Bruce Pennington

Dang, Steve, you’re right! I couldn’t see that 7 until now. I’m blaming bad lighting! Ha!

If you don't get a translation of the tag here, you could take it over to the "Translation Assistance" forum where that's all they do. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/forum/15-translation-assistance/ There is at least one organization that specializes in repatriating war flags, but like the guys above, I have read several stories where the receiving family just turned around and sold the flags on ebay. There was a famously covered story of a sword that was returned. So special permissions are obviously possible to return war weapons such as this. Info on Japanese govt effort to return flags and 1000 stich belts: http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/government-Japan-will-now-act-intermediary-case-you-wish-return-war-relics-families-679338/ If she goes through with this effort, she should just be realistic and know that the results are at best 50/50% on how it will be received on the other end.

What’s the second one from the right, Neil? Everything about it looks unusual !

I see this was posted 5 years ago, and just moved to this forum, so comments to the original people invovled probably aren't necessary, but for the sake of new readers that might happen along, I'll add that the first gunto at the top is likely showato, as the guys already pointed out. While there is some debate about arsenal stamps simply being acceptance stamps, most evidence indicates that their presence also means "non-traditionally made."

A small update: I just saw this seppa on Warrelics, owned by Shamsy, on an old sword that was used during the war. It has the same edge-style like this one on this thread. Obviously older, where this one looks new. But might add some legitimacy to this one?

Bryce, I've never seen, nor heard of anyone who has seen, the official Army spec order delineating saya color. Ohmura, when discussing colors other than IJA green, calls them "special order..." http://ohmura-study.net/714.html

Dave, Well, Dave, now that you mention it, a closer look at the ito does show hand-oil staining/darkening. I'd say with the saya being standard IJA spec, it's not like any other PETA or Occupied Lands work I've seen. If it's all original, then I'd default to a custom-order arrangement. You see things like this on fittings for an old blade, I've just never seen such a customization on a showato. But, like we all know, the only thing certain about WWII Japanese showato that that there is almost nothing certain! Concerning the tassel, we were discussing tassel standards on the Warrelics forum, and some of us started taking measurements and comparisons. I feel like there must have been many contractors making those things too, which injected variations is style, length, and quality as well. Who knows?!

Mark, I tried to slide them out, but they're in tight.

Just got my second Metetsu gunto! Decent blade, with some nicks in edge and a couple of gouges in the kissaki edge. Nice fittings, though missing all seppa, sarute, and mekugi. Also, the spring for the latch is broken off. Koa Isshin, Fall 1940, ser# Ru 199 Interesting saya liner! It's doubled. There is a thin liner within the outer liner.

I don't know the smiths. Brian and Stephen have a better feel for that. Some famous smiths can garner those prices, and some Shrine swords. But if he's not one of those, then Showa gunto are currently selling from $800 to $1,200. I would personally wouldn't pay over $900-1,000 considering the non-original (though high quality) replacement parts.

Stephen, kabutogane, menugi, habaki, and tsuba seem original, but the fuchi looks new.

Pete, The year is 1945. The kanji look different because they written in the Japanese equivelant to our Script writing. The handle looks to have been recently re-wrapped, and the sarute (tassel loop) look new. Can't say if the rank tassel is original or a repro. Nice blade!

Good catch Steve! Matches the oshigata now!

Tom, You've got a May 1945, IJA Officer sword, commonly called a Type 3, or Contingency model gunto. The smith name is Kanehisa 兼久 (Kanehisa) But the kanji are quite poorly written. So maybe one of the guys more knowledgeable of the swordsmiths might want to comment. Smiths didn't always sign their own work. Helpers sometimes signed for them, and even polishers sometimes put the name on. I would suggest one of those options here.

I'd like to hear from the guys that can translate mei - is this a real smith's name? Geraint, I'd also like to see both sides of the tang (nakago) without the brass collar (habaki). The fittings look legit to me, as does the scabbard (saya). It is missing a leather cover that would have been on it. The blade metalugy looks pretty bad, which lends to a fakery idea, as does the end of the tang. It's a tough one, in my book.

John & Neil, Thanks guys, I have never seen that on habaki before! Oh, so much to learn!!! Stephen, I thought the same thing, though, after zooming in on it, I can see the metal of the blade, and some rust on it, through the hole. So it seems the habaki is thick, or built over another layer of metal. Low quality work, imitating high quality ideas I suppose.

Guys, somebody talk to me about that horrible hot-stamp in the habaki?!?! Never seen anything like it! When I saw that and the icky quality of the seppa and tsuba - I was leaning to Fake. But the mei looks good, as does the saya. What the heck is that on the habaki?

I've bought one in the past, but it's not a good fit. I'll take the spring part off the back of it and have someone spot weld it to my Mantetsu latch. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. Thanks guys!

It's a Type 97 Navy Officer gunto (sword). The Seki stamp indicates it was made by other than "traditional" means. There were at least 9 different ways of making swords at the time, and anything other than the traditional method received an inspector stamp.

Yes, Early, good job dusting it. Seki for sure.

Stephen, You're right about the Seki stamp. Could you post a closeup of the diamond stamp. I've seen one on a Kuniyasu, but your's looks different.

I love it Stephen! My spring is gone on my Mantetsu. Maybe you could fix it for me! Ha!

Kip, These are always very difficult to know anything about for sure. There were many island made a swords during the war, by local people groups. They were not Japanese made, but were often in the service of locals who were serving under the Japanese. There were also many fake swords made during, and after the war. So it is almost impossible to say which category of this one falls into. If you want to do more research google “PETA forces, WWII”.

Ernie! Good to see you! A couple of thoughts: Since this is a very late-war style, it seems that the gunto shortage early in the war would not explain the officer tassel on this one. Officers were buy/renting Type 95s in the late 30's and early 40's, whereas this one was made very late in the war. At face value, this one seems to support Ohmura's guess that the cloth-wrapped tsukas were made for officers. The fact the the tassels were cut off is along the lines of what some officers did when surrendering their swords at the end of the war. Clearly, Lonnie's grandfather could have found it without a tassel and grapped the officer one from a pile, so the evidence is not positive proof; but it at least tentatively supports Ohmura. But in the end, just speculation! Very nice expample Lonnie!

Eric, I've never heard, nor seen, a reason for using katakana with numbers. The implication would be to keep track of blades made under differing contracts, but that's speculation only.