Translation Needed

[Spytle]

Hello,

 

I've started researching a sword I inherited from my grandfather and I was hoping for some help translating the inscription on this tang. In this image, the edge is to the left and the tip is up. I don't know what orientation I should be displaying this - if I need to flip the image I can easily do that and re-post.

 

[uwe]

Hi ?,

I think it reads "Mutsu no Kami Kanenobu"

Uwe

[Spytle]

  uwe said:

Hi ?,

I think it reads "Mutsu no Kami Kanenobu"

Uwe

 

Thank you!. Can anyone else confirm that translation?

 

Regardless, here is what I got out of wikipedia about that translation:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanenobu

 

It looks like I may have a late 1600's to 1700's sword here.

[John A Stuart]

Uwe has it dead on. When you read Hawley on the subject 1 and 2 use Fujiwara in their mei and 3 uses Noshu Kambe ju. I suspect the 3rd gen 1673-88 is probably the one. John

[Spytle]

Thanks you guys. I don't know if cross linking is frowned upon here, but if you want to see some pictures of the sword I have started chronicling my investigation here:

 

http://forum.sword-buyers-guide.com/vie ... 89#p113589

[uwe]

I`m with John

Kanenobu l-lll from 1655 till 1688. All lived in Kanbei village, Mino.

Uwe

[Spytle]

Most folks seem to agree with the initial translation given here. But someone seems to feel very strongly about am alternative. Does this change anyone's opinion?

 

Quote 1:

"If my resources are correct.

 

the Date this sword would've been made is betwen 1684 - 1688

 

Made by Kanenobu of Aizu in Mutsu Province

 

However the blade is koshi-zori which made me think bizen for a while.

The blade is made in the shinto period and is most probably ubu-nakago (virgin) because of the hamon pattern that goes descends to the ha-machi

 

The blade's overall profile is characteristic of the Early Shinto Period

The Color and texture of the rust (based on the pictures) is suggestive of the age"

 

Quote 2:

"There are alot of Noshu-no-kuni tosho that are named kanenobu

Also some smiths would move from place to place.

 

Such as the case of Mutsu Kanenobu.

The only smith in the Swordsmith database with a kanenobu with the same mei and did not sign fujiwara would be

KAN 1821.

I would assume that a smith would sign a sword with different forms of mei

Such as the modern day ono yoshimitsu who signed his iaito simply with his name

And his interpretation of the yamatorige with a longer mei

 

One form that this particular Kanenobu used is

 

Mutsu Aizu Ju Kanenobu

 

another mei that Kan1821 used is

oshu ju kanenobu, Oshu is a city within mutsu

 

I highly doubt that a smith working in noshu would put aizu and oshu without the no-kami designation if it was not for the place they worked in at the time...

 

The only other smiths who used mutsu in their mei would be the other two kanenobu who included fujiwara and worked in mino (noshu)"

[John A Stuart]

Mutsu is a province, Mutsu no Kuni. Oshu is Mutsu in 'shu' form using the second kanji of Mutsu. The smith Kanenobu in question here did not live in Mutsu no Kuni, he lived in Mino no Kuni or Noshu in the 'shu' form. The title Mutsu no Kami is just that, a title, not where this smith is from or where he worked. There is a smith that signs Oshu Aizu ju Shimosaka Kanenobu, but, he uses a nanori 宣 instead of 信, some one has mislead you. John

[Spytle]

Thank you John.

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

It seems that only one Kanenobu was granted Mutsu no kami.

[Jean]

En-po 1673