Quote:
	
	
		| 
			
				 
					Originally Posted by Pieje
					
				 
				I asked a friend for a translation of the mei/signature. 
 
The mei reads "Katsukuni" (Darani school), a Shinto smith who lived in Kaga (Ishikawa Prefecture). Thus dating from the period 1600-1764. 
			
		 | 
	
	
 
The characters of the signature are quite crude and I suspect it is a gimei.