Bruce Pennington

JP, The email for the site is: imperial_military-swords@s8.dion.ne.jp I tried writing to them when I was compiling the Stamps Doc, but got no reply. Nick Komiya thought they would only reply if you wrote to them in Japanese. Someone composed my email in Japanese and I sent that out, but still no reply.

I tried to bid, but it says I'm blocked because they're not sure they can ship to me. ???

Neil! Is it possible to get a photo of the '37 in Slough? I don't have ANY '37s,

Don't stop!!! I would love to have it in PDF form for my files!

'38 is the earliest blade I've seen. Ohmura says they started planning the blades in 1937, so it's possible there were some produced that year. He also states that the Koa Isshin came out in July '39, but I've got a Winter '38 Koa on record.

While we're on smiths - I have a Winter '42 blade with a mei that says "Takanobu quenched this." The NMB discussion says he was Suzuki Takanobu, a Mantetsu manager in '38. Have no idea if he was an actual smith. If anyone is able to dig up more on him, I'd appreciate it.

Nick Komiya didn't like my use of just "Rinji" for short of Rinji Seishiki. I've forgotten his actual words, but he said it's like saying "Junk" when using the Rinji without the Seishiki! Ha! I just hate taking the time to type both words. I'm considering calling it the "RS" model; but then no one would know what I'm talking about.

Thank you Trystan! Valuable info! So, I won't list his son as a Mantetsu smith for now. You did just give us another smith, 栗原昭秀 Akira Kurihara, that worked there "short-term"!

Steve, Thank you for taking the time to go through all that! You have a lot on your plate, so your contribution is greatly appreciated, and respected. Sure hope I live long enough to see a book from you on the 95s!!!

Bruce, I like your thinking. And it supports Fuller's idea of it being a last-ditch officer gunto. Since we're way out in la-la-land with speculation, Do you think, though, that since these were being made by Jinsen, maybe they had access to more resources than mainland Japan at the end of the war? I honestly don't know, just wondering. Overall, though, lacking other evidence, I lean toward yours and Fuller's idea about these.

Trystan, that's some really good history! Where did you find this? Also, we're talking about Shigetsugu, right? If so, this implies that he must have gone back to work at Mantetsu after his trip to Tokyo in '41? It also means his son - could you give us an English version of his name? - was a smith at Mantetsu. Unless I'm taking the story wrong. The title makes it sound like all the blades he took back were Mantetsu, but the paragraphs don't specify where he made them or how he made them. Do you understand this story to mean he was working at Mantetsu, or at least making blades for Mantetsu at the end of the war? Also, do you know where Wakamatsu was located. Google isn’t really sure!

Ran into this trying to ship via USPS, from USA to Australia. No restrictions in US or AUS, but gunto came back to me TWICE! Through making phone calls, turns out USPS contracts out international air shipping. A regular vendor they use is Emirates Air - who will not even ship knives!. And there is no way to find out which airline will be used on a given day as it varies on the day and city. I switched to FedEx, even knowing their reputation and their frustrating practices with invoices.

Thanks Steve! It's going in the files!

Thanks guys, and thanks Trystan, interesting reading! So it's just his name on the nakago. There is a blade or 2 out there where the mei says it was made by Manchurian steel or Mantetsu steel. I thought this might have been one, but clearly not. Still, a great contribution to the Mantetsu Study files!

Yes, that second link confirmed the two swordsmiths. I had not cosidered Mr Kohdo a smith as he was referred to as an engineer.

My wooden handle is in the 211xxx range and none of the numbers are lined up like that (pluse mine has a Seki stamp, so different operators).

An update from a couple of other threads on the known smiths that worked the SMR Dalian operation. 1. We know of Hisakatsu, real name Takeshima Masao, who "directed the production of Koa Isshin blades" 2. Wakabayashi Shigetsugu, who instructed production workers (source: K. Morita - http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/7445-tang-your-opinion/?hl=%2Bshigetsugu+%2Bdalian&do=findComment&comment=73318)

Thanks Steve! Thomas, I knew I'd seen another name along the way, but I couldn't find him - thanks!

You could be right about the strike of the stamp. I'll keep watching for it. I thought you had one on that Warrelics thread, but it's the "NI" - second inspection mark that is found along with an arsenal mark - which in this case is a non-circled HE.

Yes, Ohmura-san's site is a priceless reference for studying gunto, yet, like all our references, they aren't all-encompassing, all-knowing. The internet has made more information, and source material, available to us than Ohmura, Fuller, or Dawson ever had at their fingertips. It's quite amazing the level of coverage they all reached, considering. As to the Circled He - I'm not yet entirely sure that is what we are seeing. It COULD be. Yet there are many non-circled He stamps on late-war 95s. Steve (Shamsy) has several. I'm wondering if the crescent we see on this isn't just the outer edge of the stamp and it struck the blade because the stamp was held at an angle when struck. The chart you've provided seems to be more about guns and other things. For example, the Mukden emblem of a circle in a circle connected by 3 lines is only found on guns, not blades. It would be good to know if the Circled HE is found on guns as well. Steve, if you are reading this - do you have any blades with the Circled HE?

Saw this on an old thread and would appreciate a full translation of the mei. It comes from a Winter '39 Koa Isshin, appearantly made by Shigetsugu, who initially instructed workers at the Dalian Mantetsu factory.

Here are some of mine.

Oh, I see now! The serial number is just blocked/blacked out by shadows in the first photo. Sooooo why the odd nakago jiri and 3rd hole?

Bruce, that's a new one on me! It seems it is from the Heijō Factory of Jinsen Army Arsenal (called Hoten Arsenal Corp by Ohmura). I haven't seen it before, and will add it to my Stamps Document!

Chris, Here's a shot of my copper. I wasn't sure if what I was seeing was hamon or a effect of sharpenning.