Takeuchi (竹内) is a Japanese surname. Although the name literally means “inside bamboo,” here it is simply used as a family name.
軍刀報國第四一五號 竹內第二號 Military Sword for the Nation No. 415, Takeuchi No. 2 may indicate that this is the 415th case in the ‘Military Sword for the Nation’ movement and the second sword donated by the Takeuchi sword shop?
The “Military Sword for the Nation” Movement (Japanese: 軍刀報国 / Guntō Hōkoku) was a wartime mobilization campaign in Japan during the late 1930s and early 1940s. It encouraged civilians, organizations, and local communities to donate money or materials to produce military swords or sale the blade to army for officers use.
高橋兼行 (Takahashi Kaneyuki ).
The hot stamp百鍊(Hyakuren/Hundred-Fold Forged)belonged to 百鍊堂刀劍店 (Hyakuren-dō Tōkenten).
This shop was a designated supplier for 豐橋陸軍預備士官學校 ( Toyohashi Army Reserve Officer School).
Steve, thank you for your reply. This is exactly what I wanted to point out: the “調之” ( adjusted it)in the mei of that earlier sword has the same meaning as the “調製” (adjusted) from Okada Guntō Shop on this wood liner. That sword’s mei should read “石德 調之” (Ishitoku adjusted it), rather than interpreting “石德調之” as if Ishitoku Shigeyoki were the full name of the swordsmith.
John
That’s possible. However, the IJN was very fond of applying black paint to bayonet scabbards, metal parts, and even the blades themselves. Perhaps the black paint on the assembly numbers was simply the same type of paint they commonly liked to use. Who knows? 😊
@Kiipu @Bruce Pennington @IJASWORDS
Please take a look at and refer to the inscription on this wood liner: “岡田軍刀店調製.”
Here, 調製 likely refers to adjusting or modifying a client-provided blade/fittings so that they fit properly. It carries a meaning similar to 調之, essentially meaning “adjusted/adapted for this.”