Hi gentlemen, photos of this blade was sent to me by a friend. I apologize in advance if the photos are not the best quality. Is there anyway to decipher the Mei signature? When it comes to Japanese swords, I am at a complete loss, but I still like them! Thank you for the help.
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I am the worst guy to be commenting on such things, so when Guy or someone who can really read these chime it, you'll likely have to disregard what I'm going to say; BUT, this looks like it was originally mumei (unsigned) and a Bubba got ahold of it with a drimmle. The bottom character actually looks like "綱" "tsuna" but I don't recognize any of the other kanji attempts.
Someone knowledgable will help out soon! I just couldn't resist chiming in on this one. -
Bubba knew kanji??
Typical Showa period “chippy” MeiComment
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I’m not comfortable with the kanji at all; I like Bruce’s thesis that it was undertaken by Bubba who perhaps used an exemplar. I’m not even going to try to decipher it.Originally posted by nickn View Post
— GuyComment
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I don't particularly care for the tang either.
BobComment
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Nakago seems to have been bent for some reason.
Apart from that, blade looks ok to me, could even be traditionally forged.Comment
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Hello guy
So you think the Mei is a western interpretation ?
It’s been done with a chisel in the chippy style you see on seki showato
Please have a go at translating it
It’s almost there with lots of added strokes
Sword looks ok possibly gendiatoComment
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I see that it is done in the "chippy" style however, I do not recognize this as a "Japanese hand." Just as if I were viewing kanji written by a non-Japanese (or Chinese). Balance and construction of strokes totally "gaijin" to me -- and I've expanded the image 300%; I'd rather not put any effort in this.Originally posted by nickn View Post
-- Guy
Okay last two kanji:
聖綱
"Sacred Cord?
Last edited by GHP; 12-15-2019, 03:11 AM.Comment
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南蠻鐵聖綱
Nanban Tetsu Masatsuna
Southern Steel Masatsuna
Note the missing strokes in his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd kanji!
- 南 Nan, Southern. He has totally messed this kanji up; missing too many stokes.
- 蠻 Ban, Barbarian. This should be written with the 言 "speak" radical sandwitched between two 糸 "rope" radicals, all above the "worm" 虫 radical.
- 鐵 Tetsu, Iron. He's missing too many strokes. Compare the "metal" radical 金.
- 聖綱. Masatsuna. I found a few mentions of this mei on google, but no images.
I am *still* not convinced the writing on the tang was done by a Japanese craftsman!太刀 在銘 南蛮鉄聖綱
太刀 在銘 南蛮鉄聖綱 ■商品詳細 在銘 南蛮鉄聖綱 種別：太刀 長さ：67.5ｃｍ 反り：1.5ｃｍ 目釘穴：1個 登録：東京都 元幅：約29.6ｍｍ 先幅：約21.1ｍｍ 元重：約6.3ｍｍ 先重：約5.8ｍｍ 茎長：約215ｍｍ 重量：約756ｇ（刀身のみの重量） ハバキ：銅一重 在銘の太刀です。 鍛えや割れなど無く良好な状態です。佩表切先から18ｃｍ付近刃文の中に少し曇りがあります。 スキ・・・
According to Chris Bowen
Okay ....Maybe Masatsuna failed penmanship in school.The following smiths include:
1. Those working in the late Bakumatsu period on into the Meiji Period.
2. Smiths not formally affiliated with any of the above groups who nonetheless made swords in Tokyo.
3. Smiths which have not yet been proven to be connected with any of the above groups.
<...>
Masatsuna (聖綱)
<...>
-- GuyComment
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Does this other blade help solve the puzzle?
http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic...una#entry76916Comment
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I think that link shows a different hand -- much better than the original poster's.Originally posted by BenVK View Post
What do you think:
left: original poster
right: from BenVK's linkComment
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tang
Looks like the "arrow points" on some of the strikes are going the opposite way, could this have been the example used for the posters sword? More deeply incised into the metal. Nice blade though!Comment
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I'm wondering whether these two blades were forged in the same wartime workshop which probably had quite a few different workers chiseling the tangs, some obviously more skilled than others. Pity there is no pic of the whole nakago on the other forum but from what I can, the forging, tempering and polish are similar.Comment
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It would be interesting to see this in hand, the blade looks ok but the tang, ok nakago, looks odd and unlike any other I have seen. It could have been altered or something else, I will not speculate on the something else without seeing it in hand. Anyone capable of making a quality blade should be just as capable of making a tang of quality as well.
Whatever the case, I would not pay a lot for it.
BobComment
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