Vlad Serenko

Hi Guys, Recently, someone had posted a Takehisa signed, 1943 dated, non-traditionally made blade onto Samurai Swords on Facebook. After some searching, Donny Winardi found this thread. Both of us began tracking down the mysterious "W" marking. It was evident that the marking exists on numerous blades, various years, but always from Kokura Arsenal. After eliminating some theories on export batches, quality control process, and others, we considered the possibility that other arms produced at the arsenal were "W" marked. I found an Arisaka Type 99 firing pin with the same "W" marking --> https://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-Japanese-ARISAKA-TYPE-99-FIRING-PIN-646-/232667116360 Donny found an Arisaka bayonet with the same "W" marking --> http://www.old-smithy.info/bayonets/HTNL%20DOCUMNETS/examples_of_arisaka_ba.htm Information about the bayonet claims that the "W" marking was code for the Koishikawa (Tokyo) Arsenal. This does make sense given the variety of production lines that existed yet still each piece received this marking. It seems as though the mystery may be solved. The "W" marking is some type of code/insignia for the Koishikawa (Tokyo) Arsenal. It may, we may postulate, be akin to the Nagoya Arsenal stamp that we commonly see on both NCO blades AND Type 99 Arisaka. Whether it is connected to some type of "final" quality control is unclear. Its use is likely akin to the Nagoya Arsenal stamp - to verify production, certify quality, or designate certain parts that may be interchanged (much like the purpose of a serial number). Thanks to Donny for the help, we seem to have solved the mystery! ** Quick update, it seems as though Kokura and Koishikawa arsenal are one and the same. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koishikawa_arsenal** Vlad