Bruce Pennington

A 1939 Mantetsu Koa Isshin, in a thick combat saya with the "airborne", or Kite, sarute. But it went to a good man, so I miss it, but don't regret it.

Following. Would like to add this to the Stamps doc. Something I found searching, link HERE "Another interesting aspect of the Botan flower is its cultural significance. In Japan, the flower is considered a symbol of the samurai warrior class and is often depicted in art and literature. It is also associated with the annual Boys’ Day festival, where families display ornamental Botan flowers to celebrate the strength and courage of their sons. In Chinese culture, the Botan flower is a popular motif in embroidery and is believed to bring good luck and prosperity. ..... Additionally, in Japanese culture, the Botan flower is considered a symbol of wealth and honor. It is often used in traditional Japanese art and is a popular motif in kimono designs. The flower is also associated with the Buddhist concept of impermanence, as its beauty is fleeting and short-lived. In Chinese culture, the Botan flower is believed to have medicinal properties and is used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments."

I record them all and file them. So when you see some, please let me know via p.m. or on the arsenal stamps thread.

Thanks Ray! Didn't see the Reddit post, myself. Just getting it translated for the Kokuin and Seki stamp files.

Could I get a translation of this writing on the mune of a 1942 Kaneuji, please? Found by @When Necessary on Reddit. (Thanks D!)

The Type 8 was commissioned in 1875, the 19 in 1886, and there were no changes that I am aware of through the end of WWII.

Hi Jens, welcome! I don't know about the chain, maybe someone else will. Nice looking 19, and interesting saya cover. Does it look new, like something added post-war, or is it old?

The seppa might have been added by a collector, over the years, to tighten the fittings. I don't know current polishing prices. Mine, years ago, was $100 USD per inch. I'm sure it is higher now.

Yes, that is actually what first caught my eye in the original post. But it's the same color as the haikan so I just assumed it came with the saya. Iryna, any chance of getting a clear, closer shot of the end of the saya?

A correction to the above. I realized the curve is normal, but everything else is as stated. Here's a legit one. See the difference?

@Nicholas Sorry no one has responded. I lost track of this one, too. I have a variety of yasurime on Kanefusa 23rd gen. Here are 2 taka-no-ha The others are higaki, though, like you say.

Peter, The imitators can put out some quality blades. Some are obvious, poor quality fakes, but others can be pretty well done. You have to know the real ones well enough to recognize the imitation when it pops up. Summary of signs: 1. Nakago (tang) finished poorly 2. I'm not sure but I don't think I've ever seen a blade with just the owner's name on it 3. The body of the blade has no hada, or texture, which is a sign of a blade made from bar stock, not hammered and folded in the traditional manner 4. The blade tip has errors not seen in good Japanese workmanship: Curved line should be straight. Bohi (fuller groove) extends into the kissaki, when it shouldn't A view of the whole blade should give more clues.

I see what you mean, guys. There is evidence of faint blue in the fringe strings and that bend in the strap just above the slider. I normally take a closer look, but didn't this time. Oh well, it was good to get the topic up for a refresher.

I know, John! You have to zoom in on the picture of the whole sword. You will see the white writing along the bottom of the scabbard. I didn’t see it until Thomas pointed it out.

Dang, good eye, Thomas!

I'm adding this one to this thread, but I think there is a dedicated one to the cream/brown railway police topic. I just can't find it. Don't know if this is one of them, or just a really faded army tassel, or a bad fake. But the colors are similar enough, I thought I'd post it. It's currently found on this White's Auctions page Civilian sword, no railway markings, just the tassel

Interesting side by side arrangement!

As Conway pointed out, we have seen a number of RJT, star-stamped blades with a combination of small Seki and Na stamps. On non-star blades, we take this as a sign of showato, but on RJT blades, it seems to simply be the approval stamps of acceptance inspectors.

Marcin, We are seeing more and more wartime blades that have registration papers, even Type 95s, so this paper does not mean the blade is traditionally made. Blades with the large Seki stamp, in my opinion, are usually quality-made, and some have signs they were folded and water quenched. However, it is my opinion that they are quality showato, not gendaito. They likely were made by something other than tamahagane, and/or were oil quenched. If you read the discussion in my Stamps Doc about the large Seki stamp, you will see that there is only 2 pieces of documentation about the stamp, and they are in conflict with each other. I personally believe the survey statement posted by Ohmura that shows the number of blades inspected by the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers association, and in a side note, states that the survey number does not include traditionally made blades as "they were not inspected."

Thanks, Steve! That is now in my "Translation" folder.

I want to say Kanemune, but the rest of the mei doesn't match the Kanemune on file. Little help, please?

Someone offered him the gunto and he said they are the only pictures he had received, so I think the owner must have printed out photos for the guy.

Hi Iryna! Your sword style is the Type 98 Japanese officers gunto (army sword). The saya (scabbard) was made for a leather cover, but it's gone missing over the last 80 years. It would look like these, originally: You can read all about these swords on Ohmura's excellent site: Military Swords of Imperial Japan Here is a good page for care and cleaning: Japanese Sword Care

Conway, This is the first example I've seen with both the shop logo and the small star on fittings. Paul's example in the OP doesn't have the star on the fittings and all the other examples I have of the star didn't show the koiguchi. It would fit since the logo has a small star in the center, but we'll have to find another example or 2 with them both. The example I have from Tony A of Wehrmacht-awards has the star between the 2 numbers, like Nicholas' seppa, but he didn't post the koiguchi in his thread from 2023. WW2 Shingunto For Sale - Tony A