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Jason, there's a good story here for the family. The blade is made in 1929 from steel (reworked) from the Japanese battleship Mikasa damaged is a 1904 sea battle with Russia. War ended in 1905 Japan victorious. There has been good discussion around this as many swords and dirks made in 1928 to 1932 same metal to commemorate. But its likely the blade and tsuba were refitted to the naval mounts as they were not introduced until 1937.

It’s a nice collection now!

I don't remember that I had posted this before but if I had it's been some time ago. O Suriage Nambokucho Tachi attributed to Sa Sadayoshi , student of O Sa . One of the 10 best students of Masamune. It has a kin zogan mei Sa , Sadayoshi on both side of the Nakago. There is an Edo period Horimono added to the sword. 71.2 cm Syagaki by Mr. Tanobe

Hi, At that time, May 27th is the anniversary of the victory over the Russian Baltic Fleet in the Battle of Tsushima in 1905.

The phenomenon is called galvanic corrosion.

This is a very good sword Jason, Hideaki was one of the very best smiths of the Taisho & Showa era's. He forged many special swords for Naval officers and your example is no exception, being one made using steel from the Mikasa gun barrel. The mounts are very good quality, there appears to be a family crest (Mon) on the handle if you could please take a picture of that? The writing on the wood of the handle may refer to this Mon, or if you're rather lucky, the Japanese officers surname. http://ohmura-study.net/912.html Do you have any further information about how your family member acquired it during the war?

Here's what Sesko has on him: "TOSHIHIDE (俊秀), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Hokkaidō – “Ōmi no Kuni Shiga Tarō Minamoto Hideaki” (近江国志賀太郎源秀明), “Minamoto Toshihide” (源俊秀), “Zuisen Horii Toshihide” (瑞泉堀井俊秀), real name Horii Kaneyoshi (堀井兼吉), he was born on the second day of the third month Meiji 19 (明治, 1886) in the village of Shimosaka (下坂) in Shiga Prefecture, 1905 he entered an apprenticeship under Horii Taneaki (堀井胤明), he signed in early years with Hideaki (秀明), a name that was granted to him in 1913 by the NBTHK, 1911 he married the daughter of Taneaki and was adopted into the Horii family, thereupon he changed his name to Shiga Tarō (志賀太郎), the name change of the smith name to Toshihide took place in December 1933 with the birth of emperor Akihito (明仁) because he refrained out of respect from using the same character of “Aki” (明), he died in 1943, shinpin no retsu (Akihide), Special Honor Seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihontō Denrankai (新作日本刀展覧会, 1941)" Your blade is dated June 1929, so pretty early for a WWII smith. The sword is a Type 97 Japanese Naval officer's sword. You can read about them on Ohmura's site here: Naval Commissioned Officers Sword - Ohmura The tsuba (handguard) is civilian, so unusual to see on a Navy kaigunto. Maybe it was something the officer brought from home.

Dan I would read thru this thread...

I guess the official name of the policy through which the government solicited swords from the public was Guntō Hōkoku (軍刀報国), and this name appears in both the appreciation certificate, and in the leaflet that Bruce posted a picture of on June 28, 2020 (at the top of the thread).

Just bumped into an example. Tachi Koshirae, Nanboku-chō period, housed in Kasuga Taisha Shrine.

It is out of polish, with a very crudely moved hamachi, married with modern repro tsuba. However, I personally don't see glaring mistakes which Chinese typically make. The signature is chiseled faintly, in Japanese rather than Continental calligraphy, the nakago has decent patina. Sugata is a bit strange, being completely straight it is not a good match for the nakago, but such things do happen and most elements are executed ok-ish. Also I suspect its not a particular expensive smartphone placed closer to the nakago, it tries to auto-correct for distortions in optics (the cheaper the optics the more it distorts) and therefore it might be straightening the blade. The work itself is periodic gunome with even togari-choji appearing in some "gunome" elements. This is something one sees on showato now and then, on Chinese fakes, but it also appears on Bizen and Bizen like swords from the end of Muromachi. Overall I would be inclined to think its Bizen Yasumitsu from 1560s. Its a lower grade sword in poor condition, but I don't think its a crime.

Daisho tsuba - lacquer exterior iron core…

Ah ok. Now I found him listed in Sesko's Swordsmiths of Japan - Real name Tanigawa Yoshiharu. Of course when I searched "Isshin" on the forum it gave me a plethora of Mantetsu search results. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Our 8th yearbook is printed and posted to 5 continents.. Full of information and articles about recent research, all Japanese Armor related. Our members receive this yearbook for free. https://www.Japanese...ciety.com/membership

Apparently not as unique as we would think! https://www.jauce.com/auction/m1162814705 You have to love the translation " Sword skirting board, set of 8" Must have been a carpenter doing the description [or as we say in Aus. a "Chippy"] https://www.jauce.com/auction/j1063437143

赤城軒東愚 = Sekijōken Tōgu 行年八十一歲 = at the age of 81 years

As advertised, its an official letter of appreciation (from Japan's Military Officer's Hall), given in thanks for the donation of a sword. It doesn't mention the sword maker/type, etc... Year is 1942.

https://www.antikeo....1868-90691#gallery-1 https://onlineonly.c...ood-tsuba-612/224816 https://www.espace4....acquered-mount-fuji/

Thanks, thats exactly in line with my (lowered) expectations! I mean that in a good way. And, I forgot to answer, but no, nobody named "komonjo". Yes, ebay, but ~280/98% feedback, and almost all swords, I decided to try with my limited knowledge. All on me, though. I figured if 280 people didn't get hosed it was likely I wouldn't, certainly some of his sword sales would be "known" in that way if he were a fraudster. I looked around but saw nothing so far. Anyway, I do still like it, and despite my modest means, (that the $ amount I paid is likely high) I am ok with the whole thing. In my mind, it is a Japanese low level smith, altered blade, and non original koshirae, and wear and condition issues., but not new, the older, the better, if someday I get more info. Maybe Chinese junk, too. Oh, well. Lesson learned. Let it be a cautionary tale. Jeff

One possibility ...

After consulting with some of the translators, I am going to use the following translation. 昭和五年五月二十七日念之 = 1930-0527 kore o omou/omotte = in remembrance/commemoration/memory of 27 May 1930.

After seeing this Tsuba shared in another thread, I knew I had to have it. I consider it a holiday gift to myself Sukakashi Tsuba, Akasaka school with Myoga motif. Unusual “S” shape, that was proposed may be an S hook for a kettle. Anyway, this is a permanent addition to my collection because I like it so much. Sharing just for show-and-tell. Cheers, -Sam

A interesting document claiming to be a letter of appreciation for a sword donation: https://page.auction.../auction/o1166207607

Just for fun, here is a micro tanto. I havn't yet seen one so detailed and wonder about its origins.

AI also supports that iron and steel will flake, especially after corrosion. Seems like the most logical conclusion All the best, -Sam

Hey Derek! Yes! But don't tell anyone. Just eliminate your post! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, etc! Onward!

Hello members, First of all may i send you all my best wishes for 2025...i wish you find your dreamed treasure that you will sherished for the rest of your life... Could you help me for the translation of this kozuka signature...i can only read the first kanji. Seki..or aka ..;for the rest ??? many many thanks in advance

Neanderthal man flipping the bird to a midget witch. https://page.auction.../auction/h1165979047

Toyama Ryu had 6 Dojos for sword trainng and 1 for bayonet training if my notes are correct. Still researching...

Definitely Takayama Masakiichi being a 10th Dan in Kendo,had alarge influence in Naval cadet training and later in war also for the Army training in Toyama.He Instucted Seki area swordsmith on how to build a killer blade in essense and practicality.He was one bad dude .

Dear Kyle. As far as the mei goes the reading is correct. As to the possibility of gimei............well I know nothing but in your comparison of papered examples you might want to note the rather blocky and very upright way in which the signature is chased, On your example take a look at the sweeping left to right stroke at the bottom of the Echi kanji, it's very 'swoopy' for want of a better term. Also compare the zen kanji, nicely vertical and confident on papered examples but here rather sloppy and bow legged. My feeling is that the 'handwriting' is off for this smith, have a look at papered examples and see what you think. Hope some of that helps. All the best.

Interesting thread, when reading, for some reason i keep getting cravings for chocolate coated biscuits. Anyways, what i find interesting is where the issue is on the the Tsuba Dan presented at the beginning. Just a thought, could this be down to a reaction between steel and a copper seppa?. Reading online as dont really know what im talking about, folks are saying that when copper and steel are in close contact there can be issues with corrosion under the right circumstances. Though then i wonder why we don't see it more often. Just another thought. Ive pulled this up, perhaps it was sat on a sword in a damp area, dunno Reaction between copper and reinforcing steel - Corrosion engineering | Eng-Tips

@Bruce Pennington @Brian— thank you so much Bruce & Brian! The entire family is geeking out over this info! are there any other sources yall could reccomend for research? We’d love to know more and translate the kanji on the blade

Had that one, but glad you brought it up as I had mis-read the date as "1944". Fixed now, thank you!

Nah, does not look like a shoshin granite. Imitation.

Greetings John, Pretty interesting insights, I had certainly heard of the military ryūha influencing some aspects of blade-making, but you really bring the picture together. Would you say this influence lasted a major part of the war period, or did it wane significantly? Kind Regards, Maurice

That is the swordsmith Isshin. 一心 = Isshin. ICHI (一)

That would seem to be the implication. Of course mistakes can be made, but when you take the oshigata and the response from AOI into account it would be worse than a mistake at this point.

Hello Dan, There were many different patination methods, each using unique formulas. Additionally, some tsuba were painted with urushi . If you look at the flowers on top, you might notice they are covered with something. This suggests the tsuba was likely rusted, and the surface was coated with paint or urushi to protect it. The flaked-off parts you see are likely a combination of the rusted layer and the paint.

Dan, I can promise you that Thomas and Manuel are correct. It is an applied finish (not metalic) that has been burnt (or 'cooked') unintentionally onto the metal plate. When the metal starts to corrode (below), it pushes the accidentally baked/cooked finish off the corroding metal plate. I admire your quest for cast Tsuba, but this particular thread will not add to the supporting evidence, if this is where you were heading (maybe you were not?) The base metal of the Tsuba in your original post has been cleaned or stabilised.... and with a mix of light/photo settings/conditions, makes it appear different to those subsequent provided images At the bottom this page is some other images of the same guard with different lighting https://rollingbrook...copy-of-project-08-5

A tsuba by Hosokawa Tadayoshi - thru fire or other damage you can see the patina has flaked off…

That's a shōwatō, though it may have been slightly shortened. 濃刕大杉住石原兼直作 = Nōshū Ōsugi-jū Ishihara Kanenao saku

I would like to add some guidelines to those (especially newcommers to the forum) intending to post asking for advice: It was recently mentioned to me that some people may hesitate to post opinions on items due to the fact that they are unsure if these will be used in descriptions for commercial listings. We know and verify many of the members here, but there are many new members who might only post once or twice about a certain item. For these members, I would like to ask if they would please mention in the post if the subsequent replies will be used for commercial gain or info in an item's sale. Listing an intention and asking permission to use any info gathered would be the correct thing to do. Many members would feel uncomfortable if their non-verified opinions were used as fact when describing an item for sale. For this reason, I would ask people to please mention if they intend using the info for an item that is going up for sale. These concerns do not apply to those just seeking info on an item they own, or one they intend to buy. Please keep this in mind when requesting information and translations. Here are some other brief guidelines that will help with posting: *Use the search page to look for similar topics that may already have been covered. *Check out our FAQ' s and How-To forums for the answers to many questions about posting pics *Post in the correct forum - thats where the topic experts hang out! *Don' t post the same message in many forums...It will not attract more attention, in all likelyhood, it will make people ignore it *Please maintain relevancy in the post - if need be, please start a new thread *If a problem is perhaps browser related, test in another browser and let us know the different results. *Be short but descriptive in your subject. It is sometimes not a good idea to start a reply in the subject line, as it is often overlooked. *Provide a URL where applicable. Just cut and paste the link, and it will be automatically converted to a clickable link. *You will need to be registered in order to post. *Please remember that the forum rules state that you should sign (all) of your posts with an initial and surname or vice versa. *Use the pm feature to continue a discussion when it goes off topic. That should cover most of it for now. No new rules, just a bit of common sense. Regards, Brian

I appreciate these nice comments. Indeed, this list is a fine community that helps a wide range of folks interested in Japanese swords. "Sword collecting" certainly is not the activity it once was and there is a great generation shift going on. Isn't it interesting how "international" sword appreciation has become. The hobby I discovered depended on a disorganized mass of war souvenirs and a trivially small literature. Now, thanks largely to communities like this one and the labor of folks like our dear Brian (thank you thank you!), information is readily available. There was a time when we had to teach ourselves how to read signatures. And it was a slow process. B. W. Robinson taught us how to count strokes and read the kanji so that we could dig thru Hawley and find what mattered. Golly it was fun, but now all that information can be provided expertly - and really rather politely and positively - in a matter of hours. Thanks to this fine list!

Its from an old book so Pre-war Japanese - if I understand the listing this is from the Shosoin. -t

Some respondents here and on Facebook. Tsuba ON HOLD pending payment. Thanks for looking. This was intended as a holiday gift, sharing out a bit of good fortune recently had with one coming in. I hope the new owner enjoys it.

@PNSSHOGUN @drb 1643 日露戦争で、戦艦「三笠」は帝國連合艦隊の旗艦であった。ロシアのバルチック艦隊を殲滅した「日本海々戦」の前年(明治37年)、「三笠」は「黄海々戦」で後部二連装主砲の一門を破壊された。 この破壊された主砲残鉄を使って刀剣を造る計画が水交社(海軍士官の親睦団体)などで持ち上がっていた。 昭和3年2月17日、「日本海々戦に有名な軍艦「三笠」の殊勲を記念したいと海軍で研究中の處、十二吋(30㎝)副砲※を室蘭にいる刀剣界の権威、瑞泉氏に見せた處「立派な日本刀が出来る」というので短剣・長剣三千口を作ることとなりその見本が水交神社に奉納する一組と安保海軍大将に一振り送付された」と函館新聞は報じた (新聞要約、※ 主砲の誤記。加賀美憲晴様のご指摘で判明) 昭和3年1月～7年5月の間、この砲身残鉄を使用して（株）日本製鋼所室蘭工業所 (現室蘭製作所) 瑞泉鍛刀所の名門刀匠堀井秀明一門 が作刀。 三笠長剣(229本)・甲種三笠短剣 973本 (皇国興廃在此一戦の彫刻)・乙種三笠短剣 451本が造られ、「水交社」を通じて販売された。 他に、特攻隊生みの親、大西滝治郎中将の愛刀「以軍艦三笠砲鋼 秀明作」の日本刀等がある。 銘は12種以上有り、銘から推測して、砲鋼のみ使用の火造り刀から、玉鋼併用の鍛錬刀まで作刀方法は数種類あった。 銘(12 Mei as follow) 三笠・以三笠砲鋼・以三笠砲鋼作之・以軍艦三笠砲鋼・以三笠艦砲身作之・加三笠砲鋼・加三笠砲鋼精鍛・加和鋼以三笠砲材 加軍艦三笠砲鋼精鍛之・秀明・源秀明・室蘭住秀明作 三笠短剣の人気が高く、短剣の製作が一段落した後、水交社は更に追加製作を日本製鋼所に依頼した。 昭和6年7月、日本製鋼所と水交社の間で『短刀の茎に「三笠」と「社章」（創立当時の旧社章）を刻む』ことで合意した。 然し、秀明が「数打ちは甚だ迷惑至極御免被りたし」と 8月に本社に宛てた手紙が存在する。 その為に、秀明の銘は入れず「製鋼所製」と刻んで弟子に打たせる事になったようだ。 この「三笠」の文字と「社章」が刻まれた短刀や「製鋼所製」の銘のある短刀の押し型はない。 Rough translate During the Russo-Japanese War, the battleship Mikasa served as the flagship of the Imperial Combined Fleet. In the previous year (1904, Meiji 37) before the decisive "Battle of Tsushima" in which Russia's Baltic Fleet was annihilated, Mikasa had one of its twin rear main guns destroyed in the "Battle of the Yellow Sea." A plan to use the remaining iron from this destroyed main gun to forge swords was proposed by Suikosha (a naval officers' friendship society) and others. On February 17, 1928 (Showa 3), the Hakodate Newspaper reported, "As the Navy was studying ways to commemorate the distinguished service of the famous battleship Mikasa in the Battle of Tsushima, they showed a 12-inch (30 cm) secondary gun (Note: incorrect, actually a main gun) to the renowned swordsmith Zuisen in Muroran. He stated, 'A fine Japanese sword can be made from this,' and as a result, 3,000 short and long swords were commissioned. A sample set was dedicated to the Suikosha Shrine, and one sword was presented to Admiral Anbo." (Summary of newspaper report; mistake regarding main gun was clarified by Mr. Noriharu Kagami). Between January 1928 (Showa 3) and May 1932 (Showa 7), swords were forged using the remnants of this gun barrel at the Muroran Works of the Japan Steel Works (currently Muroran Manufacturing Works) by the master swordsmith Hori Hideaki and his apprentices from the prestigious Zuisen Swordsmith Studio. A total of 229 long swords (Mikasa long swords), 973 Type A Mikasa dirks (engraved with "The fate of an Empire is decided by this battle"), and 451 Type B Mikasa dirks were made and sold through the Suikosha. In addition, Admiral Onishi Takijiro, known as the father of the Kamikaze forces, owned a famous sword engraved "Made from Mikasa cannon steel by Hideaki." There are more than 12 known inscriptions, and based on the variations in these inscriptions, it is assumed that several different swordmaking methods were employed, ranging from fire-forged swords made only with cannon steel to forge-welded swords made with a combination of cannon steel and tamahagane . The popularity of the Mikasa dirks was high, and after the initial production was completed, Suikosha requested Japan Steel Works to produce additional dirks. In July of 1931 (Showa 6), an agreement was made between Japan Steel Works and Suikosha to engrave "Mikasa" and the "company emblem" (the old emblem from the founding period) on the tang of the dirks. However, there exists a letter from Hideaki addressed to the head office in August, expressing his strong objection to mass production, stating, "I absolutely refuse to engage in such quantity production." As a result, Hideaki's signature was not included, and the blades were inscribed with "Manufactured by Steel Works" and forged by his apprentices. There are no known molds or examples of dirks engraved with the word "Mikasa" and the "company emblem," nor with the inscription "Manufactured by Steel Works."(I think Tom's dirk is one of these) http://ohmura-study.net/204.html