Tang. Your opinion ?

[BANGBANGSAN]

  On 2/8/2022 at 1:22 AM, Kiipu said:

 

I decided to take a closer look at the picture you posted above and see if anything further could be learned from it.  So that others can follow along, the picture is coming from page 157 of Slough's book entitled An Oshigata Book of Modern Japanese Swordsmiths, 1868–1945.  Upon translating the characters, I learned that 撫順炭礦製鉄工場 (Bujun tankō seitetsu kōjō) was located in Bujun (Chinese: 抚顺, 撫順, Fushun), Manshūkoku 滿洲國.  This would indicate that the sword was made by our very own Shigetsugu who worked at Mantetsu!

Fushun 抚顺

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It is him, 重次 using 重房 Mei.

[Kiipu]

So as to close the book on this matter of 重次 Shigetsugu versus 重房 Shigefusa, I contacted Nick and he said "Definitely Shigefusa."  If someone has an objection to this change, now is the time to speak up.

[SteveM]

Morita-san and Ohmura-san refer to him as 若林重次 (Wakabayashi Shigetsugu), so this might be another case that needs some more digging into. 

 

http://ohmura-study.net/221.html 

[SteveM]

Or, are there two different smiths? Both a 重房 (Shigefusa) as well as 若林重次 (Wakabayashi Shigetsugu)? 

Or, did he use two different mei (and I'm just late to the party)?

 

Here is a Wakabayashi Shigetsugu sword that is clearly 重次 (Shigetsugu)

https://www.touken-matsumoto.jp/ja/product/shousai/KA-0392

 

We can definitely toss out 重高 (Shigetaka) as that was just a wrong transcription made by someone at a Board of Education who read and/or wrote the wrong kanji on the registration card. 

 

 

[BANGBANGSAN]

  On 2/9/2022 at 10:58 PM, SteveM said:

Or, are there two different smiths? Both a 重房 (Shigefusa) as well as 若林重次 (Wakabayashi Shigetsugu)? 

Or, did he use two different mei (and I'm just late to the party)?

 

Here is a Wakabayashi Shigetsugu sword that is clearly 重次 (Shigetsugu)

https://www.touken-matsumoto.jp/ja/product/shousai/KA-0392

 

We can definitely toss out 重高 (Shigetaka) as that was just a wrong transcription made by someone at a Board of Education who read and/or wrote the wrong kanji on the registration card. 

 

 

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Steve

I posted that sword in this tread about a week ago.

Here is root of 重房

1st Generation   重房 若林安右衛門

2nd Generation 重房 若林猪之吉，安右衛門‘s second son.He and his older brother 若林安左衛門 both are using 重房 name.

3rd Generation  重房 若林大助，若林猪之吉‘s son。

4th Generation  重房 守藏 ，若林大助’s student and son in-law.

5th Generation  重房 若林大八，若林大助‘s son.

6th Generation  重房 若林重次，守藏’s son。

7th Generation   重房 若林升，若林大八‘s son，重次’s nephew.

若林重次 is 6th Generation 重房 

[Kiipu]

  On 2/9/2022 at 10:58 PM, SteveM said:

Or, did he use two different mei (and I'm just late to the party)?

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The cards are still on the table and as the saying goes, better late than never!  Your statement above if something I have had in the back of my mind for the last week.  Namely, that he could have used two signatures.  This is not a new observation as @Stephen pointed out similarities in the signatures back in 2008.

almost there, Post #8

 

@Markus notes a Wakabayashi Shigefusa over at the Gendaito Project but there is no mention of a Shigetsugu 重次.

SHIGE (重)

[BANGBANGSAN]

Yes, it looks like he uses his name 重次 after he left Mantetsu and let his nephew 若林升 the 7th Generation use 重房 mei.

 

[Kiipu]

Some more family history about the Shigefusa clan.

（一）会津刃物道具鍛冶の歴史

[Kiipu]

Here's the full story of Shigefusa versus Shigetsugu

By Nick Komiya

 

I finally read the full thread in the Nihonto Message Board and now understand that the question was not merely how to read the Mei on the sword, but to untangle the jumbled use of the names Shigefusa 重房 and Shigetsugu 重次.

 

I already explained that Shigetsugu was a member of the offshoot line of the Shigefusa line, but the story I gave you was a bit simplified, so I’ll now give you the full story.

 

Wakabayashi Inosuke, the founder of the Shigefusa mei, had a son named Daisuke 大助, and Daisuke had a daughter named Sato and a son named Daihachi 大八, but Daisuke died when Daihachi was still only 14, thus too young to carry on the artisan name of Shigefusa.

 

At the time of this family crisis, the Wakabayashi family had an apprentice named Morizō 守蔵 (I think the family name was Nakamura), who was already a fully trained smith, but who was there to learn methods of other schools.  So, the Wakabayashi family asked Morizō to marry Sato and also to train the young Daihachi.  Thus, Morizō took on the Wakabayashi 若林 name.

 

Around 1914, when Daihachi was fully capable of carrying on the Shigefusa name, Morizō considered his duty for the Wakabayashi family done and moved to Tochigi Prefecture 栃木県 as an offshoot of the Wakabayashi family.

 

But again in 1926, another crisis arose when Daihachi at the height of his career, prematurely died at the age of 41, leaving behind a son Noboru, only 14 years old, once again too young to take over the family business.  Asking Morizō to rejoin the main Wakabayashi line was considered, but at that time, he was already well past his prime at 60 years of age, so his 30-year-old son, Wakabayashi Shigetsugu was sent to Aizu 会津 to carry on the Shigefusa line instead.

 

And finally, after Noboru, the son of the main Wakabayashi line had fully reached adulthood, in around 1937, Shigetsugu and his family of 5 moved to Manchuria to work for the South Manchuria Railway Company (SMR), where he launched the Kōa Isshin 興亞一心 swords.

 

In 1941, the family returned to Japan and settled again in Aizu, where he was later accredited as Rikugun Jumei Tosho (army licensed sword smith).  Shigetsugu had also signed his earlier commercial work as Shigefusa, but registered as Wakabayashi Shigetsugu in the RJT program.  Even so, he made a good number of swords for the black market to be sold as antiques, in which he used the generations old mei of Shigefusa.

 

Shigetsugu and his father Morizō, both had to stand in for the main branch of the Wakabayashi family, when the inheritor of the family name was too young to inherit the business.  Thus, he probably saw himself as a “stand in” and refrained from using the Shigefusa name as a RJT smith.

 

[SteveM]

Wow, love to hear a good story like that - and thanks for helping to untangle this knot. Thanks to Nick too for the very interesting background. It often strikes me quickly we can lose some of these historical details if we don't pursue them. All of these WW2 smiths who were alive until the 80s or 90s, and yet we (seemingly) have so little information on them. 

 

And now Trystan's posts regarding the Shigefusa lineage make much more sense to me now also. 

[Brian]

Always great to read Nick Komiya's research. He's a real asset to the sword community. If I could just steal him from that forum.....
Thanks Nick, appreciate the clarity.

[BANGBANGSAN]

  On 2/10/2022 at 5:45 PM, Kiipu said:

Here's the full story of Shigefusa versus Shigetsugu

By Nick Komiya

 

I finally read the full thread in the Nihonto Message Board and now understand that the question was not merely how to read the Mei on the sword, but to untangle the jumbled use of the names Shigefusa 重房 and Shigetsugu 重次.

 

I already explained that Shigetsugu was a member of the offshoot line of the Shigefusa line, but the story I gave you was a bit simplified, so I’ll now give you the full story.

 

Wakabayashi Inosuke, the founder of the Shigefusa mei, had a son named Daisuke 大助, and Daisuke had a daughter named Sato and a son named Daihachi 大八, but Daisuke died when Daihachi was still only 14, thus too young to carry on the artisan name of Shigefusa.

 

At the time of this family crisis, the Wakabayashi family had an apprentice named Morizō 守蔵 (I think the family name was Nakamura), who was already a fully trained smith, but who was there to learn methods of other schools.  So, the Wakabayashi family asked Morizō to marry Sato and also to train the young Daihachi.  Thus, Morizō took on the Wakabayashi name.

 

Around 1914, when Daihachi was fully capable of carrying on the Shigefusa name, Morizō considered his duty for the Wakabayashi family done and moved to Tochigi Prefecture 栃木県 as an offshoot of the Wakabayashi family.

 

But again in 1926, another crisis arose when Daihachi at the height of his career, prematurely died at the age of 41, leaving behind a son Noboru, only 14 years old, once again too young to take over the family business.  Asking Morizō to rejoin the main Wakabayashi line was considered, but at that time, he was already well past his prime at 60 years of age, so his 30-year-old son, Wakabayashi Shigetsugu was sent to Aizu 会津 to carry on the Shigefusa line instead.

 

And finally, after Noboru, the son of the main Wakabayashi line had fully reached adulthood, in around 1937, Shigetsugu and his family of 5 moved to Manchuria to work for the South Manchuria Railway Company (SMR), where he launched the Kōa Isshin 興亞一心 swords.

 

In 1941, the family returned to Japan and settled again in Aizu, where he was later accredited as Rikugun Jumei Tosho (army licensed sword smith).  Shigetsugu had also signed his earlier commercial work as Shigefusa, but registered as Wakabayashi Shigetsugu in the RJT program.  Even so, he made a good number of swords for the black market to be sold as antiques, in which he used the generations old mei of Shigefusa.

 

Shigetsugu and his father Morizō, both had to stand in for the main branch of the Wakabayashi family, when the inheritor of the family name was too young to inherit the business.  Thus, he probably saw himself as a “stand in” and refrained from using the Shigefusa name as a RJT smith.

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Thomas
Thanks for posting the article by Nick. 
The article in Chinese that you posted earlier https://www.ahszyd.com/home/periodical/articleDetail?articleId=1446922 has pretty much the same story of 若林 Clan Nick wrote, except the black market sword selling part. I think maybe it was the translation from the book 軍刀組合始末, I might need to buy one copy to check it out.

Nick says "In around 1937, Shigetsugu(重次） and his family of 5 moved to Manchuria to work for the South Manchuria Railway Company (SMR), where he launched the Kōa Isshin 興亞一心 swords."

Do you think he bring his nephew 若林升 with him,so he can train him there?

[Bruce Pennington]

Astonishing!  This story shows why we, today, struggle to make sense of some of these mei.  Really love seeing the human story of these guys.

[Kiipu]

Nick Komiya's reply to Trystan's question of 2022-02-10 02:17 PM.

His nephew Wakabayashi Noboru 若林･升 does not appear in 軍刀組合始末.  The 5 that immigrated to Manchuria were Shigetsugu, his wife Yoi ヨイ, sons Morihiko 守彦 and Yasuhiko 八洲彦, and daughter.

 

By the way, Morihiko explains that of the Shigefusa line, Daisuke 大助, Daihachi 大八, and Morizō 守蔵 never made swords, because those were times of peace and there was no demand for swords.

 

At the end of the war, their family buried 70 brand new swords in the ground to avoid confiscation by the Americans, but when they dug them up again in 1950, after the peace treaty had been signed, they were crestfallen to see that all blades had rusted away and were crumbling, despite the heavy greasing they had applied.

[Kiipu]

  On 2/10/2022 at 10:17 PM, BANGBANGSAN said:

I think maybe it was the translation from the book 軍刀組合始末, I might need to buy one copy to check it out.

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Nick picked up a copy of that book last year and that is why I asked him about Shigetsugu/Shigefusa.  Nick wrote a brief summary of the book when it arrived and included a picture of it as well.  Nick has been a great help on several sword related inquires and is truly a gentleman and a scholar.

Rikugun Jumei Tosho (RJT) Star Stamped Blades - Documentation?, Post 45

 

Tsutsumi Akira 堤･章. Guntō kumiai shimatsu: Rikugun jumei tōshō no shūhen 軍刀組合始末: 陸軍受命刀匠の周辺. Aizu bunkazai chōsa kenkyūkai 会津文化財調査研究会, 1994.

[BANGBANGSAN]

  On 2/11/2022 at 8:08 PM, Kiipu said:

 

Nick picked up a copy of that book last year and that is why I asked him about Shigetsugu/Shigefusa.  Nick wrote a brief summary of the book when it arrived and included a picture of it as well.  Nick has been a great help on several sword related inquires and is truly a gentleman and scholar.

Rikugun Jumei Tosho (RJT) Star Stamped Blades - Documentation?, Post 45

 

Tsutsumi Akira 堤･章. Guntō kumiai shimatsu: Rikugun jumei tōshō no shūhen 軍刀組合始末: 陸軍受命刀匠の周辺. Aizu bunkazai chōsa kenkyūkai 会津文化財調査研究会, 1994.

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Yes， Nick helped Gunto collectors find out many answers that we might never can . I'm grateful for that as all the others.
I need to buy that 軍刀組合始末: 陸軍受命刀匠の周辺 book.

[Kiipu]

Pictures of another one can still be seen at the eBay link below.  Download them now as they will go away after awhile.  Information provided by Bruce Pennington & John C.

Japanese WWll Army officer`s sword in mountings, Mantetsu made "Shigefusa", 1939

[Bruce Pennington]

For later when the link goes dead: