BANGBANGSAN

JP Can you share the translating engine?Thanks!

Neil Here is the photo of 栗原昭秀 Kurihara Akihide visting 軍刀修理団第9班(Gunto repair group 9th squad).昭秀Akihide should be in the center.The other 4 people in the front roll are石井昭房 Ishii Akifusa、松本千郎 Matsumoto Akiro、若林昭壽 Wakabayashi Akitoshi、宮入昭平 Miyairi Akihira.

このように未曾有の成果を挙げ得たのは松岡総裁、中西、渡辺理事の激励、東北大の村上先生、中試の日下和治氏、歴代の工場長加藤仲二、赤松喬三、井上愛人、吉野信太郎氏等の指導、鈴木鷹信 Suzuki Takanobu、國重久氏の対外折衝(Outreach/Public Relations)、藤原恒男、高橋享太、小林市太郎、玉置繁雄氏の技術指導による処大でありますが、直接の製作で庄垣内正一氏を始め数十人の人達が一筋に、戦線に通じる意気込みで努力されたこ とを想い、過ぎし当時を振り返り感激に堪えない。 That's the main reason I believe 鈴木鷹信 Suzuki Takanobu is not a real swordsmith,even that sword had his name on.

JP The story of 若林重次 Wakabayashi Shigetsugu and his 70 buried swords is from a book called "日本冷刃”, the authr 王辉 is a well known military researcher in China.According to him,it's translating from 若林重次's younger son 若林八州彦's memoirs. Other info are from a post in Chinese forum translate from Omura's website http://ohmura-study.net/223.html 満 鉄 刀 の 試 作 昭和十一年中央試験所より大連鉄道工場に刃物という名称で二尺二寸の日本刀一振りを製作するよう依頼があった。 古来の日本刀は硬い鋼に軟らかい心鉄を入れて鍛造するのであるが、当時そのような事は出来ぬので、炭素量○・二％程度の軟らかい 日下純鉄を使って、刀を鍛造し仕上げた後、滲炭(表面のみ炭素量を増して焼入れする)し焼刃土を塗り水で焼入をし仕上げ研ぎ をして白鞘に納めた。 之が始(ママ=初の誤植)めて大連鉄道工場で作られた日本刀であった。 その頃大連遼東ホテルで刀剣会があって、之を出品した処、之を評して「名刀」で初代忠吉の作であろうという人があった。 後で大連鉄道工場の作品であることを明らかにした際、一同は大変驚くと共に、吾々の技術を高く評価された。 日下氏は之を中西理事に贈りしところ、大連の愛刀家の間に評判となり、注文が殺到した。 本 格 的 製 産 当初は工具製作の片手間に作っていた処、間に合わぬようになったので、製作方法と工程を改め、硬鋼に軟らかい鋼を内部に入れ (甲伏という)て鍛造したが、手間がかかって能率が昂(あが)らなかった。 最も重要な鍛造を受け持つ鍛冶工が足りぬため、内地より刀匠という人を二人雇ったが、その中の一人※1は仲々なじまず退社した。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　※1 筆者は、この人が件の鈴木虹堂氏であろうとみている その内に総裁室より北支軍に贈る日本刀一○○振注文されたので、愈々(いよいよ)工程を分業化して多量生産方式に切り替えるに至っ た。 私は日本刀製作については予(かね)て東大俵国一先生著「日本刀」を通読し、又東北大学村上武次郎先生を訪れ日本刀の現代的製法につ いて教えを乞(こ)うた。又、加藤工場長、鈴木庶務課長（Suzuki Director of General Affairs）、菅原工作長も色々援助された。 ある日松岡総裁が工場に来られ、私に次ぎの話をされた。 「正宗のような名工でも、一人で一生かかって千振の刀は出来ぬが、満鉄の資本と人材をもってすれば、勝(すぐ)れた名刀を大量に作り 得ると思う。日本は現在軍刀が不足しているから大いに研究して作戦に間に合うようにして呉れ給(たま)え。 研究の途上、失敗や困難もあろうが決して悲観することはない」と激励せられた。 このため幾多の失敗もあったが約半年後、昭和十二年十二月、流れ作業で日本刀の多量生産が軌道に乗ることになった。

Bruce 栗原昭秀 is Kurihara Akihide instead of Akira.Thanks Neil for correcting me.

nice Nice looking Mantetsu! You are right 栗原昭秀 is Kurihara Akihide，my bad!As Chinese ,most of time we just recognize the Kanji and did not very careful about the Japanese pronounciation...

Bruce 鈴木鷹信 Suzuki Takanobu was Director of general affairs in Mantetsu Company.That sword wrote 鷹信焠之，焠 means Quench.I think Takanobu is not a real sword smith.He just participate one stage of sword making process,so he can wrote his name on the tang to make it specail ,he could keep it for himself or give to his friend as a special gift.It was just my thought.

Neil Please share the photos of your Winter 38 Mantetsu . They Start to devolpe Mantetsu sword in 1936,and start the production line in 1937 December. There were 100 swords ordered by Mantetsu President's office as gift for 華北駐屯軍（North China garrison army），these sword should be made by 若林重次 Wakabayashi Shigetsugu and 竹島久勝 Takeshima Hisakatsu .Before Mantetsu hired them,some Prototype has been made by steel workers not the profetional sword smith . 昭和11年（1936年），中央试验所委托大连铁道工厂制造一把长2尺2寸名曰“利器”的日本刀。古时的日本刀锻造时，是在硬钢中加入相对柔软的铁芯。当时没有采用此法，而是使用了含碳0.2%较为柔软的日下纯铁，先将刀锻炼完成，再将其渗碳、淬火、打磨，最后装入木鞘。这就是最初在大连铁道工厂制造的日本刀。 在此期间，该刀曾被设在大连辽东旅馆的刀剑俱乐部展出，有观者赞其为“名刀”且可与忠吉（江户早期的制刀名匠）的作品相媲美。事后得知此刀为大连铁道工厂的杰作时，众人在大为惊叹的同时，对我们的技术也给与高度评价。日下和治将该刀赠与中西理事，其后，这种刀的名声便在大连的刀剑爱好者中间不胫而走，随之而来的是纷至沓来的订单。 In the 11th Showa period (1936), the Central Laboratory commissioned the Dalian Railway Factory to manufacture a Japanese sword with a length of 2 feet and 2 inches, called a "weapon." Ancient Japanese swords were forged by adding a relatively soft iron core to hard steel. At that time, this method was not used. Instead, pure soft iron containing 0.2% carbon was used. The sword was first exercised, then carburized, quenched, polished, and finally loaded into a wooden sheath. This is the Japanese sword originally made at the Dalian Railway Plant. During this period, the sword was exhibited at the Swords Club of Dalian Liaodong Hotel. Some viewers praised it as a "famous sword" and it was comparable to the works of Tadashi (Edo's early swords). After learning that this sword was a masterpiece of the Dalian Railway Factory, everyone was greatly amazed, and highly praised our technology. The Japanese ruler gave the sword to the directors of China and the West. Since then, the reputation of these sword has spread among the sword enthusiasts in Dalian, and the subsequent orders have followed. 最初制刀都是利用制造工具的间隙，慢慢时间就不够用了。改变了制作方法和流程，需要把软钢加入到内部进而锻造成硬钢，制刀变得越来越费事了，而效率却没能提高。因为缺少技术精湛的锻工，只好从日本国内雇用了两位刀匠，其中一人后因亲属关联而辞职。稍后，由于总裁室预订了100把准备赠送给华北驻屯军的日本刀，使得造刀的工序愈发细化，最终实现了批量生产。 At first, the sword was made using the gap between the manufacturing tools, and slowly, time was not enough. The production method and process have been changed. The soft steel needs to be added to the interior and then forged into hard steel. The swords have become more and more difficult, but the efficiency has not been improved. Due to the lack of skilled blacksmiths, they had to hire two swordsmiths from Japan and one of them resigned due to family reason. Later, as the president's office ordered 100 swords to be donated to the North China Garrison, the process of making sword became more detailed, and mass production was finally achieved. 松冈总裁莅临工厂，对我说过如下的话，他激励道：“即便是正宗（日本古代造刀高手），单打独干，一辈子也造不出1000把刀。而满铁有资金有人才，一定能造出又多又好的名刀。日本目前军刀不足，就更应该加大这方面的研究力度，以适应战事的需要。研究过程中，难免有失败和困难，但绝不可悲观。”又经历多次失败，终于在半年后的昭和12年（1937年）12月，依靠流水线作业，日本刀的制造终于步入了大量生产的轨道。 President Matsuoka came to the factory and told me the following words, he inspired: "Even if it is authentic (the ancient Japanese sword making master), alone, it will not make 1,000 swords in a lifetime. And Mantetsu has funds and talents, There are bound to be many good swords. Japan ’s current shortage of swords should increase research efforts in this area to meet the needs of warfare. During the research process, failures and difficulties are inevitable, but they must not be pessimistic. After many failures, finally half year later in December of the Showa 12 (1937) , relying on assembly line operations, the manufacture of Japanese knives finally entered the track of mass production.

Bruce Yes,according to that article 栗原昭秀 Akira Kurihara went to Mantetsu as a instructor for short-term. Besids 若林重次 Wakabayashi Shigetsugu, another smith 竹島久勝 Takeshima Hisakatsu worked for Mantetsu as well. I found a photo of 軍刀修理団 Gunto repair group stand infront of 陸軍刀修理所 Amry Sword reparing institute/Factory.

Rinji Seishiki (臨時制式-Temporary Type) or Type Rinji sounds ok.It dosen't matter people call it Rinji, Type 3 , Type 0,Type 44 or NLF sword,I knew what sword they are talking about. Maybe Type 3 is not the correct name ,but is the most common name for that type of sword.I personally prefer to call it 三式 .

滿鐵 若林重次 Wakabayashi Shigetsugu 作之

About Wakamatsu，若松連隊Wakamatsu Regiment ,it belong to 第二師團仙臺師團Secound Divsion（Sendai Divsion），第二十九聯隊No.29 Regiment（若松會津 Aizuwakamatsu）defending 福岛县（Fukushima-Ken）若松會津 Aizuwakamatsu area. I think 若松會津 Aizuwakamatsu is where 若林重次 Wakabayashi Shigetsugu live.

仙臺二師=第二師團仙臺師團 （Secound Divsion（Sendai Divsion） 若松連隊 =第二十九連隊 No.29 Regiment（若松會津 Aizuwakamatsu）/WakamatsuRegiment

Bruce I post how 若林重次 Wakabayashi Shigetsugu(若林重房 Wakabayashi Shigefusa ‘s son’） became Mantetsu swordsmith on the transtaltion fourm.I only has this stroy in Chinese,and it didn't say if his son making sword or working for Mantetsu.Yes,he still make the sword for Army after he went back to Tokyo on 1941 until end of the war,since he became 陸軍受命刀匠Rikugun Jumyo Tosho.About the last 70 or so swords Shigetsugu bruied,the article only said those were made for army,completed,but not yet give to Army,he will get paid after Army receied the swords.But not sure if those Swords were marked as Mantetsu or not. 若林重次 Wakabayashi shigetsugu study under 笠間一貫齋繁繼（Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu）and his father 若林重房 Wakabayashi Shigefusa. Here is a link mentioned 若林重次 Wakabayashi shigetsugu worked for Mantetsu Two swordsmiths were invited to the Mantetsu facility to teach sword making; they were Takeshima Hisakatsu and Wakabayashi Shigetsugu. Shigetsugu came back to Japan before the end of the war and became Rikugun Jumyo Tosho. http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/koa.htm 1931年“九一八事变”之后，日本全国弥漫着军国主义的气氛，人们对军刀的热情也日益高涨。重次也不例外，在制造刀具之余，经常前往东京的日本刀锻炼传习所，向笠间一贯斋繁继学习制造军刀的技术。繁继和他的交情非常好，有一次繁继不知怎么回事，居然把重要人物交其托管的名刀卖掉了，因此而闯了大祸，为此还到重次家里躲了一个月。为了感谢重次，繁继亲自制作两把刀相赠，并把自己的技术手把手地传给了重次。1937年，大八的儿子若林升成年了，重次也与当年他父亲一样，从若林家功成身退。但这时他的父亲早已去世，今市的家里也没什么人了。恰好此时，“满铁”株式会社的日下和治正需要会制作军刀的刀匠。而“满铁”有一名工务长，名叫武田，武田的夫人又和重次家是亲戚，就这样，通过武田的关系，重次被日下和治聘请到“满铁”做刀。 After the "September 18th Incident" in 1931, the atmosphere of militarism was permeated throughout Japan, and people's enthusiasm for swords was increasing，so dose 重次. He often goes to the Japanese sword training institute in Tokyo to learn the technique of making swords from笠间一貫齋繁繼. 繁繼's friendship with him was very good. One time 繁繼 didn't know what happened. He actually sold important knives entrusted to him by the celebrity. So he had a disaster, and for this reason he went to hide again for a month. In order to thank重次, 繁繼 personally produced two knives and gave his skills to重次. In 1937, Nichita Kazuhiro of Manchuria Co., Ltd. needed a swordsmith who could make swords. And "Mantetsu" has a chief of construction, named Takeda, and his wife is a relative of 重次's family. In this way, through Takeda's relationship, he was hired by "Mantetsu". 日下和治研制出的钢材，与日本制刀所用的传统玉钢不同。因此，重次所面临的问题并不仅仅是做刀，而是要嘗试用一种全新的、从未用过的钢材来制造军刀，可以说，这是一个很具开创性的工作。事实证明，重次的工作相当成功，“满铁”军刀从外观看起来没有玉钢锻打时形成的地肌，但它带有像尺子量出一般的直刃纹，显示出制作者高超的技艺水平。实际上，它的性能并不比玉钢所造的军刀差，在中国东北这样寒冷的自然气候条件下，也能够不折不弯。 The steel developed by Niigata Heji is different from the traditional jade steel used in Japanese sword making. Therefore, the problem 重次 faced is not just to make a sword, but to try to make a sword with a brand new and never used steel. It can be said that this is a very pioneering job. Facts have proved that the re-work is quite successful. The "Mantetsu" sword does not have the ground muscle formed by the forging of jade steel from the appearance, but it has a straight edge pattern measured by a ruler, showing the superb craftsmanship of the producer. Level. In fact, its performance is not worse than that of the sword made by Tamahagane, and it can not bend or bend under the cold natural climate such as Northeast China. 昭和十五年（公元1940年）秋季，恰好是日本皇纪（神武天皇即位纪元）2600年，侵占中国东北的日军举行了一场庆祝盛典，重次被授予勋章，还获得了一对落款重次的玉制印章作为纪念品。另外，日本著名刀匠栗原昭秀曾经到“满铁”做过短期技术指导。除此之外，再没有找到其他刀匠参与“满铁”军刀制造的记载。但根据常理推测，重次在自己制造军刀的同时，必定也在培养新的刀匠。重次于1941年返回日本，而“满铁”军刀的生产依旧正常进行，那时，应该有很多刀匠接替重次的工作。回国以后，重次继续做刀，直到战争结束。 The autumn of the Showa Fifteenth Year (1940 AD) happened to be the Japanese Emperor (Emperor Emperor Shenwu) in 2600. The Japanese army occupying Northeast China held a celebration ceremony, 重次was awarded a medal again and received a pair The jade seal was used as a souvenir. In addition, the famous Japanese swordsmith 栗原昭秀 Akira Kurihara once went to Mantetsu for short-term technical guidance. In addition, no other knifesmiths were found to be involved in the manufacture of the Manchurian Sabre. However, according to common sense speculation, while making a sword on his own again, he must also be training a new knifesmith. He returned to Japan again in 1941, and the production of Manchurian swords continued normally. At that time, there should be many knifesmiths to take over the job. After returning home, 重次 continued to do the sword again and again until the war ended. Kasama Ikkansai

I'd like to share the story of The Last Mantetsu sword(finished but not yet give to the Army)-By Mantetsu swordsmith 若林重次's younger son 若林八州彦. “昭和二十年8月15日战争结束那天的事情我记得很清楚……在“仙台二师”中可算得上精锐部队的若松联队驻地周围完全看不到军人的影子。等到半个月后，进入了9月份，有大约1000人的美国兵（纽约兵）进驻到若松来。当时大家都不知道是怎么回事，只能把不安的情绪隐藏起来，小心翼翼、提心吊胆地过日子，这个是事实……就在那个时候，我父亲花了很大工夫，把那些还没有拿到军方给予报酬的军刀，以及尚在运送途中的军刀都给弄了回来……至于缘由，是不想让好不容易才制好的军刀白白被美国兵没收，变成一堆废铁，还是他猜测这些军刀不久后会变得很值钱，还能卖出个好价钱呢？现在已经弄不清了。总之，当时弄回来的那批军刀就算没有100把，也有70把……” "I remember the day of the end of the war on August 15, Showa ... I know that in the" Second Division of Sendai ", the Wakamatsu Alliancecan be regarded as an elite unit. After half a month, in September, there were about 1,000 American soldiers (New York soldiers) stationed in Wakamatsu. At that time, everyone did not know what was going on, and could only hide the uneasy emotions and be careful. It is a fact to live a life of embarrassment ... At that time, my father spent a lot of time to get back those sabers that had not been paid by the military, and those that were still in transit ... As for the reason, maybe he not want to make the swords that took alot of time to make been confiscated by the American soldiers, and turned them into a pile of scrap metal, or maybe he guess that these swords would become very valuable and sell for a good price later? I can't figure it out. Anyway, he got at least 70 swords back if there weren't 100 swords... ” “因为美国兵非常讨厌日本刀，所以下了禁刀令，就连日本警察也帮着他们，凡是遇到名称里有刀的东西，一律全部没收，我说的就是那个时候的事情。古装的武打电影不准放，就连木头做的白虎刀，也因为名称里面有一个刀字，便不准制造和买卖了。局势就是那么的严酷，所以我家在经过商议之后，决定把那些军刀埋到后院的空地里去。” “洞挖得非常深，就像挖坟一样……再把‘素灰一点点地慢慢撒下去。每把刀都用润滑油通体抹一遍，10把一捆用稻草绳束起来，埋到‘素灰中去，最后再把土填平。” “虽说是把刀藏了起来，但是有很多人谣传，美国兵只要拿着电波探测器过来一查，马上就会发现了。我父亲一开始内心是非常恐惧的，但表面上还是装作若无其事地度日，平时就制作一些木匠刀具和机械刨什么的，就这样好几年过去了……” "Because the American soldiers hated Japanese swords very much, so they issued a ban on swords, and even the Japanese police helped them. Anything that had a knife in the name was confiscated. I said that at that time. Martial arts movies are not allowed to be released. Even white tiger swords made of wood are not allowed to be manufactured and sold because of a knife in the name. The situation is so harsh, so my family decided to bury those sabers after discussion. Go to the open space in the backyard. " "The hole was dug very deep, just like digging a grave ... Sprinkle the plain ash slowly and slowly. Each knife was wiped with lubricating oil, 10 bundles tied with a straw rope and buried 'Go in the ashes and fill the soil at the end.' "Although I hid the knife, there are many rumors that the American soldiers just came over and checked it with an electric wave detector and found it immediately. My father was very frightened at first, but on the surface it was still pretending to be nothing. Every day, I usually make some carpenter's knives and mechanical planers, and so on, so many years have passed ... " “昭和二十五年，日本政府和美国缔结条约之后，出台了一项允许持有刀剑的注册制度，时代变得在某些条件下又可以持刀了。在那样的情况下，我们忍不住想看一看那批刀变成什么样了，就想把它们重新挖出来。一方面抑制不住心里的那份雀跃，另一方面又担心刀会不会锈得不成样子了，怀着这种复杂的心情，我们终于去把地掘开了……我的父亲（重次）、哥哥（守彦）和我三个人拿着铁铲去挖，弄得浑身都是泥。但是结果呢，由于那块土地长期受地下水的浸泡，70把新刀被腐蚀得一把都没有幸免，全都锈得通红，甚至还变得破烂不堪。原本还期望至少有一半保存完好，但就连这个愿望也落空了。父亲浑身的力气好像一瞬间全被抽空，整个人都呆掉了……那一天的事情，现在想起来还历历在目。” "In the 25th year of the Showa era, after the Japanese government and the United States concluded a treaty, they introduced a registration system that allowed swords to be held, and the times became able to hold swords under certain conditions. In that case, we cannot bear I want to see what the swords have become, and want to dig them out again. On the one hand, we can't restrain the caper in my heart, and on the other, I am worried that the swords will become rusty. With such a complex mood, we finally went to dig the ground ... My father (重次), my brother (守彦) and me took the shovel to dig, and it was all mud. But as a result, As the land was soaked by groundwater for a long time, 70 new swords were not spared from being corroded, and all of them became rusty and red, and even became dilapidated. My father was hopping at least half of them were expected to be intact, but even this desire It didn't work. It seemed like his father's strength was all emptied in a split second, and the whole man stayed ... The day's events are still vividly remembered now. " In the last part of the story,he mentioned about the registration system that allowed swords to be held under certain conditions in Showa 25 year(1950).I think that backs up the story of why there were many papered Mantetsu and other Gunto in Japanese market.

滿鐵 若林重次作之 若林重次 study under 繁繼(Yasukuni Swordsmith，Known as 靖繁）， worked as sword smith for Mantetsu company. Here is his stroy,roughly translate by google. 最后的“满铁”军刀 1931年“九一八事变”之后，日本全国弥漫着军国主义的气氛，人们对军刀的热情也日益高涨。重次也不例外，在制造刀具之余，经常前往东京的日本刀锻炼传习所，向笠间一贯斋繁继学习制造军刀的技术。繁继和他的交情非常好，有一次繁继不知怎么回事，居然把重要人物交其托管的名刀卖掉了，因此而闯了大祸，为此还到重次家里躲了一个月。为了感谢重次，繁继亲自制作两把刀相赠，并把自己的技术手把手地传给了重次。1937年，大八的儿子若林升成年了，重次也与当年他父亲一样，从若林家功成身退。但这时他的父亲早已去世，今市的家里也没什么人了。恰好此时，“满铁”株式会社的日下和治正需要会制作军刀的刀匠。而“满铁”有一名工务长，名叫武田，武田的夫人又和重次家是亲戚，就这样，通过武田的关系，重次被日下和治聘请到“满铁”做刀。 The last "Mantetsu" sword After the "September 18th Incident" in 1931, the atmosphere of militarism was permeated throughout Japan, and people's enthusiasm for sabers was increasing. Repeatedly is no exception. In addition to manufacturing knives, he often goes to the Japanese sword training institute in Tokyo to learn the technique of making sabers from Kasama. Fan Ji's friendship with him was very good. One time Fan Jie didn't know what happened. He actually sold important knives entrusted to him by the celebrity. So he had a disaster, and for this reason he went to hide again for a month. In order to thank Jieji, Fan Ji personally produced two knives and gave his skills to Jieji. In 1937, the son of Da Baoruo was promoted to adulthood, and his father retired from the house of Ruolin again. But at this time his father had already died, and there was no one in his home in this city. Just at this time, Nichita Kazuhiro of Manchuria Co., Ltd. needed a swordsmith who could make sabers. And "Mantetsu" has a chief of construction, named Takeda, and his wife is a relative of Shige's family. In this way, through Takeda's relationship, he was hired by the Japanese and the rule to "Mantetsu" again. 日下和治研制出的钢材，与日本制刀所用的传统玉钢不同。因此，重次所面临的问题并不仅仅是做刀，而是要嘗试用一种全新的、从未用过的钢材来制造军刀，可以说，这是一个很具开创性的工作。事实证明，重次的工作相当成功，“满铁”军刀从外观看起来没有玉钢锻打时形成的地肌，但它带有像尺子量出一般的直刃纹，显示出制作者高超的技艺水平。实际上，它的性能并不比玉钢所造的军刀差，在中国东北这样寒冷的自然气候条件下，也能够不折不弯。 The steel developed by Niigata Heji is different from the traditional jade steel used in Japanese sword making. Therefore, the problem faced again and again is not just to make a knife, but to try to make a saber with a brand new and never used steel. It can be said that this is a very pioneering job. Facts have proved that the re-work is quite successful. The "Man-Iron" saber does not have the ground muscle formed by the forging of jade steel from the appearance, but it has a straight edge pattern measured by a ruler, showing the superb craftsmanship of the producer. Level. In fact, its performance is not worse than that of the saber made by Yugang, and it can not bend or bend under the cold natural climate such as Northeast China. 昭和十五年（公元1940年）秋季，恰好是日本皇纪（神武天皇即位纪元）2600年，侵占中国东北的日军举行了一场庆祝盛典，重次被授予勋章，还获得了一对落款重次的玉制印章作为纪念品。另外，日本著名刀匠栗原昭秀曾经到“满铁”做过短期技术指导。除此之外，再没有找到其他刀匠参与“满铁”军刀制造的记载。但根据常理推测，重次在自己制造军刀的同时，必定也在培养新的刀匠。重次于1941年返回日本，而“满铁”军刀的生产依旧正常进行，那时，应该有很多刀匠接替重次的工作。回国以后，重次继续做刀，直到战争结束。 The autumn of the Showa Fifteenth Year (1940 AD) happened to be the Japanese Emperor (Emperor Emperor Shenwu) in 2600. The Japanese army occupying Northeast China held a celebration ceremony, was awarded a medal again and received a pair The jade seal was used as a souvenir. In addition, the famous Japanese swordsman Akira Kurihara once went to Mantetsu for short-term technical guidance. In addition, no other knifesmiths were found to be involved in the manufacture of the Manchurian Sabre. However, according to common sense speculation, while making a saber on his own again, he must also be training a new knifesmith. He returned to Japan again in 1941, and the production of Manchurian sabers continued normally. At that time, there should be many knifesmiths to take over the job. After returning home, he continued to do the sword again and again until the war ended.

I have 3 pattern 5 wooden handle NCO sword.2 of them maybe "Prototype",only has 関 mark and no ser# on the blade.The other one has 6 digit numbers but not line up,looks divided to two parts.I noticed both "Prototype" has only 3 digit on the scabbard throat,and stamped on the opposite side .

looks like most of NCO sword should have straight hamon when out of factory.But as these been used more than the officer sword,hamon worn out quickly,not many NCO's polish their sword I assume.造兵刀 has straight hamon for sure,Maybe Type 32 has straight hamon as well?

Your Type 32乙 is genuine

龍神 means Dragon god。There are many 神社 Shrine of 龍神 in Japan。I assume the sword named 龍神 maybe from one of the 龍神神社 Dragon god Shrine? https://shinto-bukkyo.net/shinto/%E7%A5%9E%E7%A4%BE/%E9%BE%8D%E7%A5%9E%E7%A5%9E%E7%A4%BE/

So,maybe the "松” mark is also for 松山出張所?

Thanks John for clear that.

I rotate the second marke, it kind of look like 弘道 ，but I'm not very certain.There is a Showa smith name 丹羽弘道 Niwa Hiromichi though。 Or,from right to left could be 直弘，one Showa smith name 柳川直弘 Yanagawa Naohiro... let's see what Thomas think about this mark.

Bruce I’m sorry I don’t have contect with the owner.One of my friend sent me the photos,I can ask him about it,but no gaurantee for the answer though.

Malcolm One more for you