Bruce Pennington

As it should! Can't tell you if the kanji is Chinese or Japanese, but the blade is not Japanese.

Trystan, They were 2 separate swords. First I have more, if you like. I didn't have that "131" gunto, thanks Thomas!. The second one I posted is marked "31". Found on "Live Auction", no longer have actual link.

That would be expected as these were not made by Japanese smiths. They were made by Java locals. Thanks for the photos, Nicholas. Unless @BANGBANGSAN can give you more info, I don't think we really know anything about their operation. I only have 3 others on file with fittings, and they vary considerably. I suspect they used whatever they had available, manufacturing some themselves by the looks of them. One other has the ito material you describe: This other one has "31" stamped on the habaki

Yes, it's definitely one of the 8,700 souvenirs they made after the war. Dave, is there a photo of the other side of the nakago? Most of these have a painted number that I track.

Nicholas, Could I get some photos of the metal fittings, close-up, for the files. I like to keep a record of the Java swords.

Haven't watched the whole thing yet. Did they have attribution on the nakago of the tested or appraised blades?

Thanks John. This is not an area I study, so my opinion carries little significance at this point. But, I would think if they have been stamped by Suya and Nakano that they are wartime dirks. The one Richard Fuller is wondering about actually used celluloid for the sayajiri. He's initially calling it a late-war version, but wondering if it might be one of the souvenirs we've read about. Navy daggers with celluloid Fuller.pdf

Ron, Assuming there is no date on the other side? The showa stamp is an inspection/approval stamp of the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Association. It is seen on blades with dates ranging from 1935 to 1942, with most of them dated 1940-41. Looks like it was initially sold on the civil market with civilian fittings, then outfitted with the leather cover when it was donated or sold to the Army for the war. Would have been used by an officer.

No, that’s another decades old urban legend. Simply because no one had been able to read the official World War II Japanese documents. You will see in Nick’s article that he has pulled up the actual wartime documents that assigned that color to the civil servants.

I'm asking for everyone who collects dirks to check for signs that it may be one of the 1,200 post-war souvenirs made by Tenshozan. I don't know how we would identify them. But Richard Fuller sent a request for any info we can come up with. Here's his message: "I have seen naval daggers with part plastic hilt and scabbard fittings. Obviously modelled on the normal metal fittings. Didn't take much notice of them and just labelled them as late war production. I would imagine that Tenshozan would have very little stores, or access to, real same (ray skin) for navy dagger hilts in 1946. I have one with normal gilded brass hilt fittings. Removable hilt. The crossguard and lower seppa are cut out for use with a spring clip although there is none, or provision for one, in the scabbard throat. The nodules on the grip covering are all small and of matching size which may indicate plastic rather than natural fish skin. Normal unsigned or stamped grooved blade. Dark brown leather over a non-magnetic 'metal' scabbard. Normal top scabbard fitting of thin gilded metal with opposing suspension rings. 'Plastic' lower mount modelled on the normal navy pattern. Could this be a post war Tenshozan production? However I would have thought they would put their anchor and circle stamp or the cross guard or number the blade to confirm legal production."

Oh, and for research/searh purposes, this blade has a Na and "30" stamped on the mune (posted over at Wehrmacht-awards)

Hi Gareth! Thanks for the added pics of the black painted tsuba/seppa. I'll add a link of this to the Black Painted gunto thread. There are no swords specific to the Navy landing forces. But they would have been navy swords, not army, which the Type 3, or Rinji seishiki model is. That is an urban legend that got started decades ago. The tassel, if indeed all brown, indicates this sword was carried by the civilian branch of the army called Gunzoku. They wore military uniforms with Gunzoku rank and carried swords commensurate with their rank. You can read about the Rinji model here: Unveiling the Rinji seishiki Sword 1940 and History of the Mislabeled Type 3 About the Gunzoku brown tassel: The all-brown Tassel

Here's one on a Kanemune blade, posted by @KB1107 HERE.

Found this one on this California Auctioneers auction

Thanks for the update, Ben. I don't really study the smiths, but he's RJT qualified and likely made nice blades. Since the one I have has a showa stamp, we can see he made both traditional and non-traditional blades. His rating was ryōkō no retsu. That was the one in the green below. Some of the other guys may be able to give you a sense of it's meaning. If you'll post a couple of clear, close-ups showing the hamon (temper line) we MIGHT be able to make a guess. shinpin no retsu (神品の列) Supreme masterworks kihin-jōi (貴品上位) Superior precious works kihin no retsu (貴品の列) Precious works jōko no jōi (上工の上位) Superior master jōkō no retsu (上工の列) Master ryōkō no jōi (良工の上位) Superior skilled artisan ryōkō no retsu (良工の列) Skilled artisan

Thanks Moriyama-san! What an unusual practice. So no way to know if these were made during or after the war. He would have to have made them before the age of 20, though, to have been during the war. Thanks again guys!

Looks like this is your guy: "KUNISHIGE (国茂), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Ōita – “Kunishige” (国茂), family name Takeuchi (竹内), rikugun-jumei-tōshō, ryōkō no retsu (Akihide)" Please remove the metal fittings from the blade and check above the smith name for a star stamp or any other small stamp. I only have one other of his blades on file and it has a Showa stamp. But he's listed as an RJT smith, so there could be a star. No date on the other side? As mentioned above, the fittings are Type 97 Japanese naval officer kaigunto. You can read about them on Ohmura's site and see other examples: http://ohmura-study.net/945.html

Interesting idea, John. Certainly possible!

Ok. They thought that one to be gimei. Here's one linked to by @Nobody that is legit, with the same date: https://www.nipponto...swords6/KY332493.htm Can you tell me that date. I see it's Taisho, but cannot make out the year numbers. The guy was born in 1925 (https://entities.ocl...mR9VfQ8B6yvgDjd.html), so it can't be 1913 like the auction house said.

Hey guys! The auction house HERE is calling this "Tsunehira", dated 1913. I don't see a Tsunehira in Sesko in that date range. Do they have the name right?

I cannot judge the showato vs gendaito question, but I can say that many WWII mei seem to have been written by modern medical doctors (can't read their writing!). I have checked 5 other of his blades, and the mei does vary a bit, but all of them have this 'sloppy' style.

Thanks for checking, Mikko!

Excellent! What a difference. You gave your Gunto new life.

The close-in shots don't show them, but you can see them here:

I love the spirit and intent in this. We often talk about keeping our swords "as is" because it is in line with the life of the sword. If one really feels that way, then I compare our storing our swords in boxes to caging lions and tigers in cages. I love to see guys with restored vintage cars out on the weekend for a drive. They don't drive them everyday, and when they do get them out, it is done carefully, no hot-rodding. It keeps the car alive. They shouldn't be stored in a huge garage, never to roll again. I also respect those who fear the damage that may happen to a blade, which is why the 1704 violin or the 1934 Chevy is used by experienced people, very carefully. 2 cents