Can you read Japanese Samurai Sword Signature?
Hi – i am trying to decipher the signature or Mei on a VERY old Wakizashi Japanese sword . 4 characters and very clear to read … i have tried to translate it but i only seem to find 2 of them and still not exactly sure . I would date the sword in the late 1400 – 1600s.
any help would be great
thanks 
here is a lnik to a photo www.bahcode.com/waki2010.jpg
if you get a pic of the tang, i may be able to give you a ruff idea of the age, its been a while since i have done this thought
i dont have my book with me but i have one that has a list of the japanese sword makes names and signatures, i can get you the title its a good book to have for this.
i need at least a day or two to get my book back, if you open up your email i can send you the info (if the question closes before then, or you can email me at shihanj2001@yahoo.com
and a simpler way to get a rubbing is to take a candle or a lighter to the tang and then remove the carbon that built up from the flame with a clear piece of 2" tape
this will do no harm to the tang.
and while sean is partly correct the japanese used chinese characters, the translation also depends upon what year this was written in,
but your more concerned with who the sword smith was and not the actual translation, knowing who the sword smith was will give you the translation
edit:>
the only kanji i could find was the second one meaning
列 line, row or rank its written as "retsu"
the rest i could not find, i dont think they are a sword smiths name,
it is also possible that they are nothing at all and some one else stamped them in after the fact, to make it looked signed or to make it look like it was an important sword, that is quite common,
how do you know the age is 1400 to 1600′s were you told this by the seller,
you generally tell the are by the rust on the tang, the darker the rust the older the blade.
nwohioguy lived in okinawa or japan for a while i’m sure he is much better at translating then me and if he cant find it that raises some questions as well.
You need to talk to a Nihonto expert… there are several accessible via the web… you might want to try ricecracker.com
I can’t answer that but this site can help you translate the Mei on it
Good luck!
http://www.montanairon.com/translation.html
Someone who knows the Japanese language in the Society & Culture > Languages section of Y!A may know the answer.
pffft they are chinese, but i haven’t been chinese for a long time and those characters look something like… sight, list, thought and light (form up to bottom). words on samurai swords often dont make any sense in english anyway.
nope
The only thing I could find is that the first symbol is for Nippon, or Japan. The rest are not showing any translations in my books.