ChuckC

Thanks - I really enjoyed that link and read it end-to-end the other day. Good info. Here are some more pics for grins:

Matt, Wow, in a minute you have done what I couldn't do in 3 days of research, being new to this so you can imagine my appreciation. Then, the blade would be oil quenched and machine made? Not that I WANT to come to that conclusion... But it is really neat to assign the character to the blade as you have. Kind of livens the piece.. Not trying to nail it's value, just the range since its (showato? Gunto?). Sorry, still trying to learn this sword language. Thanks again.

Thank you for indulging me. I've had this sword for quite a few years and am just now researching it and am stuck. As the story goes my dad's uncle brought this and an Arisaka 7.7 back from Iwo duruing ww2. I'm hoping for some help on the id of the sword type and the mei. What I think I know is that it is an imperial army katana with seki arsenal stamp. I ca't match up the characters in the mei to know who made it or what it says. 8 Attached are some poor photos for now. Thanks-Chuck Ps who would have thought i had to learn a new language to speak sword? Very fun tbough i dont expect the swords worth much.