Bruce Pennington

Ok. Finished my tally of mei types - Tachi vs Katana - on stamped blades. It is clear that blades inspected by civilian authority (Showa and large Seki stamps) used Katana mei, with minor deviations; and blades inspected by Army arsenals (small Seki, and Arsenal inspector stamps) used Tachi mei. Blades with the Tan stamp used Katana mei, supporting the proposal that it was a "gendaito" approval stamp of the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Assoc. Unexpectedly, the Toyokawa Navy Arsenal used Katana mei, while Tenshozan forge used just the opposite, Tachi mei. The implication, to me, is that smiths knew which inspector their blades were being made for and engraved their mei accordingly. I tested this theory by looking for smiths that had blades inspected by both civil and army in the same year. I didn't find many, but those I found fit the pattern exactly. 1941 Large Seki w/Katana mei Na stamp w/tachi mei Kanetsugu Kanetsugu 1943 Large Seki w/Katana mei Na stamp w/tachi mei Kanenori Kanenori Kanetaka Kanetaka Nagamitsu Nagamitsu So it does appear the smiths knew who each blade (or batch) was heading for and placed the mei accordingly. The star blades were predominantly Tach mei, but they did have an unusual number of blades with Katana mei. Here's the chart: TACHI OR KATANA MEI SHOWA KATANA MEI TACHI MEI 1935 1 1937 1 1939 4 1940 21 1 1941 21 1942 1 ND 63 1 SEKI Large 1940 4 1941 7 1942 37 1943 19 1944 5 ND 108 1 SEKI small 1943 1 1944 1 Star 18 (8 Star) 1945 10 (2 Star) ND 1 NA 1941 1 1942 8 (1 Star) 1943 46 (2 Star) 1944 15 1945 1 ND 3 GIFU 1944 1 1945 16 ND 1 SAKA 1943 2 1944 5 ND 7 Ko 1935 1 1942 3 (1 Star) 1944 1 (1 Star) ND 2 1 YAMA 1943 4 (1 Star) 1944 1 TAN 1940 1 1941 1 1942 2 ND 13 STAR 1941 1 1942 5 16 1943 19 47 1944 5 61 1945 2 19 ND 6 12 Toyokawa 1939 20 1 Kiyomichi Tenshozan 28 All Dates

Is there a date on the other side?

I figured I’d get the terminology wrong! I haven’t had time to get into my files yet, but there was a definite change on which side they signed the blades in the last half of the war. Or so it seems.

Ignore the line about tanker and pilot sword. That is a myth. But that looks like it’s probably a really nice blade to own! You would need to post better pictures of the blade itself and you should post a good clear picture of that rank tassel. If it is legitimate, it is a general tassel worth over $1000 by itself.

Mei and/or stamps on the other side?

I realize I should do more digging before starting this, but on a broad, brief scan of the files, I've noticed that WWII blades, at least the stamped ones, began using tachi mei (smith's name toward the wearer). This is true for both Showa and large Seki stamped blades. But as we move to the Gifu stamped blades (still need to research NA stamped blades), the mei goes to the katana side (or side away from the wearer). I did a very quick look at the star-stamped blades and saw a mix, but I haven't done a serious look at them yet. Anyone have knowledge of this already?

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/gallery/category/7-fake-Japanese-swords/

Oh! Missed that "7", thanks Trystan.

You got a steal at $300! I would bet a year's pay this is WWII legit. No one knows why the black (and sometimes red) is found on gunto, but it started in the kyugunto days and continued through WWII. The only thing missing is the chuso. and, no, it’s not navy. It is army.

I should probably start a dedicated thread for the T.E.C stamped fittings. In answer to @PNSSHOGUN question HERE, I now have two kaigunto with signed blades. One is Hidetoshi, the other is Kaneoto. The Kaneoto is on this JC Militaria site

@Kiipu Thomas, do you have the serial number range that the Seki Token Co. used this logo? A guy over on Wehrmacht-awards is asking about a Type 95 via PM. I'm asking for better photos. If legit, it's rare one, missing the Arsenal stamp, but I'm wondering if it's one of the Polish replicas. The overall photo isn't good enough to tell for sure, but I have doubts about the serial number being 5 digits for that stamp. Also, the NA stamp is too indented and both stamps, under zoom, show bare metal, like they haven't been there long enough.

They are either worn by weather and abuse, or over polished and cleaned by collectors. I have seen a variety of paint combinations, not this one, but quite a variety using black. It looks like it has age, so my personal guess would be some sort of personalization by the owner. The blackened handle wrap and the red on the menugi are in line with wartime blackened swords. You can see many examples of this on this thread: Thank Thank you

And then there are guys that did no maintenance. I’m trying to recall where I read the story of a young officer among other officers who were telling him he needed to take his sword out periodically and clean it. He ignored them, but one day, he tried to pull it out of the scabbard, and it was stuck!

Brian, Your excitement and joy just made my day! I'm still smiling as I write! Ha! Love it! We'll have to hear from John, @PNSSHOGUN, on the brass saya. I checked Dawson - steel and aluminum; and Fuller - steel and alloy; but don't see brass. It's been my experience that the gunto with old blades and 8 seppa were custom orders. So, being custom, it wouldn't surprise me to see what you have there. Is it the photo, or that blade pretty long?

Getting withdrawal symptoms waiting for that serial number! Ha!

JJ, There are several signs of fakery, but you can easily see this one. When swords come into your shop, check the blade tip. If it's angled, like this one, it's a sure sign of Chinese fakery: They should have a nice, gradual curve, like this one:

OH! Good catch, Trystan! I hadn't noticed that before.

Ha! You're right, they left off that last kanji. We've see a couple Mantetsu over the years with errors, but it's pretty rare. This is where I go to translate Zodiacal dates: Japaneseswordindex.com - Zodiac Dates, but it's Spring 1943. Do me a BIG favor and post a photo of the full serial number on the back edge of the nakago. I like to file a couple of shots of the overall rig, too, with fittings. @Kiipu @BANGBANGSAN

Still, that some nice, unique work.

Thanks to @John C, who sent me a fully translated page from Ohmura's site, we have confirmation that the stamped numbers on RJT blades were in fact put there by the armory! We still don't have documentation that explains the stamped numbers on non-RJT blades, but this is great news, for me at least! From the page: "The sword blade stems delivered to this armory are: (1) Those with only a "star" mark that has passed the Army Material Inspection (2) A "star" and a number stamp on the stem butt (3) A "star" and an inspection mark on the stem building (4) There are various types such as those with a "star" and a small "sekiin". Items made before the designation of a swordsmith or items sold directly without delivery to the armory due to special circumstances even during the period of swordsmithing will not be marked with these inspection seals, number stamps, etc. A sword that does not have the date of manufacture cut on the back of the stem is not a sword that has been once delivered to the armory, even if it is a standard sword of the swordsmith." Noteworthy on another topic is the statement that "Items made before the designation of a swordsmith or items sold directly without delivery to the armory due to special circumstances even during the period of swordsmithing will not be marked with these inspection seals, number stamps, etc." confirming what we've been saying about RJT qualified smiths selling blades directly to the market, bypassing the arsenal, not having stamps. Edit: I just realized they stated that blades sold outside the armory will NOT have stamped numbers: "Items made before the designation of a swordsmith or items sold directly without delivery to the armory due to special circumstances even during the period of swordsmithing will not be marked with these inspection seals, number stamps," Translated page attached: About the specifications of the sword.docx

Just an effort to warn potential buyers. There is a group of 5 swords for sale by Rock Island HERE that has a fake Type 95 NCO in the mix. I've messaged them, so hopefully they will adjust their item description. They usually will add the work "style" into an item description if questionable, like "Samurai style sword" or "NCO style sword" but this one is straight out described as "2) NCO sword, 35 1/2" OAL, 26" single fuller blade, metal hilt and sheath."

Just curious, as I see it's up and running today, what happened yesterday?

Specifically, Matsue Supervisory Unit of Kokura Army Arsenal. Modern Matsue is (Japanese: 松江市) is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. @mecox

Yes, I was going to recommend the same forum and same Guy (pun intended)!

Ok, thanks guys. Brian, no need in my pointing. This is an area I'm completely ignorant about, which is why I am really counting on you guys who know this stuff. So, one down, a few to go. This was poste by @Nic in 2010, on THIS THREAD. It's all he posted, and he hasn't been here since then, so it might not be enough for a valued judgement, but here goes: An undated Kiyonobu And here's another undated Kiyonubo found at Japanesesword.com. Might be a better prospect for evaluation: At the risk of overload, one found on Aukshunshuset.com. Undated Kiyonobu