Japanese Sword Signature (Mei) Reader
The signature (mei) chiseled on a sword’s tang usually follows a fixed pattern: province · honorary title · smith’s name, sometimes closed with 作 (“made this”). The date, when present, is on the opposite side. Type or paste any kanji from your tang below to identify it.
Look up a kanji
No match — try a single kanji, or a reading like “kane” or “bizen”.
Anatomy of a typical mei
Read from top to bottom (tang pointing down). Two classic examples:
和泉守藤原兼定
和泉守 — Izumi no Kami, honorary court title “Lord of Izumi”
藤原 — Fujiwara, clan affiliation
兼定 — Kanesada, the smith’s art name
“Kanesada, Lord of Izumi, of the Fujiwara clan” — the famous Mino lineage.
備州長船祐定作
備州 — Bishū, abbreviated form of Bizen province
長船 — Osafune, the great sword town
祐定 — Sukesada, the smith’s name
作 — saku, “made [this]”
“Made by Sukesada of Osafune in Bizen”.
The other side of the tang often carries the date — era name, year, month, day, e.g. 天正十年八月日, “a day in the 8th month of Tenshō 10” (1582). Decode era names with our Japanese era converter.
Provinces & abbreviations
| Kanji | Reading | Role in a mei |
|---|---|---|
| 備前 | Bizen | Home of the Osafune school — the most productive sword province in history. |
| 備中 | Bitchū | Aoe school; famous for chū-suguha and fine jihada. |
| 備後 | Bingo | Mihara school. |
| 美濃 | Mino | Seki smiths; one of the five great traditions (Gokaden). |
| 山城 | Yamashiro | Kyōto; Awataguchi and Rai schools, one of the Gokaden. |
| 大和 | Yamato | Oldest tradition; temple-affiliated schools such as Tegai and Hōshō. |
| 相模 | Sagami | Sōshū tradition of Masamune; one of the Gokaden. |
| 武蔵 | Musashi | Edo; major Shintō centre (Yasutsugu, Kotetsu). |
| 越前 | Echizen | Echizen Yasutsugu and many Shintō smiths. |
| 越中 | Etchū | Norishige and Gō Yoshihiro worked here. |
| 越後 | Echigo | Northern coastal province. |
| 加賀 | Kaga | Fujishima school. |
| 尾張 | Owari | Nagoya; Owari Seki smiths. |
| 三河 | Mikawa | Tokugawa home province. |
| 遠江 | Tōtōmi | Shimada school nearby. |
| 駿河 | Suruga | Shimada school. |
| 伊勢 | Ise | Muramasa’s province (Kuwana). |
| 近江 | Ōmi | Ishidō school origins. |
| 摂津 | Settsu | Ōsaka; leading Shintō centre (Sukehiro, Shinkai). |
| 河内 | Kawachi | Kawachi no Kami smiths took this title. |
| 和泉 | Izumi | Izumi no Kami — frequent honorary title (e.g. Kanesada). |
| 紀伊 | Kii | Kishū; Ishidō school branch. |
| 播磨 | Harima | Tegarayama smiths (Shinshintō). |
| 石見 | Iwami | Naotsuna, linked to the Masamune juttetsu. |
| 出雲 | Izumo | Old tradition, Tachiyama school. |
| 伯耆 | Hōki | Ancient province of Yasutsuna, among the earliest curved blades. |
| 因幡 | Inaba | Hamabe school (Shinshintō). |
| 周防 | Suō | Nio school. |
| 長門 | Nagato | Chōshū; Nio branch, later tsuba centre. |
| 筑前 | Chikuzen | Samonji school of Ō-Sa. |
| 筑後 | Chikugo | Dōtanuki-adjacent Kyūshū province. |
| 肥前 | Hizen | Hizen Tadayoshi school — major Shintō lineage. |
| 肥後 | Higo | Dōtanuki school; famous koshirae tradition. |
| 豊後 | Bungo | Takada school — prolific Kyūshū production. |
| 薩摩 | Satsuma | Masayoshi and Motohira, strong Shinshintō school. |
| 陸奥 | Mutsu | Northern Japan; Hōju school. |
| 備州 | Bishū | Abbreviated form of Bizen (also Bitchū/Bingo), common in mei. |
| 濃州 | Nōshū | Abbreviated form of Mino, common in mei. |
| 相州 | Sōshū | Abbreviated form of Sagami, common in mei. |
| 武州 | Bushū | Abbreviated form of Musashi, common in mei. |
| 勢州 | Seshū | Abbreviated form of Ise, common in mei. |
| 雲州 | Unshū | Abbreviated form of Izumo, common in mei. |
| 奥州 | Ōshū | Abbreviated form of Mutsu, common in mei. |
| 城州 | Jōshū | Abbreviated form of Yamashiro, common in mei. |
| 江州 | Gōshū | Abbreviated form of Ōmi, common in mei. |
| 泉州 | Senshū | Abbreviated form of Izumi, common in mei. |
| 肥州 | Hishū | Abbreviated form of Hizen or Higo, common in mei. |
| 薩州 | Sasshū | Abbreviated form of Satsuma, common in mei. |
Honorary titles & clans
| Kanji | Reading | Role in a mei |
|---|---|---|
| 守 | kami | Honorary court title, “Lord of [province]” — e.g. 和泉守 Izumi no Kami. Purely ceremonial for swordsmiths, granted as a mark of rank. |
| 大掾 | daijō | Honorary court title, one rank below kami — e.g. 近江大掾 Ōmi Daijō. |
| 掾 | jō | Honorary court title below daijō. |
| 介 | suke | Honorary court title (vice-governor rank). |
| 藤原 | Fujiwara | Clan affiliation — many smiths signed as members of the Fujiwara. Placed between title and personal name. |
| 源 | Minamoto | Clan affiliation (Genji). |
| 平 | Taira | Clan affiliation (Heishi). As a name element read Hira. |
| 橘 | Tachibana | Clan affiliation, less common. |
Grammar of the mei
| Kanji | Reading | Role in a mei |
|---|---|---|
| 国 | kuni | Province — follows the province name: 備前国 = “Bizen province”. |
| 住 | jū | “Resident of” — follows place name: 長船住 = “living at Osafune”. |
| 住人 | jūnin | “Resident of”, fuller form. |
| 於 | oite | “Made at” — precedes a place: 於南紀 = “at Nanki”. |
| 作 | saku | “Made [this]” — follows the smith’s name. |
| 造 | tsukuru | “Made” — alternative to saku. |
| 之 | kore | “This” — as in 作之 (saku kore, “made this”). |
| 作之 | saku kore | “Made this” — common closing formula. |
| 謹作 | kinsaku | “Respectfully made” — often on dedication pieces. |
| 鍛 | kitau | “Forged”. |
Smith-name kanji
| Kanji | Reading | Role in a mei |
|---|---|---|
| 兼 | Kane | Name element (Mino tradition hallmark (Kanemoto, Kanesada)). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 正 | Masa | Name element (Masamune, Masahide). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 宗 | Mune | Name element (Masamune, Munechika). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 光 | Mitsu | Name element (Mitsutada, Nagamitsu — Bizen favourite). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 吉 | Yoshi | Name element (Yoshimitsu). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 義 | Yoshi | Name element (Yoshihiro). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 国 | Kuni | Name element (Kunimitsu, Kuniyuki). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 忠 | Tada | Name element (Tadayoshi (Hizen)). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 康 | Yasu | Name element (Yasutsuna, Yasutsugu). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 安 | Yasu | Name element (Yasumitsu). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 貞 | Sada | Name element (Sadamune). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 定 | Sada | Name element (Kanesada, Sukesada). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 信 | Nobu | Name element (Nobukuni). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 秀 | Hide | Name element (Hidemitsu, Masahide). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 久 | Hisa | Name element (Hisakuni). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 長 | Naga | Name element (Nagamitsu, Osafune 長船). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 広 | Hiro | Name element (Hiromitsu). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 清 | Kiyo | Name element (Kiyomaro, Kiyomitsu). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 助 | Suke | Name element (Sukehiro). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 祐 | Suke | Name element (Sukesada (Bizen Osafune)). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 次 | Tsugu | Name element (Yasutsugu). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 継 | Tsugu | Name element (Tsugunao). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 重 | Shige | Name element (Shigetaka). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 盛 | Mori | Name element (Morimitsu). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 村 | Mura | Name element (Muramasa). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 則 | Nori | Name element (Norimitsu). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 教 | Nori | Name element (Norinaga). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 行 | Yuki | Name element (Yukimitsu). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 家 | Ie | Name element (Iesuke). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 友 | Tomo | Name element (Tomonari). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 真 | Sane | Name element (Sanemori). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 綱 | Tsuna | Name element (Tsunahiro). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 恒 | Tsune | Name element (Tsunetsugu). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 氏 | Uji | Name element (Ujifusa). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 包 | Kane | Name element (Kanenaga (Yamato Tegai)). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 高 | Taka | Name element (Takahira). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 直 | Nao | Name element (Naotsuna, Naokatsu). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
| 道 | Michi | Name element (Michinaga). Smith-name kanji use nanori readings that differ from everyday Japanese. |
Date-side kanji & numbers
| Kanji | Reading | Role in a mei |
|---|---|---|
| 年 | nen | Year. |
| 月 | gatsu | Month. |
| 日 | hi / jitsu | Day — often written alone: 八月日 “a day in the 8th month”. |
| 元年 | gannen | First year of an era (never 一年). |
| 吉日 | kichijitsu | “An auspicious day”. |
| 春 | haru | Spring. |
| 秋 | aki | Autumn. |
| 一 | ichi | 1. |
| 二 | ni | 2. |
| 三 | san | 3. |
| 四 | shi | 4. |
| 五 | go | 5. |
| 六 | roku | 6. |
| 七 | shichi | 7. |
| 八 | hachi | 8. |
| 九 | ku | 9. |
| 十 | jū | 10 — compounds stack: 十二 = 12, 二十三 = 23. |
| 百 | hyaku | 100. |
A word of caution — gimei
Reading a signature is the beginning of research, not the end. Famous names were faked on an industrial scale — a large share of blades signed by celebrated smiths carry gimei (false signatures), some cut centuries ago. A readable mei tells you what the signature claims; whether the blade matches the claim is a question of workmanship, and the accepted standard of proof is NBTHK certification.
Go deeper with our guides on reading and authenticating a mei and gimei — fake signatures, or browse our certified antique swords, each sold with its papers.
Frequently asked questions
What does the writing on my Japanese sword mean?
Most tang inscriptions follow the pattern province + honorary title + smith’s name, optionally closed by 作 (“made this”). The reverse side, if inscribed, carries the date. Use the lookup tool above to identify each kanji, starting from the top.
Which side of the tang is the signature on?
By convention the mei faces outward when the sword is worn. A katana (worn edge-up) is signed on the side facing away from the body when edge-up; a tachi (worn edge-down) on the opposite side. This is one clue for telling how a blade was originally mounted.
Why doesn’t my sword have a signature?
Unsigned (mumei) blades are very common. Many older blades were shortened (suriage) to suit later fashion, which removed the signed part of the tang; other blades were simply never signed. An unsigned blade can still be attributed and certified by the NBTHK based on workmanship.
Does a signature guarantee authenticity?
No. False signatures (gimei) are widespread, especially for famous names. Authentication rests on whether the workmanship matches the signature — the standard being NBTHK shinsa in Tokyo, which will not paper a blade with a false signature.
How do I identify the swordsmith once I’ve read the name?
Combine the name with the province and any date, then check smith references — many names were used by generations of smiths in different provinces (there are dozens of smiths named Kanesada or Sukesada). For a definitive attribution, NBTHK certification is the accepted route.