Ken-Hawaii Posted August 8, 2011 Report Posted August 8, 2011 Aloha, all: I just traded for a new wakizashi, but can't make any identification of the mei. Any ideas? Mahalo! (Thanks!) Ken Quote
k morita Posted August 8, 2011 Report Posted August 8, 2011 Hi, The mei says "Hitachi no kami Muneshige". 常陸守宗重 Shinto smith. Quote
Toryu2020 Posted August 8, 2011 Report Posted August 8, 2011 Ken - Thanks for posting! This was a tough one. A very idiosyncratic signature and one I'll not soon forget. Would love to see photos of the blade if you get the chance... -t Quote
Ken-Hawaii Posted August 8, 2011 Author Report Posted August 8, 2011 Will do, Thomas. I'm doing some very minor cleanup as the blade was caked with old oil, & all I did prior to the trade was to clean a small section so I could see the condition. It's quite likely going to togishi, & I'll post the before-&-after photos when it's finally done. BTW, I sent Morita-san a PM asking him how anyone who didn't grow up reading Kanji & Hiragana could possibly interpret that mei. No response as yet. Ken Quote
cabowen Posted August 8, 2011 Report Posted August 8, 2011 BTW, I sent Morita-san a PM asking him how anyone who didn't grow up reading Kanji & Hiragana could possibly interpret that mei. No response as yet. Ken Looks like a nice one! I don't think this was that difficult in comparison to some sosho mei I have seen....The Muneshige is fairly clear, and the first three are a safe bet as a title....A little process of elimination and the answer is at hand....I am sure though that Morita san read it immediately! Quote
Ken-Hawaii Posted August 9, 2011 Author Report Posted August 9, 2011 Well, I just wish I had the brain cells that you & Morita-san have, Chris. I have quite a few references on interpreting mei signatures, but didn't have a clue on this one. Just out of curiosity, how did you get started on reading mei? I think that might be helpful to those of us who don't know where to begin. Ken Quote
cabowen Posted August 9, 2011 Report Posted August 9, 2011 Well, I just wish I had the brain cells that you & Morita-san have, Chris. I have quite a few references on interpreting mei signatures, but didn't have a clue on this one. Just out of curiosity, how did you get started on reading mei? I think that might be helpful to those of us who don't know where to begin. Ken Not so much brain cells as time and perseverance I think..... I picked up a copy of Ono's Gendai Toko Meikan when I was in college. I couldn't read any of it and it drove me nuts. I picked up a copy of Koop and Inada's book (Japanese Names and How to Read Them) and decided to make an index of the smith names....It took me a loooong time to complete, but by the time I was done, I didn't much need the Koop and Inada anymore.... Of course once you figure out the radicals and stroke counts, it is much easier these days with computer software kanji dictionaries that let you search by radical and stroke.... Quote
Ken-Hawaii Posted August 9, 2011 Author Report Posted August 9, 2011 Chris, do you have specific recommendations on Kanji dictionary software? I have several databases (really linked PDF files) that honestly haven't been much help in translations...or maybe I'm not using them correctly. My Japanese daughter-in-law gently told me that I wasn't interpreting the number of strokes correctly, so that certainly may be a factor. I don't mind investing in some new software - computer consulting is what pays the bills & allows me to buy Nihonto - but I don't have enough experience to choose from the packages I see on-line. Thank you for your comments on perseverance. I haven't put in much time on Koop, other than using it to puzzle out the occasional word, but as I don't speak Japanese, I think I'm just floundering. I don't want to become dependent on experts like you & Morita-san for translations, though, & so want to become a bit more proficient. Ken Quote
Guido Posted August 9, 2011 Report Posted August 9, 2011 Ken, software can be extremely helpful but doesn't work miracles - there's no way around the old fashioned way, i.e learning the language like any any other. It took me almost ten years to get to the level of a Japanese junior high school student. That was more than 30 years ago, and I still learn new words and characters every day. And we're just talking about regular Japanese. If you get into Kambun and Sosho, for example, most contemporary Japanese are totally lost as well. Moriyama-san and Morita-san do a heck of a job reading difficult Mei. They have an advantage - being native speakers/readers - but it's still a highly specialized field. I'm afraid that online dictionaries and flash-cards won't do the trick ... Quote
cabowen Posted August 9, 2011 Report Posted August 9, 2011 Try JE Dict or some of the browser add ons like Rikaichan/Rikaikun.......You will be amazed.... As said above, the software will not work miracles but it will help you tremendously when it comes to finding kanji and reading mei..... Quote
Ken-Hawaii Posted August 9, 2011 Author Report Posted August 9, 2011 Guido, I understand what you're saying about learning at a schoolkid's level. My daughter-in-law is Japanese, & my 9-year-old grandson reads & writes equally well in English & Japanese, & teases my wife & me about our lack of expertise. Even near retirement, I don't have the time to start from scratch on the writing end, & my conversational capabilities are minimal, but adequate for now. Chris, I had Rikaichan 1.06 installed on an earlier version of Firefox, but it stopped working & I just never got around to updating it with Firefox 5. I just installed version 2.03, & that will hopefully get me back on track. Thanks for taking the time to point me in the right direction. Ken Quote
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