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Hello - On September 16, 1945, the Japanese armed forces in Hong Kong surrendered and Major-General OKADA Umekichi handed over his shin gunto to the British naval officer Sir Cecil Harcourt. https://gwulo.com/node/59733/photos-of-person In 2012 I found it in the wonderful National Maritime Museum Greenwich and took the following photographs. It's rare to see a shin gunto (+sword knot!) where a general can be clearly and credibly proven as the owner. Michael

Anthony, I believe the signature is Yoshikuni, and the first two characters (top-bottom) might be E-Saka. 江坂義國. The sword looks to be of wartime manufacture. It’s in nice shape overall with higher quality fittings. Conway

Anthony, looks to be YOSHIKUNI 義国: real name Esaka Masao (江坂正男). Born Meiji 33 (1900) May 26. Reg. Showa 17 (1942) August 24 (age 42). (“Esaka Yoshikuni” SEKI) He lived in Gifu, Kamo-gun, Tomita-mura. [Slough p.197]

Thank you all for the kind words! It is a great feeling to read the positive comments.

The above TSUBA was not modified for BOKKEN but perhaps for a SHINAI. BOKKEN cross-section is oval while this TSUBA was altered for a round item. In Japan, items of the SAMURAI era were often modified later when there was no more use for martial objects. There were even walking-sticks made of (sometimes broken) YUMI (bows), and I have seen a picture of a walking-stick with a TSUBA on it. Some time ago, I had shown a TSUBA that was used as key-hole cover. I think this HEIAN-JO TSUBA would look very nice if carefully restored. It is probably an early one with intact (CLEMATIS?) HIRA ZOGAN.

Both of them look like cast copies. On the ebay one mei is barely readable and around the nakago-ana there are the same imperfections and defects. Sorry Simon.

Yeah, that whole internet alternate universe is quite a mystery. I'm back on without incident, now.

They used it more like hitting rather than slashing or stabbing.

Hmmm. Finally got in via the laptop. I restarted my computer, and viola!

As said above…..modern cast item. Whoever sold you this as 18thC clearly either hasn’t got a clue or is deliberately mis-describing things……in my opinion.

Further photos and detail of the surrender: HONG KONG, 1945-09-16. OFFICIAL SURRENDER CEREMONY OF Japanese FORCES IN THE COLONY OF HONG KONG. MAJOR-GENERAL OKADA AND VICE-ADMIRAL FUJITA SIGNED FOR THE Japanese AND SURRENDERED THEIR SWORDS TO REAR ADMIRAL Cecil Halliday Jepson HARCOURT. THE CEREMONY WAS WITNESSED BY ADMIRAL FRASER, THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE BRITISH PACIFIC FLEET AND OFFICERS FROM CANADA, THE U.S.A. AND CHINA. https://images.rmg.co.uk/asset/42769/

Modern cast

Personally, I think it's modern

Bart, None of this adds up. You can put the matter to bed by sending the sword to shinsa yourself rather than hoping to pass the problem on to the next owner.

Anthony: Just to get the ball rolling, I can't speak to the blade but the fittings are from a WWII Naval sword (i.e. kai gunto). John C.

Anthony Museums as a rule don't value them very much and don't look after them. Usually just put away in a store room, unless the Museum has need, ie Military Museums etc.

Bart I think Jacques is thinking bit like myself, I am usually very hesitant to state anything, however Jacques has guts to say things straight. I think one thing to consider is that smiths that earned titles are mostly recorded to my understanding. And there isn't Ujishige smith to be found with this title but there is an Ujikumo smith with the title. So I think more research would be needed to judge the authencity. As a collector I am extremely small collector with tiny collection. Maybe that is reason why I keep good care of things. I cannot understand how someone would lose a certificate etc. I would expect in this modern world people would have pictures of the certificates saved on computers and phones, I know I have taken pictures of every one I have ever owned. So it would be very easy to present a picture of the lost certificate. The unfortunate thing is that there are lots of bad things happening in this hobby and I don't want to say anything negative as I do not know who the dealers have been for this sword or how the transactions have been. In general the buyer needs to beware when doing deals. Trust is a difficult thing, it can amount a lot in this hobby but it can be difficult to know who to trust.

Here are some pictures of the guard as well.

Lucky bastard ... the new owner that is. Congratulations!

I'd like to announce and thank our members who are going to be assisting us with moderating certain sections. I think it will benefit us all to have more eyes on the forum, and these people have graciously offered to assist with this task. I'll still be looking for one or 2 people to assist with the Izakaya, but finding impartial and fair people who won't take a side is understandably difficult. It's also not something I wish on anyone, but we do need one or 2 people there. Jean will continue to moderate over all sections as before, being the main moderator. The following sections will be assisted with moderation by the following members: General Nihonto Related Discussion: @Scogg (Sam) Translation Assistance: @Ray Singer and @Bugyotsuji (Piers) Auctions and Online Sales: @Scogg Nihonto: @Scogg Tosogu: @Curran Katchu: @uwe Military Swords: @Bruce Pennington and @Scogg Tanegashima: @Bugyotsuji Other Japanese Arts: @Bugyotsuji Sword Shows and Community News: @Mark For Sale/WTB: @Scogg Izakaya: TBA Thanks to these members, please grant them respect, thanks and best wishes.

This sword is sold. Donation goes to NMB.

Not Japanese. It's from some other SE Asian country, maybe Burma or Tibet etc. Don't think anyone else signed their swords.

All excellent choices.

@SouTex Curtis, as noted your mei looks to read "Noshu Seki ju nin Kanemitsu Saku" ( 濃州関住入兼光作) (made by Kanemitsu a person living in Seki in Mino (Gifu)). (The kanji read "seki" looks odd, and more like "warai" 笑 which does not make sense to me, but it was read that way by F&G in 1983). Kanemitsu is a common smith name with at least seven in wartime Seki, but of these only three have this kanji 兼光 and one (Yamada Kanemitsu 1877-1935) died pre-war . Most likely yours is one of these, but probably is Goto who produced some very good work. (examples given). KANEMITSU (兼光) real name Gotō Shōzō (also read as Matsuzo) (後藤 松蔵), student of Kanenaga (兼永), born Meiji 20 (1887) July 20. Registered as Seki smith in early period on Showa 14 (1939) October 26. He became a rikugun-jumei-tōshō and in 1942 Banzuke was ranked as Joko no Retsu (5/7). He died in Showa 32 (1957) March 18. KANEMITSU (兼光) real name Ogawa Mitsuo (小川 光雄), born Taisho 10 (1921) January 20, registered as a Seki smith in Showa 17 (1942) July 3. Worked as a guntō smith. In 1942 Banzuke he was ranked as Ryōkō no Jōi (6/7). He enlisted or was drafted into army and KIA in Showa 19 (1944) July 8 (age 23). Very little info on him.

Indeed, AFU translations as well as other translated publications do have mistranslations. And it worked in both directions where somebody's Japanese wasn't quite right or somebody's English wasn't quite right, ending with something getting lost in translation. That, on top of the fact that the study of nihonto is difficult to begin with and translators are sometimes not advanced in their knowledge of nihonto. This is one reason why it is essential to double and even triple check your findings with multiple sources. p.s. this lesson of mistranslations I learned the hard way when it was pointed out by non other than Han Bing Siong in response to a JSS article I had written. A most humbling early experience that taught me to make sure that all the facts were correct, as well as the importance of having a good nihonto library being invaluable.

I was about to write same thing as Jacques above. It is sometimes difficult as the romanization can feature lots of various names. I also think the English translation of Fujishiro possibly has a mistranslation in this case, I believe the smith 鎮盛 is read as Shizumori as swordsmith name. Blade that Lex posted is Shigemori 重盛 - however while I cannot find that particular smith anywhere I think the name is plausible as both 盛 Mori and 重 Shige are very common in Bungo signatures. I have lots of books including the Bungo book & Nihontō Meikan, however this particular Shigemori is not found in either.

Ujikumo seems to be very rare smith. Unfortunately I can only find this one from my books fast, this is in the collection of Atsuta Jingū and it is Aichi Prefecture Bunkazai. It was dedicated to Atsuta Jingū in 1608. I believe Owari province is written with 尾張 and it turns as Bishū 尾州. Personally I would be cautious about the signature of the blade in the opening post.

From what I've found, this sword was sold by a reputable dealer in July 2022 (no papers, nor claim). Then, by April 2023, it was for sale again, this time claiming the papers had been lost by a previous collector... 9 months seems like a short timeframe for getting a sword through shinsha and returned with TokuHo (only to immediately lose the certificate)? The only reference to this mei, that I can find in reference books or on the net, is this sword.

This Soten , which is owned by Mishina Kenji , is pictured in the Kokusai Tosogu Kai 8th Exhibition and is described as one Soten's best . I thought it was fantstic and decided to post a copy . Makes you wonder where the others fit into the scheme of things when you see something like this one

"And then, having said all of this.... how sure are we that it wasn't a Naginata Tsuba from day one... later modified to fit a sword? " hmmm I understood that Nakago-ana for Naginata were not round? So if it was a Naginata tsuba from day one...later modified to fit a bo-ken or it was a sword tsuba from day one...later modified to fit a bo-ken. I also understood Naginata Tsuba are quite simple. So I think Dale is right. It is an Iron Heianjo sword Tsuba modified to fit a Bo-ken. But why should you add hitsu?? Weird...it is indeed an interesting piece and the modification is very well done.

Purple guy could have put in a little more effort to be honest.

That tassel hasn't spent 10 years on that sword let along 70.