george trotter

RJT rules say RJT smiths had to sign and date their swords themselves.

Thanks for the info Bruce...I see it is dated Dec 1943...so it is like most steel scabbards have seen (i.e. dated 1943 - 1944 - 1945). I wonder what the earliest dated Rinji Seshiki steel scabbard sword will be?...hope we get a few more replies. Regards,

Interesting, Not that I am fixated on the steel scabbard type, but I did wonder when they started and I did think I had not seen any early dated ones - not before 1944 in my case - and the types I have seen are both showato and RJT blades with star stamp. The gendaito blades I have seen are all 1944 and all have two locking buttons. The showato examples have only one. So, maybe the steel scabbard type came out late war in Seki area due to the need to produce scabbards quicker (hand made wooden/lacquered scabbards must have taken longer/cost more?) Be interested to see if any steel scabbard blades are dated 1943 or earlier.

Yes Bruce, those regulations are (I think) the only guideline details I have seen as to blade length etc for Type 94 / 98 sword blades. I do have another related gunto question for you however....what is the earliest date on a blade mounted in the steel scabbard Rinji Seishiki style sword mounts? I ask this as I think this mounting came out a bit later than the usual lacquered wood scabbard type RS and as you have the best database of such things, I wondered what is the earliest dated example you have recorded...1942?...1943? I also think that they all come from the Seki area? I have one dated May 1944 by Seki Kanehide (star). Just wondering Bruce...hope I'm not a pest... Regards,

Smith's signature says NO-SHU KANE-TOSHI SAKU KORE (Kanetoshi of Noshu made this)...Noshu is the old name of Gifu Ken. I'm sure one of the members will give you some personal info on this smith. Regards.

Maybe email the Christies salesroom listed on your catalogue and ask them to send a copy? You never know...they might reply... Regards.

Yes, hard to say Phil, I have seen two blades by the same man, both with its hole the same size and location, both in Type 98 mounts. But, one has a second, smaller dia. hole drilled close by. The 1 hole is (IMO) still in its original mounts while the 2 hole one has slightly different mounts which (judging from the shop markings/numbers etch ) were done in a different shop . I feel that the 1 hole has survived the war in good shape in its original mounts while the 2 hole has had a rough time and had to be remounted and so the shop, finding that the original hole did not line up exactly to its particular hilt, put in a new hole....just my feeling on this. Regards...

Hi Phil, Having two holes on a WWII showato or gendaito blade is not uncommon. I think many swords were made and the smith put a hole in his 'usual place' and later, the mounting shop finds that the hole doesn't line up with the hilt/binding 'access' points so they put in another hole to line up well. No mystery, and not a sign that the sword has been re-mounted with a new/different set of mounts. Of course, never say never with Japanese swords, so there is always a possibility that it was re-mounted for some reason - battle damage, change to new mounts etc.......I'm just saying that two holes are not uncommon for the reason I give. Just my 2 cents worth..Hope this helps

Thanks Brian and all, very helpful. I will look it up. Regards...

Brian, I haven't heard of a spray sword oil...what is the brand / description? Regards...

Hey, Dave....small world.....my mum's brother was a sapper in the 2nd Field Coy. in the Royal Australian Engineers in the Borneo campaign. He was at the surrender at Labuan and brought back a Type 98 Gunto (gendaito but unsignes and undated). When I was a kid he told me that he had to chase the Japanese soldier 20 miles through the jungle to get that sword....but he told me 20 years later that in fact, the unit held a raffle after the surrender and he was lucky enough to win this sword. My cousins still have it. Regards,

I was 25. I had a quiet interest in Gunto because my uncle had brought one home from WWII (good sword - unsigned gendaito). It was probably due to my uncle's sword that I bought a very ordinary showato I happened to notice in an antique shop in Bournemouth in Dorset, UK (I was living nearby in Lymington, Hampshire). I brought it home when I returned to Australia in Sept. 1973 and as I gained more knowledge of Japanese swords I passed it on to concentrate on better swords...so that was 50 years ago and I am 76 this year...time flies when you are having fun.

Hi Christopher, Just a suggestion, but since you know the details of the surrender, the regiment numbers and the US officer/regiment receiving this sword at the surrender, then maybe if you contacted the museum / appropriate US records library you might be able to find many details of Yamamoto - even film of the surrender and maybe even documents. Just a thought. Regards...

HI Francis, Any chance you can show us a few photos of the blade, tip, mounts etc? I ask as I have a sword by his older brother Tsukamoto Masakazu. Regards...

Yes John, As Mal has said, it is likely every 'way' of buying a gunto was in use....I think this was possibly just a swordsmith 'thing' to make the choice of mountings easier/quicker for the buyer/sword shop who would mount it for him. This is just 'probabilities'...none of us has found research/writings that proves how/why the hole numbers were chosen. Regards...