Gendaito Translation Help

[pcfarrar]

A friend has recently acquired this excellent gendaito and I wondered if anyone could help with a full translation.

 

I also wondered if anyone had any information on the smith Mitsuoki?

 

Thanks,

 

Peter

[John A Stuart]

Echigo Kuni Mitsuoki zo kore. Active just prior to WW II. John

[Curgan]

I think I 've seen it before somewhere. Was it on eBay?

[pcfarrar]

  Curgan said:

I think I 've seen it before somewhere. Was it on eBay?

 

No never been on ebay it's been in a collection in the UK for 30 years or more.

[John A Stuart]

On the other side I get lost, it starts 白王 shiro kimi, white king, who's that MacArthur?; then ?巳 ?-me juniki/junishi date?, I can't read the kanji at the mekugiana. There is next 二 ni 2, 千 sen thousand 六 roku six 一 ichi one. 白 shiro white again 年 nen year. Not sure what is meant, maybe 1950? Then 二月 second month 日 a day in. John

[Nobody]

The other side:

皇紀二千六百年八月日 - August in 1940 (= Koki 2600)

同國三條住人阿部昭忠彫之 - A resident of Sanjo in the same province, Abe Akitada curved this.

[John A Stuart]

Ha ha!! Much better guys!! John

[george trotter]

A great gendai maker IMHO. I had one by him years ago...the oshigata is on the Showa Oshi database link above . His is consistantly on the top level of WWII era smiths, was Special Honour Seat in 1941 Shinsakuto tenrankai and is listed 1942 Tosho Banzuke at Jojo saku. There is a lot of info on him...I wish I still had mine (had gunto mounts and Honda Mon). Style was wide choji/gonome.

Regards,

George.

[cabowen]

Endo Mitsuoki was from Niigata and a well known and respected smith. He is a rarity in that he was mostly self-taught. He was chosen by Yamamoto Isoroku to make 10 tanto for his top officers, if I remember correctly (they were both from the same province). He worked mostly in Bizen style and while his forging and hamon are usually well done I have found that much like another well respected self-taught smith, Shibata Ka, the sugata of his blades is often awkward. Akitada is well known for his horimono and did many on the work of Kurihara Akihide.