Request For Help Translating Kanji

[coral99]

Hello,

I would like to request help translating the kanji on the tang from a Japanese sword. I included a picture below. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much for your help with my requests. I greatly appreciate it.

Matt

 

[Toritoribe]

需應佐々木重輔
Sasaki Shigesuke's (or Shigenosuke's) Custom Made

That's not the swordsmith's signature. Sasaki is the orderer of the sword. He seems to be a naval officer.

 

[coral99]

Hello Toritoribe,

Thanks very much for your quick reply and extra info shared, I greatly appreciate it. It is a very intriguing piece of information.

If I may ask - what is the reference that you shared a picture of? I don't quite understand it's significance.

Any extra insight you can share is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Toritoribe]

The lower document is a written appointment of Navy Junior Lieutenant. Sublieutenant Sasaki was appointed Junior Lieutenant on July 1st, 1944 by the Prime Minister Tōjō Hideki.

Incidentally, the upper one is the appointment of the rank of Shōhachii (Senior Eighth Rank). He was conferred the rank on December 1st, 1943 by the Minister of the Imperial Household Matsudaira Tsuneo.

 

[coral99]

Thanks again - this is fascinating! I very much appreciate your sharing this with me.

Given the officer's rank, I can't imaging these documents were in a book. May I ask where they came from? I'm amazed that these documents match the person on the sword. Any extra insight you can share is greatly appreciated. Thank you again.

 

[Toritoribe]

I found the picture in an auction site by google searching with his name. It's the only one information I could find on the web, so he wouldn't be so famous, I suppose.

 

[coral99]

Thank you! Would you mind sharing the link to the auction site? I have been googling but can not locate these pictures. I would like to keep researching.

Any extra info you can share is greatly appreciated, thank you very much!

 

[Toritoribe]

Google Search

The auction already ended, though.

 

[Nando]

for how much would it be sold for?