Bruce Pennington

Charles, I hope you can get a refund unless you just want to use this as a decorative wall hanger piece. Everything is wrong about this. But I will list some things: The handle is brass, but the Japanese used copper and aluminum, never brass. The stamps on the handle are horribly wrong. The Japanese did not put flags and other marks on the copper collar call a habaki. The Fuller groove starts too far down the blade. And the screw and nut through the handle are the wrong style.

We've all read how the order outlawing the wearing of swords, and the following efforts to Westernize Japan's military, decimated the sword making industry. Working from memory, so forgive me if I'm off, but do I recall there were only 7 sword smiths operating when Japan decided to go back to samurai styled blades? My point being, since collectors often increase the value of items that are rare, wouldn't blades made by those smiths, before the big push to train new smiths to increase production, be worth a pretty penny and highly collectable? Just wondering.

Yeah, that hand drawing of the Hiro stamp is pretty bad. Hard to say what they were actually seeing when they did it.

It's a beauty, Justin! What a great sword to own.

March 2026 Update now available for the Stamps of the Japanese Sword. Download here: Stamps of the Japanese Sword - NMB Download Section What's new: -- Navy Tsuba with "Gunto Houkoku" "Serve the Country with Military Swords". It was the slogan of the government program to procure civilian swords for the war effort. -- Stamped mei - Kanemune -- Kikumon - new variant added in this section lacking better way to classify it - Botan/Peony Flower on a 26th Generation Kanenori. Significance unknown -- Kokuin - Kiyonobu and Kanenori added -- Kakihan - 4 added: Enshin, 1905; Masatsugu; Sukenao, 1696; Yukihide, 1853 -- Blades with both Kakihan & Kokuin - Naotane, used personal kakihan + kokuin of city the blade was made in -- Appraisors - Ho' nami Kotoku added -- Koshirae stamps - Itabashi Supervisory Unit, Army Ordinance Admin HQ -- Unknowns - Circled Yama; Circled kana -- Type 19 shop logo - 2 added. Enjoy

That might explain it. As to the "8" coming from that branch of the Osaka arsenal .... a slight possibility, I guess, but both blades were made by Gifu, Seki smiths, and found in army fittings, so I'm thinking it might need another explanation, like a shop marking. Verdict is still out, though.

Trystan, What document is this page from?

Is it this guy (only one listed by Sesko) "TADATSUNA (忠綱), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Tottori – “Hōki Ōhara Tadatsuna” (伯耆大原忠綱), “Tadatsuna” (忠綱), real name Ōhara Chūjirō (大原忠次郎), born March 20th 1902, he studied from about 1935 under Moriwaki Masataka (森脇正孝) (see picture right)"

Another late war, unlisted RJT smith - Izumo jū Tadatsuna saku - 出雲住忠綱作, May 1945, found on ebay. Sesko has one, from Tottori, which is a very small prefecture right next to Shimane (Izumo), so might be the guy.

Wonderful, thanks Ray!

Here's a long one, at this ebay sale. The guy knows what he has, asking quite a pretty penny for it. Is "tensho710" one of us?

Hi guys! I want to say Sadatsuna, but can't find anyone by that name. Help please?! A May 1945 blade.

I don't think I've ever seen the mil specs on these for production. The reference books show a LOT of variation in them, and observed kyu pretty much back that up. There were a number of factories producing them over a few decades and each one seemed to have their own small differences. @Kiipu @lonely panet might know more, as well as others. Let's see what they say.

I'm transferring this to the Translation forum. They have guys who know the styles of writing. You may be right, but whether Shodo or Sosho (grass script), they should be able to help. If this is Masayuki, it is the first I've seen in this style writing. Normally, his me is like this one: Interested to see what they say.

John, It's a messy, and made worse by the photo, small circled anchor. Excuse my horrid editing: Another one of those mystery rigs. Is the paint "3"? or is there a faded "1" on top, so "13"? For now, I'll call it a "3" which puts it (along with the black ito and 1-piece fuchi/seppa) into the first run souvenir swords using mostly surplus parts. Toyosuke, for the record.

Just came across one on this Wehrmacht-awards thread with similar fittings to Tom's @drb 1643. Don't think the blade is custom, but hard to tell from the photos. I'll ask the owner and update. Fuller calls this variation "scarce."

I can't remember, but there was something I found in the earlier book that wasn't in the newer version, but like John, I only reference the newer one now..

And it matches the look of the haikan band. Nice job.

Yes. So, the whole tsuka could be a very late war replacement, or post war, no way to know. @SteveM is that mei recognizable?

The blade is quite nice, however the tsuba, fuchi, and kabutogane are very, very crude; then you have brand new ito. Can't make out the imprint on the leather, but it reminds me of the kiku with vines/leaves seen on nakago. Very mixed bag.

Thanks, Mal, I somehow missed that one. I'll check it out. Update: In your bio of Masakuni you say "Masakuni was a senior smith during the war and in Showa 19 (1944) he became head smith at the Nishimura Nihontō Tanren Jo (西村日本刀鍛錬所) in Tokyo as well as Rikugun Jumei Tōshō." The wording makes it sound as if you officially became RJT in 1944, but the sword above was star-stamped in 1942. I also believe the RJT list on Japaneseswordindex was from 1942, listing him as "Sanekuni." So, maybe it was simply a case of lumping the two fact together in one sentence?

I can see why that pit looked like a Seki stamp in the original photos, but with the better lighting, I see that it is not. I am often the first to see stamps that aren't there! Ha! John, You didn't say how you cleaned, but, yes you are correct in not cleaning the nakago (tang). Please never do that. If there is orange, active rust, we want to stop that, but not clean it. Here is a good page about blade care: Japanese Sword Care - Japaneseswordindex.com

Oh HECK! I see my error. This is 2600 year 2 = 1942. Dang. My points still stands on the black saya. Seems early for that. Chris confirmed the name issue: "Kato Masakuni worked in the Meguro district of Tokyo. He used the kanji 眞国 which has several readings. 眞 is an old form of 真 I believe and the popular pronunciation is Sane. However, in conversation with Kato Masakuni's nephews, I was informed that their uncle preferred the reading "masa". Often times the common reading and the actual reading preferred by the smith can only be determined by confirming with someone who knew the smith personally." Re-checking JSI, they have "Sanekuni" on the RJT list. Can't find either name in Sesko, but that isn't unusual.

Chris Bowen posted this star blade on Facebook. I can't figure out how to post an address for it, but it's in the Military Swords of Imperial Japan Group. Unique in a few ways. It's a Masakuni, but using 眞国, dated Dec 1941. So the forth earliest RJT blade I have on file. It's in RS fittings, so the earliest dated RJT blade I have in RS fittings. The three earlier blades are in T98 fittings. Also, the saya is painted black, usually associated with later war design. Let me know what you think: I have only one other Masakuni blade on file, June '44, but the smith signed 正国. Japaneseswordindex only shows one Masakuni, but they don't show a first name or prefecture, and it's not unusual to see unlisted RJT smiths show up.

Nice one, Marcin, thanks!