Kiipu

That katakana character before the serial number is オ O. This is the alphabet letter O and not the number 0. This is thought to be a prefix for Aomori Prefecture 秋田縣. Edit: This seems to be the same sword that @george trotter depicts in the post below. It is also mentioned in several posts by him. Shinshinto Okachiyama Nagasada Tanto, Maybe?, Post #2

@mecox I found another pronunciation for 大澤. It is coming from a website that I have only recently started using. For this reason, I can not vouch for the accuracy of this site yet. It gives two pronunciations for 大澤, Ōsawa or Ōzawa. Japanese Kanji Name Dictionary (How to read Japanese name)

Below is another post that you made about the same sword. The post is edited for brevity.

Do you a have a picture showing the entire reverse side of the nakago? Also, are there any markings on the nakago mune? And finally, I will need your shoe size and blood type!

@Daniel If this 越後住清勝 [Kiyokatsu] sword, serial number 86, is still at hand, can you check the nakago and nakago mune for any army inspection marks. Also, do you have a picture of the date side?

Do you have a picture of the obverse side of the tang and a picture of the nakago mune?

@Foo Dog Is this a star stamped blade by chance? If so, does it have a katakana character followed by Arabic numbers like the one linked to below? star stamped show blade

Mal, this is the only pronunciation that I am aware of. 大澤 = 大沢 = Ōsawa. I mainly use O'Neill's book for translating names. Details below. O’Neill, P. G. Japanese Names: A Comprehensive Index by Characters and Readings. New York: Weatherhill, 1972.

Thank you for the prompt replies Paul and Marco.

Could this be タ1369 instead of タ1361?

I would like to know the date of this sword. If dated, can a picture of the other side of the tang be posted?

I think there is enough information at hand to create a thread just for the "Star Stamped Prefecture Serial Numbering System." It would be a good place to discuss and post links to examples as they are located. How about it Bruce? I relooked at the Sukehiro and it looks like 1525.

I thought I would elaborate a little more on this prefecture numbering system. 北海道　Hokkaidō ホ HO = Hokkaidō　北海道. 東北　Tōhoku Area ア A = Akita Prefecture　秋田縣. オ O = Aomori Prefecture　青森縣. フ FU = Fukushima Prefecture　福島縣. ? = Iwate Prefecture　岩手縣. ? = Miyagi Prefecture　宮城縣. マ MA = Yamagata Prefecture　山形縣. @Bruce Pennington There are two swordsmiths in Iwate, namely 國安 Kuniyasu and 助廣 Sukehiro. Could the Sukehiro below be a イ prefix for Iwate? Three Gendaito For Sale, Post #2

It is the katakana character ホ. It is thought that these markings are association or arsenal related. See this post by Bruce and my reply that follows. Arsenal Mark on RJT sword Fittings, Post #103 The blade is dated using the legendary founding of Japan in 660 BC. 皇紀二千六百三年五月日 = A day in May 1943. Below are the markings on the other side of the tang. 竹下宏國作之

Yes, 泰國 [Yasukuni] lived in the City of Hakodate, Hokkaidō [北海道]. His real name is 竹下･猛.

In IJASwords post #2 above, on the fourth picture down from the top, is that a ヘ inspection mark or just an indentation and/or scratch in the wood grip? I have marked the area with a red square in the picture below.

The 1997 F&G book, Japanese Military and Civil Swords and Dirks, mentions in the bibliography a Japanese language work entitled Teikoku Rikukaigun Guntō Monotagatari by Okochi, Tsunehira. This book is cited in footnote 17 on page 232, see below, and the reference can be found on page 218. Does anyone know anything about this book or has seen or owns a copy? I would like to acquire an image of the cover and/or title page for citation purposes. There was a Japanese author by the name of Okōchi Tsunehira 大河内･常平 (1925-1986) that did write articles and books about Japanese swords. However, I can find no titles that match the one mentioned in F&G. I would like to extend my thanks to @Bruce Pennington for his help in looking into this matter. As usual, he went above and beyond what would have been expected.

Your Pattern 8 sword was made by Jinsen Army Arsenal in 1945. It is more likely to have been obtained in Korea during the postwar occupation. The US Army stationed two divisions in Korea immediately after the war. The inspection mark that is referenced in post #3 will look like this ヘ. Below is a link to another Pattern 8 sword showing the various locations of the ヘ inspection mark. Questions about "late war", NCO swords

Thank you for posting the characters for his first name. I was having a hard time deciphering the first character in his given name and thought it could be 葚. Upon closer examination, it is indeed 甚. His full name is 井上･甚作 Inoue Jinsaku and his address in 1937 was 天田郡西中筋村石原八八 [Amata-gun Nishinakasuji-mura Ishihara 88]. He had two apprentices and could produce five swords per month.

I followed-up on this and there is no 國秀 Kunihide listed in 1937. He could have been an apprentice though during this time frame. Since I am here, I transcribed the characters and this is what I see. Do you concur? 伏見住高島國秀作 = Fushimi jū Takashima Kunihide saku

And another Japanese language monograph courtesy of @k morita. Adachi Kenzō 安立･健三. Nihon Seikōjo to Zuisen Tanto-Sho ni tsuite 日本製鋼所と瑞泉鍛刀所について [About The Japan Steel Works and Zuisen Sword Forge]. KK Nippon Seikōjo Muroran Seisakujo ㈱日本製鋼所室蘭製作所, 1974. 81 pages. Symbol Context, Post #16

Below is the transcription, reading from right to left, of the book cover shown in Post #16. Any comments or corrections welcomed. Column 1: 講演資料 = kōan shiryō = lecture materials. Column 2: 昭和四十九年九月十四日 = 1974-09-14. Column 3: 第十回刀苑合同研究会 = Dai-jū-kai tōen gōdō kenkyūkai = ??????????. Column 4: 室蘭全国大会 = Muroran zenkoku taikai = Muroran National Convention. Column 5: 日本製鋼所と瑞泉鍛刀所について = Nihon Seikōjo to Zuisen Tanto-Sho ni tsuite = About The Japan Steel Works and Zuisen Sword Forge. Column 6: ㈱日本製鋼所室蘭製作所 = KK Nihon Seikōjo Muroran Seisakujo = The Muroran Factory of Japan Steel Works Co., Ltd. Column 7: 総務部長代理　安立･健三 = Sōmu buchō dairi Adachi Kenzō = Deputy Chief of General Affairs Department Adachi Kenzō.

The whole clan can be seen at Tokyo Kindai Tosho Index, starting at V. Hanazawa Tanren Jo (羽沢鍛練場) and the Horii (堀井) Group.

Nobody, thank you for the additions. The kanji character 御 is rather interesting. It can be pronounced GO which is a honorific prefix or it can be pronounced GYO as an imperial honorary prefix. Do you think in this context it could be GYO?

Besides the above references, Guy (AKA ghp95134) over at War Relics Forum (WRF) has a pamphlet from the Japan Steel Works (JSW) that depicts all of the swordsmiths. He even shows an example of a business card which I found rather interesting. It is worthy of a look if you are so inclined. The Emperor’s New Clothes, Post #37