Katana Sword | KansaiChick

I Want to Engrave a Kanji Word on My Sword

05/02/2021Japanese Kanji BlogNo Comments

Do you own a sword? In Japan, they need a registration provided by the government in order to own a sword that has 5.5cm or longer blade (If it's a katana sword, 15cm blade or longer).Σ(･ω･ﾉ)ﾉ It's shockingly strict, isn't it? If you own a new sword, however, you can engrave whatever you want on the blade! Today, I received a question about translation for the engraving. This is a long knife imitating a katana sword, so it's not a katana sword technically, but I put the "katana sword" tag on this post. I'd like to engrave "Goose Bane" in Kanji on this sword. When some wild geese settled down…

Meanings of Kanji on A Katana Sword 8

04/23/2021Japanese Kanji BlogNo Comments

Here is another one! Recently I have been receiving a lot of questions about the kanji on old katana swords.(' 0 ' ) They are sometimes extremely tough to read but very interesting. KansaiChick is here for help!(*'▽')/ A couple of years ago I inherited this sword from my brother. I was wondering if you could translate the Kanji on it. OK...I'll give a shot...!(＠_＠) The First Hint to Figure It Out I can read some clear kanji quickly on the blade. It says "武■住■方." According to my experience, when I see "住 (sumau)" on the katana blade, the kanji word above 住 says location. So, "武■" could be the…

Meanings of Kanji on A Katana Sword 7

03/29/2021Japanese Kanji BlogNo Comments

Hello again, Samurai fans! I received another question about the kanji on an old katana sword!Σ(･ω･ﾉ)ﾉ Oh, this is the tough one....(=_=;) Can you tell me if these are Japanese? First of all, yes, it seems to be Japanese. The First Hint to Figure It Out At least I can read the first kanji 會(kai/ai) which is the old style of the kanji 会 today. This old kanji is still used for some place names and surnames in Japan today. Actually, I could recognize this kanji thank to my high school friend Kaino(會野). OK, then, it says 會 something.... The second kanji looks like 洋 for me but "會洋" doesn't…

Meanings of Kanji on A Katana Sword 6

03/19/2021Japanese Kanji BlogNo Comments

Hello again, Samurai fans! I received a new question about the kanji on an old katana sword! (*'▽')/ I hope I can read it this time....(＠_＠;) I have just bought this Katana sword. I want to know what this kanji tells me. Can you help me out? Thank goodness! It's clear enough for me to read!! It says 関住森俊治作. This engraving is a typical "銘(mei)", which shows who made this katana blade. Location 住 Blacksmith's Name 作 Whenever I received questions on katana sword, I looked up some facts and found out this typical style. So, in this case, I can tell 森俊治 in 関 made this blade! Where is…

Meanings of Kanji on A Katana Sword 5

07/14/2020Japanese Kanji BlogNo Comments

Hello again, Samurai fans! I received a new question about the kanji on an old katana sword! (*'▽')/ Maybe you can help me translate the mei on a tang. There is also a small note on the saya. First of all, let me tell everyone about some Japanese words that katana sword owner is using. "銘(mei)" is the engraving that blacksmiths curve their address, name, date, and so on when he created the swords and things. Then, "鞘(saya)" means "Sheath" in Japanese. Well....(＠_＠;)))) ...Oh, no. I'm so sorry but I can NOT read the mei...! The engraving is not clear and it's not close enough to today's Japanese kanji that…

Meanings of Kanji on A Katana Sword 4

06/18/2020Japanese Kanji BlogNo Comments

Hello again, Samurai fans! I received another question about the engraving on an old katana sword! (*'▽')/ Let's see the katana sword! I'd like to find out where these amazing pieces of craftsmanship are from. OK, let me see.... ((( @_@) I see the second picture says "藤原清人作"! Then, the third picture says...文久...二? 年? 八月...目? or 日?? Hmmm, it's tough to tell from the photo, but I got the basic idea!(*'▽')/ The Meaning of the First Engraving on this Samurai Sword Let's talk about "藤原清人作" first! 藤原(Fujiwara) is a Japanese family name that exists even today, so I can tell this part says somebody's name clearly. When you see a…

Japanese Kanji on the Sheath of Katana Sword

05/18/2020Japanese Kanji BlogNo Comments

Hi there, Kanji fans! I received a question about the Japanese kanji on the sheath(saya) of the katana sword today! KansaiChick is here for help!(*'▽')/ Can you help me with the meaning of these two kanji (archaic, I believe) in the saya of my katana? Oh, I see! Even in Japan, we don't see this kanji today. As the owner of this katana says, the kanji "戰" is the old character form of today's "戦". So, "戰い" and "戦い" are the same things. 戦い(tatakai) means "Fight", "Battle", "(small) war" and so on. Usually Japanese samurai sword blacksmiths engrave only Kanji and Katakana script on their works if necessary. But we…

Meanings of Kanji on Katana Sword in “The Last Samurai” 今古有神奉志士

01/08/2020Japanese Kanji Blog1 Comment

Hi there, Kanji fans! I received a question about the Japanese kanji on the katana sword! KansaiChick is here for help!(*'▽')/ This kanji phrase is on the blade of the katana sword that I has just got. What does it mean? Nice! It looks new and clean. It says 今古有神奉志士. I looked up this phrase and I found out some info! Katana Sword with 今古有神奉志士 in "The Last Samurai" 今古有神奉志士 is the engraving on the Katana (Samurai Sword) in the movie "The Last Samurai (2003)". In this movie, the Samurai 勝元(Katsumoto) explained about the meanings of this phrase. He gave this sword to Nathan before the final war and he…

Meanings of Kanji on A Katana Sword 3

12/15/2019Japanese Kanji BlogNo Comments

Hi there, Samurai fans! I received another question about the engraving on an old katana sword!Σ(･ω･ﾉ)ﾉ KansaiChick is here for help!(*'▽')/ I'd like to find out what the markings on the blade mean. Let me see...oh, thank goodness, this one is clear enough for me to read everything!! It says, "相州住盛重". How to Read Engravings on Samurai Swords Japanese people call this engravings 銘(mei). Usually the blacksmiths engrave their name, plus their brand name (faction / location). Sometimes we find the first owner's name of the sword there as well. So, which is which? Ummm, that is the historian's job to determine. However, even I can tell you one idea…

Meanings of Kanji on the Katana Sword 2

10/26/2019Japanese Kanji BlogNo Comments

Hello again Kanji Fans! I received another interesting question from a follower! It's about a Samurai sword! I bought this short sword and I see some letters on the blade. What do they mean? Woooo, you got a fancy one. According to the ratio, I can tell it's a Tantou (短刀). Tantou is a short katana sword with the less than 30 cm (about 1 foot) blade. In Japan, Katana swords bust be sold with a certificate describing what it is. But the owner says this one came with nothing. Let me take a close look. (@_@) Wow, to be honest, I have no idea what it says. I can't…