I am having trouble translating the characters on this nakago. It is the reverse of the nakago so I assume its the details of date etc, rather than the smith.
Also, is it relevant that the characters seem to be 'hanging off the edge' - ie, seem very close to the edge? Visually this seems odd to me?
Just received the Kokan Nagayama hardback - Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords - a very steep learning curve obviously. Unbelievably detailed - I don't know where to start.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Cheers
Andy
date
Quick feedback:
It's a date. "TEN-something ... number ... HACHI GATSU HI".
The "HACHI GATSU HI" means "August".
The "number" (for the year) is an old-style kanji, possibly "2".
So, you can look at a list of Japanese NENGO (era) names, and see which ones start with "TEN". Tenbun, Tenmon, Tensho, etc.
Pete
Tenwa?
I'd go for 天和 Tenwa 1681.
Tenna Tanwa
Yes, that looks to be right - it's only a three year period of 1681-1684.
The amount of variables and possibilities from just reading he Nagayama book is amazing - I'm really talking about attributing schools or smiths from grain/hamon, nie etc...etc...
As much as this book is full of detail there can't really be any substitute for handling as many swords as possible and joining a Token club - which I haven't yet done.
Thanks again.
Andy
errata
BTW, in the Nagayama book, page 95, the picture of "Hako midare" hamon is wrong. That picture is of notare with sunagashi. "Hako" means "box", and in a hamon it is a series of roughly rectangular features.
I was thinking that there was another incorrect picture, but I can't find it right now...
Pete
[ I have this pair of swords for sale:
http://yakiba.com/Daisho_Tango_no_Kami_Kanemichi.htm
Available as a pair, or individually. ]
Trying to memorise descriptions
Should have stuck to just the Yamoto book - nice and simple - did find one spelling error, so far, in the Nagayama book.
It;s times like these you wish you had a photographic memory.
Cheers
Andy