Historical Calligraphy

Nostradavis · 1 Jan 2016

Hi,

I'm trying to complete some geneology work for my family, and I have a piece of WWII Era Provenance that came with a family heirloom sword. Unfortunately, I have no idea what any of the calligraphy means. Would anyone in the forum be willing or able to help me translate its meaning? Id be deeply grateful for your help. Please see the attached picture.

Thanks - Dave

Mike Cash · 1 Jan 2016

Looks like a wooden pawn ticket from some place in Hiroshima Prefecture for a loan of 3,000 yen against a sword made to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Meiji Emperor (which would be 1907).

Majestic · 1 Jan 2016

Looks like the sword belonged to a Mr. Yoshio Ogasawara, who was in a convalescent home in Saijō in Hiroshima prefecture. The sword was/is a kotō, meaning it belonged to the "old sword" period of pre-1600. The name on the sword us Unji (雲次) which was a name used by a family of smiths in the famous sword-making region of Bizen. But I'm not sure about the bit under it. I think it reads, "even though the signature is Unji, the sword is a Seki sword" (Seki being another famous sword-making region). It might be hinting that they think the Unji signature is counterfeit.

Nostradavis · 1 Jan 2016

Thank you! There is this addition that may provide some context on the back. Without context it honestly didn't mean anything to me so I wasn't sure what it meant. Your translation, and any future attempts at context from anyone in this community are hugely appreciated!

Majestic · 1 Jan 2016

OK - well, I guess we just wasted some effort telling you what was already written in English on the back!
What would really be interesting are some pics of the sword, and the tang (if you can remove the handle without too much hassle... look up on youtube how to take a Japanese sword out of its handle).

Nostradavis · 1 Jan 2016

Most assuredly not a waste of time! I didn't have any context for the english on the back either, so your commentary honestly helped a lot. I didn't know what 3000 yen meant, i.e. does it mean the value of the sword, the cost, etc. We had no idea where it came from, espeically that it might have been purchased from a pawn shop. Thank you again for your help! This is very interesting!

Also, I will see what I can do about pictures of the sword handle, I'm very interested to see what it means.

Majestic · 1 Jan 2016

No sweat Nostradavis, just having a slight jab at you on this lovely January 1st here in Tokyo.
The wooden tag just says "something price, 3000 yen". The something looks like 覧積, but that word means nothing to me. If it's a pawn shop ticket it might be the amount of cash the person got in exchange for the sword.
3000 yen would have been an outrageous amount of money in Meiji or Showa.

In any event, the current price would (obviously) be much different. If the sword is in excellent shape and is a well-made piece by a famous smith, it could be worth a lot. But there are a lot of fakes in the sword world. In fact, there are more fakes than originals. Swords have had counterfeit signatures added on to them since hundreds of years ago. Anyway, that is the longish way of telling you that the signature is probably not nearly as interesting or revealing as the sword itself.

Mike Cash · 1 Jan 2016

Majestic said:
The something looks like 覧積, but that word means nothing to me.

Probably equivalent to 見積もり.

I'm going to retract my pawn shop ticket guess entirely.

Nostradavis · 2 Jan 2016

Is it common to see the little hole punched in the top? It does seemingly look like a tag.

Majestic · 2 Jan 2016

It could be a so-called surrender tag (i.e. a tag affixed to the sword after the war when the Americans were confiscating swords from the Japanese). Could be some random name tag from an earlier date. There wouldn't be a single standard for this. I've seen surrender tags made out of cloth or canvass, but it wouldn't surprise me to see one made out of wood.

Nostradavis · 11 Jan 2016

Got it! - Here's a copy of the sword stamp on the bottom. Let me know what you think!

Majestic · 11 Jan 2016

That would be a hand-engraved inscription (as opposed to a machine-made stamp). It says 雲次 (Unji), not surprising as that is the name that the tag indicated is on the sword. Its a good sign, as it implies the sword is hand-forged in the traditional method, and is not a hammer-pressed sword of the Imperial Army of the last century. It means the sword is probably a few centuries old.
The next step would be to get someone to look at the sword to see if it is a genuine Unji sword. Its hard, if not impossible to do just by looking at pictures. One place you might seek some help with is the Nihonto Message Board. If you show the guys there some pictures of the sword, they might be able to advise if they think it is the real deal. Close-ups of the steel, the tip, and the hamon area will all be a help.

Historical Calligraphy

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