SteveM

These are the 5 principles the Imperial Rescript describes. The English version of the whole Rescript is located here http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/jamesorr/ImpResSoldSailors1882web.htm You can pick out the 5 principles. Curiously, the second one greatly abbreviated.

義集団作　十号 I wonder if Ohmura has any info on this group. I couldn't find anything when I searched the Japan sites.

Agree the mei looks bad. It looks like gibberish - 美集団作 or 義集団作 either way it makes not sense. The bit to the left, 十芳 (jū yoshi?) doesn't make sense either.

関住福田兼丈 Seki Jyū Fukuda Kanetake, I think.

I mean the small vertical stroke to the left of the three horizontal ones.

岩塚青年訓練所 Iwatsuka Seinen Kunrenjo Iwatsuka Youth Training Academy

Nobumasa is my bet. 信正 Very stylized "Masa", but it is not unusual. Note the small vertical stroke to the right of the three horizontal strokes. Also, the middle stroke looks too offset for it to be 三 .

Right side = 生涼軒　Seiryōken (?) = This is the art name (gō) of the artist Katsutoshi Left side = 勝壽（花押）Katsutoshi

Hello Zack - I think the koiguchi question is purely subjective, so go with whatever works for you. If you are just looking for a semi-temporary stabilizer, and the one you ordered fits the bill and looks OK to you, then its fine. If at some point you want to go down a path of more authentic restoration, you can do that. For now, don't sweat it.

Don't worry about the different groups of nihontō admirers. I think the only real disdain any of us have, is reserved for fake swords. This means crap swords churned out of some garage somewhere, masquerading as either traditionally-forged swords or authentic Japanese military swords (which, as you know, sometimes turn out to be repurposed antiques themselves). I guess there is also some disdain for reproductions, as well. And the real distinction is not between the art buffs and the history buffs, because I think these are overlapping circles on a Venn Diagram. Rather, the distinction tends to be between the WW2 antique buffs (any blades from Imperial Japan), and those more interested in traditionally-forged and typically (but not always) Edo-era and earlier. Fortunately on this site the two groups exist in harmony, mostly, and with respect for each other. At least, I hope I can say this is the case. I haven't seen any mud-slinging lately. Also, I wouldn't hesitate to suggest that there is a lot of overlap between these two groups as well. I'm more of a traditional guy myself, but I find the world of WW2 swords to be deep and fascinating and with all sorts of interesting diversions. There is a bit of impatience with people who buy something that catches their eye on ebay, and then come here looking for validation. But even these guys get treated pretty fairly here. Regarding your swords, always hard to tell without very good close-ups. In any event, the one with the Yokoyama Kozuke Daijō inscription looks to be an authentic, traditionally-made blade, but I am not skilled enough to tell you if it is a fake signature on a real blade, or a good (authentic) signature on a real blade. Check out the thread below for some more detail. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/4063-yokoyama-kzuke-daijo-fujiwara-sukesada/

Yoshichika, I think. (吉近)

Hello Dennis, Yes, its Kanenari. For a look at some other Kanenari works - check out the links below (note: they may not all be from the same Kanenari, and they may not all be the same as your Kanenari, and the biggest caveat of all, your Kanenari may be a forgery - as many signed swords have fake signatures - but you probably already know this by now). http://www.giheiya.com/shouhin_list/japanese_sword/katana/02-1039.html (← incorrectly lists the smith as "Kane nori". Perhaps an indication of how unusual the reading is, or how obscure the smith is, or both). http://www.tsuruginoya.com/mn1_3/a00044.html http://www.tokka.biz/sword/kanenarisaku.html

I think it is quite similar to the manufacturer's mark on the right of this page, the one at the bottom noted as "Tan". http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/military.htm I can find no other reference to this mark, however.

I think this is a case where the hakogaki is wrong, or, more likely, forged and wrong. I think it is unlikely that Kanzan would write the wrong kanji for the artist. (Not impossible, mind you, but I think it would be highly, highly unlikely). In Wakayama's Tōsō Kinkō Jiten on page 490 it lists one smith by the name of 貞永 (Sadanaga). It is a very brief entry, indicating this smith also went by the name of 長江 (Nagae?). It makes no mention of working in the sahari style. Sadanaga might also be read Teiei, but I think in this case it is Sadanaga. Wakayama is silent on how it should be pronounced. In any event, you say the tsuba itself was signed 貞栄 (Teiei) so I think we can at this point conclude the box is wrong. Sorry to make things even more confusing, but the reference Mauro linked to above at page 46 (tsuba #380) by the smith 国友貞栄, indicates that this should be read as Kunitomo Sadahide. This to me is very strange because hide is not a valid reading for 栄 (or 榮 in the old style), and Wakayama clearly states that the reading should be Teiei. So I think Sadahide is a mistranslation, a mistake that is repeated for entries 379, 380, and 381. Actually I also found a Christie's auction catalogue entry which also refers to a Kunitomo Teiei tsuba, and it makes the same claim that this could be pronounced Sadahide. So I'm curious if this is a legitimate (albeit idiosyncratic) reading of these kanji, or if these western sources are just echoing each other's errors. As you probably have all figured out Gohei (御幣) are the white zig-zag shaped papers that are hung outside of sites with religious (Shinto) significance.

Very interesting scabbard. I think very far in style from what would have been allowed by someone on official business, and probably unaffordable to most people. It seems the middle section of crushed abalone shell is especially extravagant. If I had to guess I would say this was made by a businessman, or perhaps a very high quality piece made for overseas markets (as opposed to the cheap stuff we often see). Taking a leap from Chris's post above I also half wonder if the juxtaposition of the suppon (snapping turtle) with the mussel is some kind of double-entendre: a sly metaphor for male and female? Or, it could be too much caffeine in my coffee. Anyway, a lovely koshirae (and great photographs as well).

豊祐作　Toyosuke saku I think this is your man here http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/11358-new-member-seaks-help/ In other places there is the suggestion that the second kanji is 佐, but I think 豊祐 is correct.

藤原兼永大囗以耐錆鋼作之 Fujiwara Kanenaga made this using anti-rust steel I cannot read the kanji where the red box is. I'm tempted to say 大物 (ōmono - meaning great or famous) because that is what he usually inscribed on his swords. But it really stretches the imagination to imagine that squiggle as 物.

Looks like the name in your original post is correct. I reiterate what everyone else has said before - not a lot to do at home that would extend the life or enhance the beauty of this sword. Continue reading up on this site on ways to store and maintain it. It doesn't look like an obvious fake, so now it becomes a bit more forensic - which is often too difficult to do via photos.

I think you have the wrong Kanenaga. Fujiwara Kanenaga is your man. http://ohmura-study.net/212.html

Hello Jim, The paper doesn't go with the sword. It's a certificate of achievement for someone named Tomi Nagahama, in the 6th grade of a pre-war combined elementary-and-high school in Okinawa prefecture Furugen Elementary/High School.

I think this is Sadanaga 貞永, a different smith altogether. (I am talking about the hakagaki in the first post) Kunitomo Teiei would be 貞栄. The date is eluding me. I am tempted to say December, 1947 昭和丁亥年師走, but its a bit too illegible for me.

Get well soon Markus. If anybody hasn't checked out Markus's site, and all the amazing articles that he has made available there (for free!), you really ought to do yourself a favor and start reading those. They are a great way to educate yourself on various matters relating to Nihonto.

It's a flag flown outside of a shrine. This flag says 瓢箪山稲荷大明神 Hyōtanyama Inari Daimyōjin, the name of one of the Shintō gods. Presumably it would have flown outside of the shrine of the same name in Ōsaka. https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%93%A2%E7%AE%AA%E5%B1%B1%E7%A8%B2%E8%8D%B7%E7%A5%9E%E7%A4%BE

Ahh - when I put in fox + rice sheaf + menuki into the search engine, I get a link to this same menuki on the Choshuya site. You are right, Ford; fox and scarecrow, both symbols of good harvest, and protectors of the crops. http://www.choshuya.co.jp/sale/new_tousougu/b/b190/index.htm

Add that to the ever-growing list of misreadings I've done!