Bruce Pennington

Value runs from $1,600 to $2,400 depending upon condition, this one in the lower half of the range. But that still depends upon where and when you sell it.

The star is confirmation that the army provided the steel for the blade. The only steel the army provided to RJT Smith’s was tamahagane. I cannot imagine a smith using tamahagane and oil quenching the blade. Now, on the other hand, you can have a blade made by an RJT qualified smith, but it may be made from a different kind of steel and either water or oil quenched. That is something that each blade of this type would have to be evaluated.

Agreed - Showa 20 - 1945; March. Brian, is that a stamp above the date? Are there stamps above the mei?

Wow, gorgeous!

I have this blade on file from @phil reid, back in 2021, as "1940". Looking at his other blades, the date kanji line up well for that year. Such a gunto, in today's market, rans more like $1,200-1,400 USD, which is about 2,000 Aus dollars.

Wow, never seen this before!

Tom, Is this yours? If so, are there small stamps on the nakago mune (back edge)? You know about the RJT star-stamped blades, right? Could we get a couple shots of the hamon and fittings?

Wow. Are the photos from a sale page from whom you bought it?

Thanks, Paul! Looks like it was part of the stamping practice of the Shōheikan Military Uniform Co., Ltd, then. Might be able to move this small star out of the "Unknown" category. I'll have to do some digging first to see if seen only/always on Shōheikan fittings.

Not my forte, but thought you guys might appreciate this. Made by 菊岡 Kikuoka I thought it was interesting to see a habaki designed with the inner lining fitted to the bohi. Also, his method for attaching his name to the back of the menugi seemed unique.

I have my first opportunity to attend a sword club meeting, this one in Sacramento. It will be Tuesday, 18 Nov, at 7pm. Meeting is at the Sacramento Asian Community Center; 7334 Park City Dr., Sacramento CA 95831. Hope to see somebody there from NMB, but I don't know if we have anyone else here.

They are improving on the Kokura and Suya stamps! They still can't get the small, center, Tokyo 1st stamp, though. Yeah, that serial number is bad. No Type 95s have a zero at the beginning of the number. Another tell is the dimpling in the diamonds of the tsuka. They are raised properly, but blurred. So far, they have a hard time making clear, crisp dimples.

Brandon, Can you check this sword's seppa to see if there is a small star with a number?

@paul griff - Is there a small star on the seppa and/or tsuba of your Kanefusa?

I don't have my 200 one with me, but I have 134112, and it has the same flaw!

Sam, You probably already have mine? 202446

Minatogawa and Yasukuni blades as well. I'd say: "For the discussion and identification Japanese military swords of 1876-1945" would be a better fit.

I have Slough's book, but I guess I don't know how guys use it for translating mei. I am starting to recognize a small number of kanji, so I suppose if I have the first one, like "Kane" I could browse through the Kane... pages until I see the one I'm looking for. Hmmm. Never thought of that! Thanks Jeff! Of course, if I don't know the first kanji, then it wouldn't work.

For future readers: August 1941 From Mal Cox: "KATSUMASA (勝正), Tottori – “Hōki Kanaya Katsumasa saku” (伯耆金谷勝正作), “Hōki-jū Kanaya Katsumasa kore o saku” (伯耆住金谷勝正作之), family name Kanaya (金谷), he also engraved a single coin crest onto his tangs, jōkō no retsu (Akihide), Second Seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihontō Denrankai (新作日本刀 展覧会, 1941)"

I noticed slight differences between the two as well. That’s why I was curious about the serial number. The heavier one may have been an earlier one. Similar to the type 95s where the copper handles were quite heavy and later versions got lighter.

Chino, You might already know, but the small stamp at top, Showa stamp, was an inspector stamp of the civilian Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Association. They tend to be really nicely made. The date range is 1935 - 1942, with most dated blades found 1940-1941. Could you post a shot of the full rig showing the fittings?

Very nice, Kris! I can see the serial number on the second one. Could you post a clear shot of the number on the top one?

Ha! Wouldn't we all! Thanks guys!

Thanks, John, perfect and saved to the file!

I finished examining the Saka and Star stamped files On the two questions: 1. Was there a pattern of hamon changes over time - Not that I could see. Yes, toward the end of the war, the hamon was harder to see, but I believe it was still there. Why the late war blades tended to be in worse condition making it harder to see, I can not say. 2. The "standard" steel, light tan saya - They don't seem to have shown up until 1943. The RJT seem to adopted their own version - a medium tan, steel saya with 2 buttons in Feb 1943, and then really took off in 1944-1945. RS in general, are seen as early as May 1942 with RJT blades, custom fittings, 2 buttons. So the quality RS fittings are actually seen a year earlier that the cheaper, no frills RS called for in the original design concept! Black RS saya started showing up in 1943. I documented a couple that even were in late war quality fittings, but there were more than I noted (exhaustion has set in, sorry), two with only one button. Saka Stamped Blades [Note: Not charting when saya not shown] 1944 No Date Nagamitsu Not Shown Custom, 2 button Medium Brown N.D. Nagamitsu Wavy Custom, 2 button Medium Brown N.D. Nagamitsu Wavy Custom, 2 button Dark Brown N.D. Nagamitsu Wavy Custom, 2 button Black N.D. Nagamitsu Wavy Custom, 2 button Dark Brown N.D. Nagamitsu Suguha Custom, 2 button Black N.D. Nagamitsu Wavy Custom, 2 button Black Star Stamped Blades [Note: Not charting when saya not shown] [“Standard” denotes steel saya and Tan color] 1941 NONE 1942 May Akiyoshi Wavy Custom, 2 button Medium Brown Oct Akiyoshi Wavy Custom, 2 button Medium Brown Dec Nobutake Not Shown Custom, N.S. Dark Brown 1943 Jan Akihisa Suguha Custom, 2 button Medium Brown Jan Kaneyoshi Wavy Custom, 2 button Black Feb Chikafusa Suguha Custom, ? button Medium Brown Feb Tsugukiyo Wavy Custom, 2 button Black Feb Tsugunobu Not shown Standard, 2 button Medium Tan Mar Kiyokatsu Wavy Custom, 2 button Lt Brown Mar Nagamitsu Suguha? Custom, 2 button Black Mar Tsuguhiro Wavy Custom, 2 button Medium Brown Spring Sukenobu Suguha Custom, 2 button Dark Brown Apr Kanehisa Suguha Custom, 2 button Medium Brown Apr Mitsuhiro Suguha Custom, 2 button Medium Brown May Nobutake Suguha Custom, 2 button Medium Brown May Sadakiyo Wavy Custom, 2 button Black Jun Chikafusa Wavy Custom, 2 button Medium Brown Jun Hirotoshi Wavy Custom, ? Medium Brown Jun Nagatoshi Not Shown Custom, 2 button Black Jun Nobutake Wavy Custom, 2 button Dark Brown Jun Sadakatsu Not shown Custom, ? Black Jul Munetoshi Wavy Custom, 2 button Black Aug Akimitsu Wavy Custom, ? Medium Brown Aug Akinori Wavy Custom, 2 button Medium Brown Aug Kanehide Wavy Custom, 2 button Medium Brown Aug Zuiho Wavy Custom, 2 button Dark Brown Aug Zuiho Wavy Custom, 2 button Black Autumn Katsukiyo Wavy Custom, 2 button Dark Brown Sep Masanaga Suguha Custom, 2 button Dark Brown 1943 Zuiho Suguha Custom, 2 button Black 1944 Jan Akiyuki Wavy Custom, ? Dark Brown Feb Kaneoto Suguha Custom, 2 button Black Feb Sadaroku Wavy Custom, 1 button Black Feb Sukenobu Wavy Custom?, 2 button Black, late war Feb Zuiho Suguha Custom, ? Black Mar Kaneoto Suguha Custom, 2 button Black Mar Kazunori Wavy Standard, 2 button Medium Tan Mar Masanaga Wavy Custom, 2 button Black Mar Masashige Suguha Custom, 2 button Dark Brown May Kiyokane Suguha Standard, 2 button Medium Tan May Masatomo Wavy Custom, 2 button Black May Masatsugu Wavy Custom, 1 button Black Late war May Masayoshi Wavy Custom, 2 button Black Jun Kanehide Wavy Custom, 2 button Black Jun Kanetoshi Wavy Custom, 2 button Black Jun Masakuni Wavy Custom, 2 button Black Jul Kaneshige Wavy Standard, 2 button Medium Tan Jul Kanetoshi Wavy Standard, 2 button Medium Tan Jul Tomonari Suguha Custom, 2 button Medium Brown Aug Hidemine Suguha Custom, 2 button Dark Brown Aug Kanehide Suguha Standard, ? Black Aug Kanemitsu Wavy Standard, 2 button Medium Tan Aug Kanemoto Suguha Custom, 2 button Black Aug Kanemoto Suguha Custom, ? Black Aug Masamichi Suguha Standard, 2 button Dark Tan Aug Sadashige Not shown Custom, 2 button Black Sep Mitsunobu Wavy Standard, 2 button Medium Tan Sep Sukenobu Wavy Standard, 2 button Medium Tan Oct Kanefuji Suguha Standard, 2 button Medium Tan Oct Masaharu Not shown Custom, 2 button Light Brown Oct Masayoshi Wavy Custom, 2 button Dark Brown Oct Sadashige Suguha Custom, ? Black Dec Mitsunobu Suguha Standard, 2 button Medium Tan 1944 Kanemitsu Wavy Standard, 2 button Medium Tan 1944 Masashige Suguha Custom, ? Black 1945 Jan Akitomi Wavy Custom, 2 button Black Jan Kanetomo Suguha Standard, 2 button Medium Tan Feb Kanehisa Wavy Standard, 2 button Medium Tan Feb Kanetomo Suguha Standard, 2 button Medium Tan Feb Kanetoshi Suguha Standard, 2 button Medium Tan Feb Mitsunobu Wavy Custiom 1 button Black Mid Spring Kanetomo Suguha Standard, 2 button Medium Tan