SteveM

Posting as a spoiler for those wanting to try on their own. Lid (which is fairly legible, and doesn't need to be put as a spoiler) says 与四郎　Yoshirō The one in red is kind of iffy, but from the context it feels like this is the only possibility. If the tsuba is hira-zōgan, then there is no question.

Maybe trying to be 経家 (Tsuneie).

Hi Steven, Yes, we are still meeting. Usually we meet on the first Friday of every month, 7:00pm - 9:00pm at the address I gave above. This month we didn't meet because everyone was basically present at the SF sword show, so I think the next meeting will be on September 5th. Notices are usually posted on Facebook. (You can also contact the club via Facebook DM, or you can contact me through the private message feature here on this site.) https://www.facebook.com/NankaTokenKaiSoCal Steve

The first number is the era year, the following four are the western calendar year, and the last number is the month of the shinsa session. This one is Heisei 9 (1997), March. Starting with the Reiwa era, they added a "0" before any single-digit era year, so nowadays an era year of 9 would be listed as "09". I don't know why the month is expressed in three digits (i.e. "003" for March). This style changed to just a two-digit style from 1998.

Kozuka and fuchi/kashira are signed by Ryūchiken Teruyuki (龍池軒英随). Tsuba is signed by Koreyoshi (之芳). Interesting that the poem should be completed by fittings from two different artists.

The writing on the fittings is from a 4-lined poem by the classical Chinese poet Wang Wei (王維). Each fitting has a different verse. On the tsuba 弾琴復長嘯　 On the kozuka 深林人不知　 On the fuchi/kashira 明月来相照　 The first verse (独坐幽篁裏) is missing. Maybe it is supposed to be inferred from the other bits. Or maybe it was on a fitting that got lost. Anyway, the translation is Alone in the bamboo grove, I strum my lute (koto) and sit and sing, with only the light of the moon as my companion. 琴 in Japanese is the stringed instrument called the koto. In the poem it actually refers to a Chinese zither. In Japan, the poem represents a sort of Zen aesthetic (solitude, nature, contemplation).

Yes, the one on top is Hatakeda Moriie, the one on the bottom is Kunihiro.

千代治作 = Chiyoharu-saku. Location could be Koga (Ibaraki), or it could be Furukawa (Fukushima, also Hyogo), both readings are possible. I don't have my Wakayama reference with me (I'm here in SF enjoying the sword show ) so I don't know which one it is. Deep side note, I used to live in Koga, Ibaraki. It's where I bought my first sword.

Looks like カケヌ kakenu, something which has been seen on other saya, but the meaning of which is unknown. A few years ago I speculated that it might be a name, but I don't think its a name anymore. Interesting to see it repeated so often. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/28924-tsuka-mei/ https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/52775-tsuka-kanji/ And... @Nicholas didn't we already see this sword from you a few years ago? https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/46754-type-98-mon-translation/

I'll be wandering around Friday and Saturday, giving scornful looks to the mistranslations of various hakogaki and other items.

I think Giyugun is used as an entrenched euphemism for volunteer army, so if you deconstruct it back into a literal translation, it leads to confusion, hence the default translation of "volunteer army"

Signature on the fuchi reads 壽家（花押）Toshiie (monogram). Writing on the wooden part of the koshirae that is normally under the fuchi looks like it reads 黒 (black) then 佐 + something, maybe 佐中 (Sanaka, a surname). I think this bit is just a note written by/for the koshirae maker, or maybe for the ito-maki shi.

This one is probably Giyūgun (義勇軍), which was a voluntary force who was active in PNG and elsewhere during the war. (pronounced with a hard G)

Hi Derek, I think nobody replied because there's not enough information at hand. The picture is almost too macro to provide any sort of context. Is it this one blemish on an otherwise spotless sword? If so, could be some discoloring left by some funky oil or some solvent that someone applied. Or maybe it had some scratches on that bit, and someone tried an amateur repair job. Too hard to say. It doesn't look like shintetsu. It also doesn't look fatal or irreparable, but whether it is worth sending to a polisher depends on the sword, and your budget.

Kane-something, but no idea what that something is.

篠田氏房　Shinoda Ujifusa Very similar signature in the thread below

五瓜に根笹 Goka ni nezasa (bamboo with roots inside five-lobed gourd shape) https://www.kamon18.com/cart/shop/07111.html Looks like an excellent piece, even if it is a bit distressed..

Not much to offer, but I see the same theme on another pair of menuki for sale in Japan, from a dealer who, for some reason, has restricted access to his site. (maybe a spam/spoof site). Anyway, I will attach the photo here just for comparison. I don't know the story behind the theme.

Also, here in this thread there is a sword with the same inscription https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/522-translation-help/

I don't think NBTHK holds regular appraisal sessions in the US anymore. So their appraisals have to be done in Japan, unless they announce a special US session. And there is now a limit on the number of submissions that the NBTHK will accept for each session, so the submissions have to go through a kind of lottery process to get accepted. Basically the submission process is 1. Submit your item to a broker in Japan two months prior to the beginning of the appraisal submission process. 2. Have your broker register the sword in Japan. (i.e. Get the sword licensed so it can be submitted for authentication). 3. Have your broker apply for a spot in the appraisal session (sessions are held a few times a year). 4. Make an application to the NBTHK to get your sword appraised. If accepted, have your broker submit the item for appraisal. 5. Wait for results of the appraisal (takes about two-three months, nowadays). The next appraisal session for swords in the Hozon/Tokubetesu Hozon category (which is what your sword would qualify for), is in September, so its already a bit too late to start the process for that. The one after September is November. There are a few agents who can act as broker. Robert Hughes at Keichodo comes to mind, but there are others. There is another organization, the similarly-named NTHK, and they do appraisals in the US from time-to-time. That might be of interest to you, since it potentially involves less legwork and less risk. Regarding restoration, your agent should be able to handle that process as well. Usually it involves several craftsmen in Japan. It can be done in the US as well, but I wouldn't put the cart in front of the horse just yet. Regarding having the item "reattached" to its original home - that is a bit cryptic. Are you talking about returning it to its ancestral owners? If so, it would be impossible unless you have some paperwork that goes with the sword. Without any paperwork, there is no way to trace the original owners. Even with a name (as sometimes these war souvenirs have name tags on them) it can be difficult to sort out who the owner was, and whether or not his descendants are still around, and if they are interested in having an item like this returned to them.

There is a Motozane from the Genryaku era (1184-1185) that is recorded and I think somewhat well-known. But your mei looks like it was inscribed sometime within the last 200-300 years or so. From the Katana no Kura site: https://katananokura.jp/hpgen/HPB/entries/38.html Just for the sake of completeness. It says Son of Masayo. Said to be the same person as Tenta Mitsuyo. Signed as "Chikugo no Kuni Mitsuyo", "Mitsuyo", "Chikugo no Kuni Motozane". Many with straight hamon, and many with small midare, ashi, and bo-utsuri. Note the 真 on yours uses the unsimplified version of that character. There is no particular significance in the use of the simplified vs. unsimplified version of this character. Just an alternative way of writing it. I say yours looks modern because of the crispness and clarity of the writing, and the condition of the patina on the tang. Sorry I don't have anything more substantial to offer.

Mei is 兼定　(Kanesada), not 南守. I don't have much confidence in the authenticity of the mei.

The name itself is a plausible Japanese name, but I agree that the inscription looks very amateurish. Could be a real WW2 sword that someone added a name to, to make it seem more valuable. Then again, it could be something manufactured (or assembled) after the war. Without any documentation of such a smith, it is hard to have confidence that this item is an authentic war relic - even though it may well have been made in or around the middle of the last century.

None of these swords could be licensed. The licensing system is only for Japanese swords. There was some debate in the early years of the licensing system about whether or not foreign swords should be allowed to be licensed and held in private collections. If I'm not mistaken there was one collector who sued the government because he could not get his antique foreign sword licensed, with the government eventually winning the case. So the defacto position is that only Japanese swords may be licensed.

將柳軒　英随　Shōryūken Teruyuki Some more information on this smith in the post below