BANGBANGSAN

Bruce I found that this gunto was made in the final month of the war 昭和弐拾年八月 (August 1945). The swordsmith was 長弘 Nagamitsu, 野呂山麓住 Noro-san roku jū（ resident of the foothills of Mount Noro）.It has convas cover.

Due to the great age of the engraving, many of the characters are no longer very clear. I can only make out some of the Kanji, and even those may not be entirely accurate. 勝字八 萬曆癸未八月日 1583年8月 勝字小（藤）？五（斤/近）士 匠山守 （藤）？五錢 丸五 About 石火矢 Ishibiya According to 武用辨略 Buyō Benryaku, in 1551 (or 1576 according to 豐薩軍記 Hōsa Gunki), 南蠻人 Nanban foreigners presented ishibiya to the 大友家 Ōtomo clan, and 大友宗麟 Ōtomo Sōrin named them 國崩 Kunikuzushi. Regarding this event, 武用辨略 Buyō Benryaku gives the following account: In 天文Tenbun 20 (1551), a Portuguese ship anchored in Bungo fired ceremonial salutes toward a church. The tremendous explosions could be heard at Funai Castle. Alarmed, Sōrin and his retainers went to investigate. Thus, eight years after small firearms had been introduced in天文Tenbun 12, cannon arrived in the 大友 Ōtomo domain. Overjoyed, 宗麟 Sōrinnamed them 國崩 Kunikuzushi. Because these guns fired stone projectiles, they were also called 石火矢 Ishibiya, a term that continued to be used into the Edo period. In Sengoku-period records, the term ishibiya is almost always used. For example, descriptions of the ironclad ships built by 織田信長 Oda Nobunaga mention 石火矢三挺 “three ishibiya.” Judging from surviving materials concerning 國崩 Kunikuzushi, the石火矢 Ishibiya introduced by the 大友家 Ōtomo clan were in fact a type of frankish gun, also called 仏狼機砲 futsurōki-hō in Japanese. This has already been explained in detail in my article “Ancient Japanese Long-Range Weapons” and will not be repeated here. As for the 石火矢 Ishibiya imported by the 織田家 Oda clan, historical sources do not clearly record their country of origin. However, during the 安土桃山時期 Azuchi–Momoyama period, Portugal was Japan’s principal trading partner, and 織田信長 Oda Nobunaga himself maintained close relations with Portuguese missionaries such as Luís Fróis. It is therefore likely that most of these weapons were imported from Portugal.

This is a legit Nagoya 95, but the blade has been chrome-plated, and the handle screw is missing. Interestingly, the 名 inspection stamp is stamped sideways.

I don’t have a photo of this “prototype,” but judging from the blade’s straight form, it appears to be a pointed-tip Western-style sword blade. It may possibly be some kind of experimental Type 25. Please refer to and compare it with the differences in blade shape shown in the Type 25 cavalry saber regulation drawing dated March 19, 1892, provided by Nick.

清松 製 Kiyomatsu Made

It is 昭和庚辰春 1940 Spring. This Mantetsu was made in the year of the Dragon.

LB142 straight guard Type 30 bayonet with bright blade,豐田自動織機（Toyoda Automatic Loom Works)made， under Nagoya arsenal‘s (名古屋陸軍造兵廠）supervision .Ser# on the bottom of the pommel should start with Hiragana ろに,which means 100th Series.

John This is Zoheito not Murata-to

NLF officer did not necessarily always carry Type 97s; some also carried personal katanas in simplified (略装) or civilian mounts. Some had one hanger, while others had two。

Bruce The sword in the photo doesn’t look like a Type 95. The scabbard has no suspension ring like T95, and the handle is clearly longer than Type 95. It’s likely a privately owned sword brought to war — a military-carried personal katana, in a civilian mount like this one.

This fitting was made by 尚兵館軍裝株式會社 Shōheikan Military Uniform Co., Ltd. The company specialized in cloth-wrapped and lacquered wooden scabbard fittings for military swords, and applied for (and obtained) a patent number for this design. P.S.: Swords forged by 23rd generation Kanefusa Fujiwara 二十三代藤原兼房, were sold exclusively through this company.

This is from Tokyo Wakasei Gunto Seisaku Jo 東京若瀨軍刀製作所

I had this photo awhile ago ,but forgot where did I got it.

This "造“ mark was used by Bandung Arsenal in Bandung ,western Java Island,it was also seen on the Japanese captured and reused Dutch M1895 bayonets. Bandung Arsenal (バンドン造兵廠 / Bandung Arsenal) Originally was a Dutch East Indies Army weapons and ammunition repair facility known as Artillerie Constructie Winkel (A.C.W.) Bandung.Following Japan’s occupation of the Dutch East Indies in 1942, the arsenal was taken over by the Imperial Japanese Army and reorganized as“Southern Army Field Arsenal Bandung Branch” (南方軍野戦造兵廠 バンドン支廠),commonly referred to simply as “Bandung Arsenal” (バンドン造兵廠). Main Functions:Repair and overhaul of captured Dutch and British weapons,Small-scale production of ammunition and rifle parts,Support for Japanese Army units stationed in Indonesia and Malaya.It also likely make or assembly ジャワ 刀(Java sword) for the PETA army. Southern Army Field Arsenal (南方軍野戦造兵廠 / Nanpōgun Yasen Zōheishō) Directly subordinate to the Headquarters of the Imperial Japanese Army Southern Army (main command located in Singapore).To facilitate logistics and maintenance, the Southern Army Field Arsenal established several regional branches including:Singapore Headquarters ,Bandung Branch ,Surabaya Branch ,Medan Branch.

@Bruce Pennington @Scogg Sorry guys, I got these photos from someone who attended a gun show a couple of days ago. I wasn’t there, so unfortunately I can’t fulfill your other requests at this time.

Sam Here is early aluminum handle #6756

Sam Some of the very first version of Aluminium handle also has 11mm Brass tsuba. Also，there are some Pattern 5 with Bohi.

義忠 Yoshitada 昭和二十年五月 1945 May

121

Bruce Thanks for the link. It is possible that the “特” mark without a circle on the sword does not signify “failure to pass the ordinary inspection but was nonetheless accepted for special reasons.” In the case of RJT swords, a blade that failed inspection would not have received the star stamp. It should also be noted that this type of gunto was not government-issued to officers, unlike the Type 95 and certain other weapons; rather, officers were required to purchase them at their own expense. Could the “特” mark indicate“特别訂單” (special order), perhaps connected with the 陸軍偕行社（Rikugun Kaikosha）/Army officer club or a similar institution?

Another fake one with close ser#

The PLA captured a large number of Type 32 and Type 95 swords and reissued them to their cavalry units. This is one of them. The slogan on the hanger is in Chinese. While the meaning would be understood in Japanese, this specific phrase is not commonly used in Japanese. Below are some photos of PLA cavalry using the Type 95.

Turn it upsids down and read from left to right This is a commonly used slogan by the PLA: 提高警惕 保卫祖国 “Enhance vigilance, defend the motherland.”

Take a look at this one — they are very similar.

The sword shops with the character "Matsu" in their names that I could find include 松山軍刀製作所（Matsuyama Gunto Seisakusho (Shinbashi, Shiba Ward, Tokyo City),松本元洋堂 Matsumoto Motoyodo (Shibuya, Tokyo), and 松川屋刀劍店 Matsukawaya Token Shop (松代町 Matsushiro Town, Nagano Prefecture), but none of them are located in 新潟县 NiigataPrefecture. The 山上 Yamagami brothers live in Niigata Prefecture. In Niigata, there is a store that sells gunto fittings called 下野軍裝店 "Shimono Military Store," located in 村松町 Muramatsu Town. It is unclear whether any of the above sword shops with "Matsu" in their names are related to the 松 mark.