Beginners Guide To Translating Japanese Sword Signatures
August 2, 2023
Many people ask the experts to translate sword signatures (mei) for them. Many want to do it themselves for obvious reasons. This is a general guide of how you can translate most sword mei and perhaps even compare authentic (sho-shin) signatures in the process.
To start we must be learn to familiarize ourselves with the form of the typical Japanese Sword mei. The kanji is read from top to bottom with the sword tip pointing up.
Most of the time the mei is on the Omote (mostly left side) of the nakago (tang) with the blade edge down.
Mei take on many forms. Most of the time you will see a signature like the example on the left, or a niji-mei (two character Sword Smith signature). The example on the left is from a beautiful Sukesada tanto and reads: Bizen Kuni Ju Osafune Sukesada.
The first thing I do is identify the kanji for the smith. Usually it is the last two, or three kanji. Most of the time the smith’s name is two kanji. Note, sometimes the smith’s working name is followed by Saku (made), or Saku Kore (made this); 作之. It is common to confuse Saku 作 with Yuki 行, so be careful.
Once I think I have found the correct kanji for the smith, I go to the Nihonto Kanji Pages on JSSUS.org to identify the English wording. The example on the left is Suke-Sada 祐定. Note, sometimes kanji are very similar, or have the same pronunciation.
After I think I have identified the correct smith, I move to the Province. The province is usually the first two kanji of the mei. In the example, the province is Bizen 備前.
Many mei have “extra” kanji in between. These can be formal titles, honorary titles, or designations. The example on the left designated the sword making school as Osafune 長船, a famous sword making center in the Bizen province. Other common kanji can be found on the JSSUS.org website.
At this point, we have enough to start research and confirm mei. I generally start research by doing a web search by the smith’s name and province. You can use the kanji, or English wording. This will many times yield research done by others, or examples of swords with similar mei to compare to. If you can find a matching authentic signature, your research is bearing fruit.
A good place to further identify, or find out more about the smith is this page on nihontoclub.com This website does a nice job of compiling information on the smith, including ratings, which can be used for valuation. It is also a great resource if you have a tricky kanji to identify, because it allows you to search by partial mei. You can peruse through the list of potentials to find that tricky kanji.
Sword dates can sometimes be found on the URA side of the nakago and can be translated using similar processes and resources.
This was meant to be a beginners primer to start translating sword mei. It is not an exact science and sometimes requires a mercurial approach. With perseverance you can become a future expert and capitalize on your knowledge. Good luck!