Tang translation

[Alan M]

Hi guy's , i would appreciate some help with this one please ..... iv'e been struggling

Cheers Al

[lebus12]

It's old Chinese, hard to read.

[ghp95134]

濃州関....作

Noshu Seki ...saku
Noshu [Provence] Seki [city] ..... made

I'm not at all sure what the 4th and 5th kanji are -- maybe Koishi 小石 -- or maybe a single kanji stretched out 宕; #6 looks like 椦 but that doesn't make sense; and I'm just guessing #7 is 作 saku.

So ... just a wild guess:

濃州関小石椦作

[and that gets absolutely NO google hits at all!]

--Guy

[Alan M]

Thanks for your efforts Guy , i appreciate it . I was there with Noshu Seki Ju ---- ----- Saku but l am struggling with the smith ! The fifth kanji looks similar to " Jo " but that makes no sense !

[SHINDENKAI]

Hi Alan-san, Guy-san,

Instead of 小石, that would be 岩 (Iwa), but still don't look right.

Regards,
Taka

[Alan M]

Many thanks for your assistance Taka-san , it's a puzzler !

[Kiipu]

that would be 岩 (Iwa),

Could it be Ganmaku 岩捲?

[ghp95134]

Hi Kiipu the Necromancer!

Yes, I think you are right:
濃州関岩捲作
Nōshū Seki Ganmaku-saku
Made by Ganmaku, Seki [city], Nōshū [modern Gifu prefecture]

It looks like the two Ganmaku listed 清水 Kiyomizu/Shimizu as part of the mei, and this does not have it.

GANMAKU (岩捲), Eiroku (永禄, 1558-1570), Mino – “Ganmaku” (岩捲), “Nōshū Kiyomizu-jū Ganmaku” (濃州清水住岩捲), he was a late Jumyō smith (寿命) who lived Kiyomizu (清水) in the Ibi district (揖斐) of Mino province, the Ganmaku group included several smiths who all signed with this name, some sources consider the 1st gen. Ujisada as founder of the Ganmaku group, see also entry “UJISADA (氏貞), 1st gen., Daiei (大永, 1521-1528), Mino,” the more commonly accepted theory says that Ujinobu (氏信) was the founder of this group because the Ujinobu smiths often signed with the supplement Ganmaku, see also entry “UJINOBU (氏信), 1st gen., Daiei (大永, 1521-1528), Mino”


GANMAKU (岩捲), Kanbun (寛文, 1661-1673), Mino – “Nōshū Shimizu-jū Ganmaku” (濃州清水住岩捲), some sources list him with the characters (岩騫) for “Ganmaku,” mokume, gunome-midare, chū-suguha, chūjō-saku

-- Guy

[Alan M]

Kiipu and Guy , thank you both , your efforts are much appreciated

Alan