Translator Reviews ( Japanese → English )

Japanese

堀井 俊秀は、大正・昭和前期を代表する刀工。大正時代・昭和時代前期を代表する名刀工。

謝恩刀、三笠刀の作者としても有名で、この短刀は謝恩刀の影打。ハバキや目釘穴の無い希少な品。
江戸末期以降戦前までの刀工としては一番の上手として知られ（故宮入昭平・重要無形文化財保持者談）人格清廉で人間としても各界から尊敬されていた。 また水戸の二代勝村正勝談によると入念作には自身銘の下に必ず謹作を加える等、代々勝村家が行ってきた銘による種別法を取り入れていた。この刀には謹作の文字が刻まれている。

English

Toshihide Horii is a leading sword craftsman in the Taisho and the early Showa periods. He was noted sword craftsman in the Taisho and the early Showa periods.

He is also famous as the craftsman of Shaon-to sword and Mikasa-to sword. This dagger is one of the trial swords and rare piece with has no Habaki (a piece of metal encircling the base of the blade) and Mekugui-ana (holl of small peg for securing the tsuka). He is known as the best sword craftsman since the end of Edo period until the pre-war era (according to Shohei Miyairi, the holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property) and respected as a human being　from all quarters for his saintly personality. According to the second Masakatsu Katsumura in Mito region, Horii introced traditional clasiffication method by inscription which was inherited in Katsumara family by engraving withtou fall the word Kinsaku (=made by) after his name. In this sword, the word "kinsaku" is engraved.