I do have other pictures but they are huge, and I've had no luck figuring out how to make digital pictures smaller. The other side of the nakago is a poorly cut gimei. Above the katakana, carved on the ken, is a stylized dragon wrapped around a ken, of so-so quality. The carving of the sutra is low quality. I told the owner I think it's a ken from Muromachi with mei and sutra added much later to appeal to Western collectors in Japan in Meiji and later. The koshirae are nice but made to Western taste. Interesting Philip, how is it you know the katagana are post Meiji (not invented/in use till then)? Thanks for all the help, guys. Grey Quote
Justin Grant Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 Katakana has been around since the Heian Period. I am sure there are major changes but it has been around for a while. Grey, you can open your photos in Paint ( Microsoft Window Application ) and select. IMAGE from the tool bar and then select STRETCH/SKEW and in the Horizontal and Vertical boxes enter 50 and hit OK. It will reduce the images by 50% and you can use different numbers to change the %. But keep both numbers the same or it will skew the photo. Justin Quote
Aloof Pegasus Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 Hi Grey In my limited experience I've never seen katakana on a nakago before. However as we can't read the full word I suppose it's pointless to speculate on why. I said end of Meiji- katakana were codified then, although it's quite right that they have been around a long, long time. But I can't imagine anyone putting foreign words on a sword prior to that time although I could easily be wrong. In any case it should be some kind of loan word, or maybe used as a way to emphasize the word. Quote
Grey Doffin Posted January 12, 2011 Author Report Posted January 12, 2011 Thanks for the tip, Justin; let's see if that worked. Grey Quote
drbvac Posted January 13, 2011 Report Posted January 13, 2011 Grey: Thanks for the pic! That is quite a piece, and is there any chance it may have been shortened or altered in some way based on the tang - what is the length please? Quote
Grey Doffin Posted January 13, 2011 Author Report Posted January 13, 2011 I think it's ubu; the bottom hole is original and the upper one was drilled when the ken was mounted in Meiji or later. I'm told the nagasa is 8.5". Are the katagana now readable, anyone? Grey Quote
IanB Posted January 13, 2011 Report Posted January 13, 2011 All, Tokugawa Ieyasu's favourite uchigatana preserved in the Kunozan Toshugo, Shizuoka, has the mei in katakana situated in the kake toshi hi. The nakago itself is kijimomo gate. Both curious features on a Tensho mounted sword. What I cannot remember is the name of the smith. Ian Bottomley Quote
Justin Grant Posted January 13, 2011 Report Posted January 13, 2011 My uneducated guess ? RI I NA NO ? ? Quote
Aloof Pegasus Posted January 13, 2011 Report Posted January 13, 2011 Ian That's really interesting! Was it unique to him? Quote
IanB Posted January 13, 2011 Report Posted January 13, 2011 Philip, Yes, as far as I know it was made for him. I don't normally get too excited by swords, but that one really pressed the buttons quite short, heavy, and very plainly mounted. Just the thing for leaning from yout horse and splitting helmets. Ian Quote
Grey Doffin Posted January 13, 2011 Author Report Posted January 13, 2011 Stephen, I think the owner would be willing to sell if someone were willing to pay about 10 times what it's worth. Grey Quote
Justin Grant Posted January 24, 2011 Report Posted January 24, 2011 For what it is worth, I was flipping through the Fuller/Gregory 1868-1945 book, and in the back, the oshigata section, had a blade with katagana on it. Said it was made during the war in Sumatra at a Japanese factory. Not sure if it is applicable here, but thought I would pass it along . Quote
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