Nihonto Club

Kuniyoshi and Kiyomitsu.

BTW, you wrote that Kiyomitsu mei is on the "ura" side -- that's probably not correct (I think).
The blade is probably old enough that it is signed "tachi-mei", which means it was intended to be worn edge-down. In general, the mei is always on the omote side.
However, I have an old (mid-1300's) blade that is signed "katana-mei" (as if intended to be worn edge-up).

Pete

Pete,
I really thank you very much for your help.
About the "ura" mei, you want to say that it would be an old tachi, shortened to make a wakizashi, right?

BTW, why mei kanjis cannot be find in classical kanjis books? Are they special?
regards,
Gino.

Hi Gino,
No, I don't mean to say that it is a tachi, per se. What I mean is that older blades are usually (not always) signed on the opposite side from a newer blade. As I recall, this change became common around the mid-1500's or so. The point is that in most cases, the mei is on the "front" (omote) of the blade. So, it is *usually* wrong to say that the mei is on the ura side.

Regarding finding old kanji: The answer is (usually) that the kanji *are* in the books. The problem is that folks like us don't easily recognize them. A person who has studied enough Japanese might not notice the difference - it is like a 'handwriting difference', not a different kanji.
Another example: You and I might look at 2 kanji and say "they are different because this radical is not the same". But a Japanese person who has studied literature would say "that radical is just the old-style version of this radical, so the kanji are the same".

Pete

Hi Pete,
Thanks a lot for these usefull informations.
I also read that wakisashis were usally worn edge-down, to be easier drawn with left hand : Do you think it could be an explanation about their "tachi mei". Do you think that "tachi mei" are more frequent on Wakisashis than katana or not?
Regards,
Gino.

Hi again Gino.
I have never heard of a wakizashi worn edge-down (but it could be true...). Note that the term "wakizashi" really refers to a short sword that is worn with the katana, which is worn edge-up. And it refers to a sword from the "later" time periods. For the period starting about 1600, I would say that a wak is always edge-up, and the mei is nearly always "katana-mei".
A short sword that is from an older period is really a "kodachi" (lit. "small tachi"), not a "wakizashi". But in the older times, two swords were not as common, so a true kodachi is not so common either.
The confusing time (I think) is the 1500's, when the styles were changing, and there were a lot of blades being made (many of them not very good quality).

Pete

Greatful thanks Pete.
Regards
Gino