Japanese Tanto Blade Name Translation Help Please

[hddennis]

Just acquired this Japanese tanto which is supposed to have a named blade. Can anyone tell me what it says and means Please?

Howard Dennis

[hddennis]

Here's another image to work from.

Howard Dennis

[SHINDENKAI]

Hi Howard-san,

The Kanji are 五月雨 (Samidare, or Satsuki-ame) - An old term for Rice Planting. (Literally means May Rain)

Regards,
Taka

[ghp95134]

This looks like it is the name of the blade: Samidare [also pronounced Satsuki-ame]

五月雨
May Rain [poetically: "Early Summer Rain"]

--Guy

[ghp95134]

Taka .... I would have posted first, but my wife required my attention!!! (honest).

(^__^)

--Guy

[SHINDENKAI]

LOL ! By one minute !

That' s funny.

Cheers!
Taka

[ghp95134]

There was an IJN Destroyer called Samidare.



--Guy

[hddennis]

Thanks very much for your help translating this. Any idea why a Samurai would name a weapon this name or phrase?

Howard Dennis

[ghp95134]

Hi Howard,

It might have been named by the bladesmith in honor of the IJN Samidare (commissioned in 1937). If it is an older blade, perhaps the bladesmith (or patron) felt poetic.

I named my sword and the bladesmith engraved its name on the nakago.

--Guy

[ghp95134]

Regarding the IJN Samidare, I see that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has a destroyer named Samidare (DD-106). The write-up is in Japanese, but I see they reference the former IJN Samidare.

JMSDF Samidare (DD-106):


Instead of kanji, ships' names are written now-a-days in hiragana on the stern. This one is the Inazuma (DD-105; same class), but it gives an idea of what I'm talking about.

いなずま [Inazuma]; on the Samidare, it would be さみだれ



--Guy