Bruce Pennington

I've asked a good friend, who is a metallurgist, if he would examine the army fittings that are bright gold to see if they were painted, as Bob Coleman felt, or gold-gilded. I feel that if they are gilded, then it implies these parts were being worked during the war. I don't know how easy or difficult the gilding process is, but it's not something I picture a post-war sword company doing. I'll update when I get word, or maybe he'll jump in the conversation.

Dave, Great find! Both the blade and the fittings are gorgeous. I couldn't find any references to this swordsmith either, but like stated above, there were hundreds of smiths working during the war. I would also like to see a close-up of that gold label sticker. I've seen a forum discussion of scabbards with stickers like this and they were all from the Seki area.

I attempted to chat with the Japanese Sword Co via Facebook's Messenger. Their first response was that they don't do that kind of thing. I replied that maybe it was done after the war to avoid post-war laws about selling war weapons, and the mix of navy and army parts might have qualified the gunto as a souvenir/art sword rather than an official weapon. Their reply got seriously lost in translation, but they seem to have been saying: "Yes, this is something you should share with your collector friends." Dave, maybe it's my eyes, but I can't find any of the NLF style gunto in those photos. Do you see one in there? If Bob Coleman is right (and I respect him highly as someone who lived and trained in Japan), then it seriously changes the meaning of the NLF style gunto. Although, clearly the blades and koshirae parts are still legit Japanese items make for war, they would not have been something actually used during the war. I'm still puzzled, though, by someone's post a while back, that he had a relative who had served in the war, and post-war Japan, and had seen a warehouse full of this style gunto. This would support the idea that they were being produced this way late in the war. If this is correct, then maybe the Japanese Sword Co. got ahold of this supply and truly were selling them after the war. This wouldn't change the somewhat increased value (in my mind), since they were being intentionally made this way in the war effort. Either way, still Japanese WWII items.

Like me - slow but trainable!

Michael, There were 9 differing ways to make blades during the war, all of them requiring hands-on work. I think you are asking if this was made via the "traditional" way, which means using Japanese tamahagane steel, folded and hammered by hand. Like the guys stated above, it is not likely. The smith COULD have used old style hammers and folding, but used non-Japanese steel. He could have used a hydraulic hammer and any kind of steel. These are almost impossible to determine. Inspection by a skilled evaluator can increase your chances, but even they have been known to be fooled by a high quality blade.

No. I even did a short search on other Kanetaka blades, and don't see it on the few I could find pictures of. It is so well imprinted, it almost locks fake, though I not saying that it is! There is a word for these personalized smith stamps. Looks like he came up with one at some time in his career. Very interesting one!

Two more:

Sorry, but I just learned that the seppa kanji are read "blade up" like nakago kanji. I'm adding 2 more (and no matter how I try, that dang tsuba pic always comes up blade-down!!!)

Barrie, Good luck with that! I've just started collecting seppa kanji and posting for translation, but no one seems to know what they mean. My theory is that seppa craftsmen, or their companies, created "logo" style kanji as their special mark, sort of like the curvy checkmark of the Nike shoes. I'm compiling them and posting on the Arsenal Stamp thread, though, they probably deserve a separate thread of their own.

Thanks Stephen! After all this time, it never occurred to me that about the orientation of seppa and tsuba kanji!!! For the life of me, though, that tsuba pic, no matter what I do to it, the photo upload software is posting blade-down!!!!

OK, this might qualify for its own thread, the moderators might want to spin it off. If so, would you pin it so we can add to it as time goes by? I've been seeing several sepia and tsuba with undecipherable Kanji. My theory is that they are a Logo of the craftsman or the company making the fittings, sort of like the curvy checkmark of Nike shoes. I've tried the "Translations" forum and haven't had any takers on translation.

That's a beauty, Brandon! I have seen 2 posted with late 1941 dates, but you are right that pre-1943 blades are rare. (Note: after making this statement, I've since found one of the posts - http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=880727&highlight=1941, post #15, about a Dec '41 blade in Type3/44 mounts. It is clearly a '41 blade in 44 mounts, so it MAY qaulify, but if you read the discussion, the mekugi ana appear to have been altered to fit the mounts, so it's POSSIBLE that this was made in '41 in standard mounts and the owner later had it refitted in 44 style mounts. Still looing for the owner of the other gunto)

Anyone know what these kanji are on the seppa and tsuba here? The single kanji on the seppa is the same one as the bottom kanji on the tsuba (sorry about the sideways pic!!!)

That's some really cool models, Ben! I'll certainly do something like that when I can get enough of my Spring house chores out of the way!

Fuller says it looked similar to number viii in this chart:

Dave, I have seen plenty of blades brought for I.D. with no markings. Seems fairly normal in my brief experience.

Don't we All! I bought this one very early in my collecting and couldn't stand to leave it painted gold.

I don't know Thai weapons at all, but could the emblem on the handle and be the "Manchurian Sorghum badge (item vii) Fuller page 186?

Tom, I see someone knowledgeable posted on this as I was typing That is one very unusual sword!!! It would be nice to see better pics of the blade.

That would be my guess. And that's how much I paid for mine, too!

It was a clear gold and came off with acetone. Don't know if it was paint or varnish, but yes they had painted the blade too!!

Steve!!! Just came across this in Dawson's book! Not identical but too similar for coincidence. He calls it a rare dress shingunto. The handle is metal in this one, but the saya is the same.

A recent update on the gold painted gunto. Our good freind IJASWORDS sent me these pics of the saya of a copper handled Type 95. He's a metals guy and analyzed the gold and found it was gold-gilding. By the wear patterns it seems to have been there from the war. Quite a mystery! I've added it to my growing discussion of gold painted gunto on SFI: http://www.swordforum.com/forums/showthread.php?115526-Gold-Painted-Shin-Guntos!&p=1226353#post1226353

Yes I was very pleased to see the overall condition and tip considering it was in service for 45 years, probably at least 2 wars. I like the heft of the blade. Very solid, a true weapon.

Unusual markings on a Muto Mitsuhiro in Naval fittings:http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/22142-muto-mitsuhiro-in-naval-mounts/