IJASWORDS

Every MRS sword I have owned or seen, all have a SARUTE for a tassel.

This is a rough speckled paint example, similar to the paint found on the premium Army RS Shin Gunto. Came with the original securing lanyard as well.

Had a few RS swords with Sarute. This one is original, still has traces of the "bronzing" finish used on many outfits.

So, what is there not to like about a Kai Gunto? And what is there not to like if it has a MINATAGOWA JINJA blade? Here is a January, 1943, MASANAO. A colleague recently commented that war time blades normally have a badly cut nakago, this one proves that some are cut pretty nicely.

Here is a (Kojima) KANEMICHI,1941, and Seki stamp. This is a high-grade Showato blade, which the original owner thought enough about to put it in an aluminum saya, with the rare extended drag. Thanks to Slough for the page from his book.

Have I posted this one before? No idea, but with Australia's lockdown laws, I am looking for something to do. I picked this up ages ago from a collector that didn't like the polish, his loss is my gain I guess, I LOVE it! A Hokke Saburo NOBUFUSA, no date, in my view a very good smith. It also helps being in mint mounts as well. I acknowledge the page from Slough's wonderful book.

This is as genuine as you get, the actual tassel photographed in Dawson's book page 159.

Never discussed before, I have found these on late war NCO's, and had it confirmed by other collectors. All swords were equipped with a sarute or hole for a tassel. I don't know the exact date or model that the leather knot ceased, I am assuming after the pattern 4.

Tassels can vary in color, and with exposure to light more so. You actually may have found a reasonably rare tassel. Whilst the one on the right is certainly NAVY, the one on the left looks for all money like a late war NCO tassel. If you look at the thread on tassel storage, and go to my post, there is a photo of tassels in zip lock bags, Look carefully and you will see a bag labelled "LATE WAR NCO". These tassels replaced the normal leather variety on earlier NCO swords. Very rare in any condition.

An Iida lock, and a "South Manchurian Railway" sword

Mark, like all things made of cloth and threads, they can deteriorate with light, humidity, handling and insects. I keep my tassels in sealed zip lock bags, in a storage box out of the light. And only put them on a sword for photographic purposes. Obviously they look great on a sword display, but their longevity would be compromised.

Geoff, you made a very important point, once you start on the Gunto journey, your goals certainly evolve with time. After starting out with a couple of Gunto, I decided to learn more, and purchased the fantastic publication by DAWSON. My goal was then to collect every WW2 variation in Dawson's book, NCO, 94, 98, Late war RS , and KAI Gunto. As well as the tassels and sword belts and hangers. I achieved this, and along the way, found examples Dawson hadn't documented. To get to that goal, it took the space of a whole room, and it goes without saying, a bucket load of $$$$! A turning point was meeting a local collector that specialized in Gendai-to. It then became "all about the blade". This was further emphasized when I accompanied him to the DTI held in Japan. Whilst there I found a SADAKATSU with AYASUGI Hada made in 1933, polished with Tokubetsu Hozon papers. I was converted to collecting good Gendai smiths. So many collectors around the world have benefitted from my selling off a large part of what I had accumulated. So the journey was not wasted by any means. I learned a lot, have made and kept many friends, and importantly sold off swords at basically what I paid for them. So I hope the swords I disposed of, help a new generation of enthusiasts, that in itself is worthwhile. So at some time there comes a "life changing moment", like my SADAKATSU, that speaks to you and says, "this is the new direction I want to go".

What metal is it made from? Looks gold or brassy from the photo.

I think some of these are listed in Mal Cox's downloads.

A BIG thanks!

The first couple (3) of the characters on this MASAMITSU have got me stumped. Help would be much appreciated.

Bruce and Bruno, I think SLOUGH probably answers a lot of your concerns, where he will often list a sword smith say, "Low to Medium Grade Showato" and with it "Medium to Hign grade Gendaito". Showing that both can be made by the same sword smith, depending on the circumstance and customer. On page 56, KANENORI is an example. He would also list (for example) YOSHIMUNE on page 198, as a "High to Superior Grade GENDAITO", and I have held a papered YOSHIMUNE and it is definitely a Gendaito. There are always exceptions to the rule, but it is wrong to generalize. So Bruce, it boils down to the sword in hand, and not generalities. There are WW2 swordsmiths who get papered based on the sword in Shinsa, there are others that get "Pinked", depends on the sword.

On my journey of discovery of Ikkansai KUNIMORI (AKA YASUHIRO), it is noted that he produced swords at one of two highly rated forges. And to add to his credentials, he was trained by Masatoshi and Ikkansai Shigetsugu. As YASUHIRO at the YASUKUNI Nihonto Tanren Kai, and was highly rated as a nihonto sword smith. And as KUNIMORI when he produced swords at (and was head instructor) the Okura Tanrenjo, on the estate of Baron Okura Kishichiro. I would doubt that at either establishment would he make Showa knockouts, hence no stamps. Not only the prestigious establishments in which he worked, his pride as Head Instructor, but his lineage through Masatoshi, and his through his mentor Shigetsugu, would make it below his dignity to make run of the mill knockouts. So maybe the NBTHK has also studied the work and pedigree of KUNIMORI/YASUHIRO, and considered that his swords are in fact Gendaito and worthy of being papered as such. So if a sword exhibits hada, hamon, habuchi, hataraki the features of traditionally made blades, regardless of the steel used (and remember Western Steel has been used on Nihonto for centuries), and it is nigh on impossible to tell what steel is used, I guess the NBTHK will deem it traditional.

At the moment locked down in Sydney, raining, so a good day to check out the sword cupboard, and to re-acquaint yourself with old (sword) friends . I pulled out a Spring 1939, KOA ISSHIN MANTETSU SAKU KORE. If you check out the HAMON, it is not your usual straight SUGUHA, but exhibits a "wavy" nature. You don't see that very often. Bruce has the MUNE stamp numbers. Being 1939, it is in early mounts, pierced tsuba, center latch etc, but is in an uncommon green painted saya, with fittings that are painted red that shows off nicely the gold highlights. Obviously this outfit shows the patina of war use, but that adds to its original intent as a weapon to be carried. So not bad for an 82 year old sword.

To keep this thread alive. A 1943 (Kajiwara) HIROMITSU, a FUKUOKA smith. A GENDAITO in civilian mounts, with leather combat SAYA. The en-suite SHOWA period tsuba and F/K set are an attractive feature.

Hi Bruce, looking at my 1945 mumei MANTETSU, with mune stamp 1170, in MRS mounts, the seppa are also stamped also 1170. Although stained (no rust, no pits), the HAMON is still visible. So it is an interesting animal, being mumei with correct file marks, a very late mune stamp, matching stamp on seppa, hamon and MRS mounts. Bruce, from the mune stamp, do you think it is one of the very last made? Given they probably had no time to cut a mei?

Thanks Steve, I know it's an old topic, but I was revisiting some of my sword research, and I looked this up again. And please refresh my memory, the inscription "TO-TO JU_NIN" at the top, what does it mean?

Page 102 of SLOUGH lists (So) MASAMITSU as a KAIGUN JUNMEI TOSHO. I was saving this for the "nice Gendai thread", but thought I would add it to this thread.

A 1944 (Amatsu) MASAKIYO. At that time he was the head swordsmith for Izumo Seiko. This is a high-grade Gendaito example, signed "Yakumo Amatsu Masakiyo Saku", Yakumo is a village in Shimane Prefecture.