I would like to go back to this Yokota inscription on the nakago mune : am I right to assume that it was written by another hand than the mei and the date of production of the blade?
My assumption is that it could have been inscribed by the original owner of the sword rather than by someone at Seki.
I have also been looking for other instances of such nakago mune inscriptions and have come to the conclusion that they are, on the whole, rather scarce.
I don't think you can compare these two inscriptions that are done under drastically different circumstances. It's like comparing tightrope walking to walking on the street.
Aren't they, at the very least, inscribed with different instruments? Actually, I am trying to find some clue as to the possible identity of this Yokota, although it seems to have been (and still be) a fairly common Japanese name. I have noticed that it appeared in the list of Seki swordsmiths. Looks like a hopeless quest!
The same man will likely use different chisels to work in miniature, so even if the same person did it, they will appear quite different.
Well, I have just found out that, according to Slough, Toshimasa's signature on the nakago is "nakirishimei" (as opposed to "shoshinmei", or true signature), which means that it was carved by a person in charge of carving these mei at Seki and who worked for several swordsmiths at the same time.
I just found these photos in Horii Tanetada's book; one shows wifie's grandfather sitting next to Horii Tanetsugu.by ghp95134
--Guy
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