Kiipu

It is an early Type 95 [NCO] Military Sword. The first six thousand had copper hilts and were made by Suya. Others will be along shortly to give you more details.

I ran across a 1930 advertisement for a school use parade sword. This one looks like it has two scabbard hangers while the first one posted has one hanger.

This is what I think some of them could look like. https://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?168681-Is-this-a-Japanese-sword

I do not think there is any one pattern for these swords. Each company selling them would have their own pattern. Since they were intended for school use, I imagine they were simple and probably lacking in decorations. I am guessing the blades would be dull and in some cases could be made of aluminium or some other material. The price would also need to be kept low with the exception of certain elite schools which could afford better quality parade swords. I do think collectors in the future will need to take this into consideration before making a decision as to what some of the unknown swords are. Below is another example of a parade sword 教練用指揮刀 coming from the Kanayama 金山 catalog. https://smallarmsreview.com/archive/detail.arc.entry.cfm?arcid=8284

Over the last few weeks, I have run into a couple of catalogs and advertisements that mention 指揮刀 or 教練用指揮刀 [parade swords]. These swords were intended for military training in schools. Starting in around 1925, military training became a part of life for students entering middle schools 中学校 and higher. If they did not pursue higher education and most did not, they got caught up in youth schools 青年学校 after working hours. I wonder how many of these swords still exist in collections and also just how much confusion they have caused over the years. 教練用指揮刀 = Kyōren-yō shikitō = Parade (or command) sword for military drill. The 1937 price for a parade sword was 5.5 Yen. 指揮刀　一振　五圓五拾銭　=　Parade Sword　1 Sword　5 Yen 50 Sen. 圓 = 円. 100 銭 Sen = 1 円 Yen.

It is a variant of 石 with an additional stroke. It can be found under radical 112 石, character number 3986, on page 787 of The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary.

The sword is dated January 1945. One of the inspection marks looks like a Seki stamp. In the picture, it is rotated to the left. A small Seki stamp is often found along with a 岐 Gi stamp. 関 岐

Thank you for the update Bruce and to Neil for providing a better picture.

Below is the link to the War Relics Forum discussion. "Help with Mei on Toyokawa Sourvenir Nakago, Please?" http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/help-mei-toyokawa-sourvenir-nakago-please-767397/ Below is the correct links from the post above. "Kai gunto katana sword for review" http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/31436-kai-gunto-katana-sword-for-review/ "Arsenal Stamps." http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/5999-arsenal-stamps/page-14?do=findComment&comment=305733

I am starting to think the last character after Java could be the kanji character 刀 and not the katakana character カ. Thoughts anyone? "Well, greetings from Indonesia" http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/f216/well-greetings-indonesia-727429-post1949335/#post1949335 "A Javan Second World War Katana" http://andrewhartleyfinearts.co.uk/hartleys/lot/view/id/276487/ Edit: Added a second link to the Hartleys sword.

Another translation can be found at the link below. "An Appraisal on Some Japanese Swords Please Sword Number 3" http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/f216/appraisal-some-Japanese-swords-please-sword-number-3-a-398208-post1117951/#post1117951

Upper Left Column スマラン = Sumaran = Semarang. Semarang can refer either to the city 市 or the province 州 in Central Java. Upper Right Column シャワ ? = shawa ? = Java ?. Works Consulted Fuller, Richard, and Ron Gregory. Military Swords of Japan, 1868–1945. London, GB: Arms and Armour, 1986. See page 123 for an oshigata. Fuller, Richard, and Ron Gregory. Japanese Military and Civil Swords and Dirks. Charlottesville, Va.: Howell Press, 1997. Page 266.

Slightly better pictures can be found at the link below. "Help with Saya Stamp & Shoe Strings" https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/help-saya-stamp-shoe-strings-761543/

Below is my translation of the kanji characters identified by BangBangSan in post #5 above. Left Column Unreadable. Middle Column 特許出願中 = Tokkyo shutsugan-chū = Patent Applied for, Patent Pending. Right Column 久留米市西町花? = Kurume-shi Nishi Machi ??. "Kurume" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurume For the possible identification of the last two kanji characters in the right column, see the post below by SteveM.

I think in this case, 満鐵 is an abbreviation for 南満洲鉄道株式会社 Minamimanshū Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha [south Manchuria Railway Company (SMR)]. My translation of 満鐵鍛造之 would be "SMR forged this". 満鐵鍛造之 = Mantetsu tanzō kore (literal or Chinese reading) = South Manchuria Railway Company (SMR) forged this. 鐵 = 鉄. "South Manchuria Railway" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Manchuria_Railway

The translation of 満鐵鍛造之 was discussed over at the "War Relics Forum". See posts 63 to 68. Keep us posted on what you discover about this. "Attention Mantetsu Owners: A Survey/Study" http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/f216/attention-mantetsu-owners-survey-study-715028-post2028469/#post2028469

A little known aspect of presentation Mantetsu swords is the box they came in. Only a handful exist. Below are links to two of them. Does anyone know of others? 満鉄太刀 http://ohmura-study.net/314.html "KANJI WRITTEN ON A SWORD BOX" http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/13945-kanji-written-on-a-sword-box/ The sword that was in the box above. "koa isshin with the South Manchurian Railway Company logo" http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/13946-koa-isshin-with-the-south-manchurian-railway-company-logo/

An article with illustrations of Bernhard Rogge's guntō can be found via the link below. 18. Captain Bernhard Rogge's Samurai Sword @ Maritime Museum Hamburg , Germany. https://monsun-uboats.blogspot.com/

Little is known about this company other than that the company name began with 水野 Mizuno. Below is a link to the only Japanese document that mentions this company as a maker of guntōs. 小作機第４７号　兵器製造設備能力ニ関スル件通牒　昭和１７年１０月７日　小倉陸軍造兵廠 https://www.jacar.archives.go.jp/aj/meta/imageen_C14010934400?IS_KEY_S1=C14010934400&IS_KIND=SimpleSummary&IS_STYLE=eng&IS_TAG_S1=InfoSDU& As an aside, several swordsmiths during this time frame also had the last name of Mizuno but it is unknown if any of them were connected to the company above. As for the swords themselves, a good starting point is the post below. "Has anyone come across this Stamp before??" https://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?297882-Has-anyone-come-across-this-Stamp-before

Is this the 1938 SMR, serial number N156, that you are talking about? "Rethinking the "Late War" or "Home Defense" Officer Gunto" http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/rethinking-late-war-home-defense-officer-gunto-717380/?highlight=Mantetsu

Just to clarify, is this the same sword that is depicted at the link below? "Mantetsu with attribution" http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/4407-mantetsu-with-attribution/?hl=takanobu

The swordsmith stamp can be found at the link below. He is one of the few that used a stamp during this time frame. "Arsenal Stamps." http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/5999-arsenal-stamps/page-14?do=findComment&comment=306510

Does your sword have any inspection marks on it? For a chart of the inspection marks used, see page 13 of the "Stamp 5.0" PDF. See link below. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/5999-arsenal-stamps/page-16?do=findComment&comment=315240

Your sword pattern can be found in Stegel's "Type 95 NCO Patterns" Info-Graphic at the link below. "Questions about "late war", NCO swords" http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/30395-questions-about-late-war-nco-swords/page-2?do=findComment&comment=311408

Ohmura sensei illustrates a mumei blade with possible Nan-Man Arsenal fittings. http://ohmura-study.net/754.html