meckr

I had already done this and she said she is not aware of her Grand Uncle Hideo having served in the war which may not have been something he talked much about. However, she hasn't denied that her grand uncle is the same Hideo who owned this sword. She said she will do some research and let me know.

Thank you Darcy! However, under examination of the sword, one could conclude it would be a quality piece. But of course, I could be wrong. Ron

I have considered that possibility, however, the fact that the Kamon is the same, I am playing the odds, as it is very unlikely that there would be multiple Ogasawara's with the same kamon on th sword and not be related. The site I provided showed the family members starting from the progenitor to present day. To the extent that one would naturally conclude that it is the same Hideo Ogasawara. Also, considering that he never left mainland Japan as a Warrant Officer would imply that he was some how connected to a prominent family such as one of royal blood. Of course these are assumptions but they are safe assumptions. Ron

Hi Mike, I was wondering where you got that rack from. I have been in the market for a nice rack. I haven't come across as nice as that. How can I get on similar? Ron

Hi, First I want to thank everyone who has helped me with my previous questions. However, I have not been able to find any real information on the smith Ishihara Kanenao. I was wondering if anyone would be able to help me out and know what the rating of, if any, this smith has. Or at the least, point me in the right direction as to he he was, and perhaps his popularity? Thanks, Ron

I found the website for the Ogasawara family geneology http://members.aol.com/uchuujin/oga.html I read everything on the site, it even has a picture of the original owner of the sword as well (as a young kid). Ron

Thanks for your help everyone, especially Koichi. Ron Here is the sword I have: http://www.tspadvantage.com/overall.jpg Thanks everyone who helped me out on this one. I will post more images of my collection. I have about 20 Gunto swords in all, give or take a few. I will of course display my finest only, of which the one above is probably up there. Regards, Ron

By the way, how do I go about finding out how good of a smith he was? I have tried looking on the Japanese Sword Guide site to no avail. If anyone can help me out with that as well I would greatly appreciate it. Ron

Here is a better picture as requested. This time they are lined up in the right direction. Thanks for all your help but I'm still not sure I understand everything correctly. Ok, So am I to assume that the smith is Ishihara Kanenao and the date is February 1941 (Kigen era)? http://tspadvantage.com/Nihonto.jpg Ron

I have been unable to translate the date and signature for this blade. I have been trying for months now. I would truly appreciate any info that anyone can provide about this signature and date. If the pictures are too blurry or unreadable, let me know and I'll repost. http://tspadvantage.com/signature.jpg