Kiipu

I tracked down the sword in question and it is a strange one for sure. It is an early "star" stamped blade coming via the RJT program. Unfortunately, little is known about the early days of the RJT program. It has only one marking on the nakago mune, a katakana ホ. I think it is safe to say that the blade was not made by the 1st Factory. It could well be that the finished blades from this region were simply forwarded to Kokura for inspection. In which case, the 1st Factory could have carried out the inspections. Kokura Arsenal did have a sword making forge, as did the other arsenals as well; but, I do not know the location of this particular forge. I would stick with what you have written for this one with the exception of changing the translation from KO to HO. Help with Star stamped shingunto please. Looking forward to seeing your next missive about sowrdsmtihs.

The First Factory of Kokura Army Arsenal only made blades that were shipped out to the various swordsmiths for finishing. These blades will normally have two inspections marks on the nakago mune. The top one is the final inspection mark and the bottom one is the factory inspection mark. ホ = 1st Factory of Kokura Army Arsenal. One can see how these blades were distributed for final finishing and assembly by looking at this post linked below. Arsenal Stamps., Post #384

All I can say is that the sword is located in Japan and anything beyond that is speculation.

You may want to double-check the sword with serial number 203544 and see if there are any faint markings on the ferrule. Some do have markings in this location and they are usually faint. If the scabbard is matching, it would help to state that in the sale or post a picture of it.

Bruce, please read the fine print below. My comment about you being fired was located here but I deleted it just to be on the safe side!

I would like to see a separate volume covering the time-frame of the 廃刀令 [Haitō Edict] to the end of the 大正 [Taishō] era (or possibly to the founding of 日本刀鍛錬会 at Yasukuni]. It was these craftsmen after all that kept the art alive and made the rapid expansion of sword production possible that occurred after 1934. I for one would rather not see some of this material left out of the book and hence the suggestion for a separate volume.

BangBangSan reported it in post #639 of this thread. He also included pictures of it as well. Attention Mantetsu Owners: A Survey, Post #639

This is the first commercial 39th (ユ) series to surface. The 39th series low is YU 115 and the high is YU 543. Of the six reported, three are army contracts, two are unknown, and one is commercial. What are the fittings for your sword: Type 94, 97, 98, 100, CV, SS, or SMR? 四三二 = YU 432 昭和癸未春 = Spring 1943.six report, 興亜一心 = Kōa Isshin. 満鐵作 = Mantetsu saku = Made by SMR.

This is the only known 42nd series Mantetsu reported so far. I guess that makes it one of a kind! シ三〇四 = SHI 304. 興亞一心 = Kōa Isshin. 満鐵作 = Mantetsu saku = Made by SMR. 昭和癸未春 = Spring 1943.

BIG, you need a "Gold Tier Membership" (GTM) to see who reacted to a post of yours. If you are not a GTM, then you only see the reaction and not the person who reacted. Subscriptions

Possibly so as Ohmura san states the information is coming from the City of Seki. (資料ご提供: 関市役所商工観光課桜田様)

There is a lot of useful information on that webpage of which some is not yet translated. I used this webpage as a guide for breaking down the non-military stamps which was discussed in the "Arsenal Stamps." thread. I agree that there is some confusion in regards to the chronology of the stamps and that the 桜に昭 predates the 関. As you are aware, NIck is currently looking into this matter.

Ohmura san has a write-up about the establishment of the Seki hamono kōgyō kumiai 関刃物工業組合. He states it was established on 1931-06-15. The discussion is at the top of the page under the heading of 関刃物工業組合. No English translation is provided though. 関・軍用日本刀 Syōwa-tō of Seki

Thanks Dave. It normally requires three or four examples before one can figure these labels out. We will just have to sit tight until further examples show up.

The kanji characters on the gold label are the same as the blue label with the addition of one more character. It also reads from right to left and consists of three rows of characters. The kanji characters displayed below are as they appear on the label, and should be read from right to left. Same as the blue label, they are frequently overstamped and in some cases dated. At least one label is entirely silver from the gold coloring being rubbed or cleaned off. In my opinion, and it is no more than that, the gold label succeeded the blue one. 票證査檢 = kensa shōhyō = inspection voucher. 合組業工物刃関 = Seki hamono kōgyō kumiai. 町関縣阜岐 = Gifu-ken Seki-chō.

Here is a link to an older blade. 刀　東京偕行社 (指揮刀型軍刀 兼用刀) 懸賞論文優等賞 Link to a sword care box with hanger. 旧日本軍　軍刀の部分と刀手入用具　陸軍偕行社軍需部

I would also suggest including the nakago version, either 94/98 or 100, and if any inspection marks make an appearance.

With the help of BangBangSan, I have transcribed the kanji characters that appear on the blue label. On the label, the characters are written from right to left. However, below I have reversed the order to left to right. I have used the translations that appear on the blue label. The characters 檢査證 translates as "inspection certificate" while the label uses "Passed." There are minor differences in the appearance of the characters between the various blue labels indicating different printings. Keep in mind that these labels are frequently overstamped or written upon by the various inspectors. 関刃物工業組合 = Seki hamono kōgyō kumiai = The Seki Cutlery Manufacturers’ Society. 岐阜縣関町 = Gifu-ken Seki-chō = Seki, Gifuken, Japan. 檢査證 = kensa-shō = Passed. Old to new character conversions. 縣 = 県. 檢 = 検. 證 = 証.

At least two that I am aware of. The Kaikōsha had a store, sometimes called a counter, where pistols and swords could be purchased. Officer Swords & Enlisted Men, Post #4 Please Help With Mei Translation

Does anyone have any other examples of this silver label? The shape is distinctly different from the Seki blue and gold labels which I am currently translating. Dave R, does the label wrap all around the saya or is only on one side?

The caption above is 無垢(丸鍛え). 無垢 = muku. 丸鍛え = maru-gitae. See Kitae - Blade Construction in Japanese Swords . The title at the bottom of the illustration is Nihontō no kumiawase kōzō 日本刀の組み合わせ構造.

I located the pictures of the 宗利 with the タ2353 marking and will post a link below. It was an interesting website and I located several articles of interest and downloaded them. I am sure others will like browsing the site too. Katana - Munetoshi

Is there by chance a number stamped into the nakago [tang] near the bottom?

Not much to work with; but, here is another one タ1399. Arsenal Stamps., Post #160 That makes three so far; タ1246, タ1399, and タ2353.

George, I sent you a private message and it bounced. The message states: george trotter cannot receive messages. Is your mailbox full by chance?