Kiipu

A last name that can be pronounced as either Kuroda or Kurota. 黒田 Kuroda or Kurota

大 large or the first character in a name?

I would ask the owner what branch of the service his uncle was in during World War 2. Many are unaware that after the war American troops were stationed in China and they brought back many Chinese made items as war trophies.

Early Type 95 Scabbard or am I mistaken?

Where's Bruce when you need him! Must be signed in to read. The Mysterious Naval Landing Forces Sword

Joseph, attached are pictures of serial number 13732 made by Suya. This is in the same serial number range as yours. Note the subtle differences between them.

Time is short today but it is a known reproduction. Ran into them some five years ago.

In the article, I noticed that Lieutenant General was used but then the Japanese pronunciation was given as shosa [Shōsa 少佐 Major]. Secondly, it seems he was a 軍属 gunzoku.

Lieutenant General Okada's first name was not mentioned in the article. He graduated from Osaka University in 1934 with a degree in chemical engineering. He worked for Mantetsu after graduation in a research center. In 1944, he was commissioned in the army. Captured by the Russians and did not return to Japan until 1966. When interviewed, he was 82 years old.

King, Dan. “Chatting Vets, Part VI: Subject: Lt. General Okada.” Banzai Issue 127 (November 1992): pages 300–303.

An anchor-in-circle Type 97 with a stamp on the bottom of the hilt. Very interesting. WW2 Japanese Type 97 Navy Officer Sword T97 Katana Naval Arsenal Stamp WWII

Flagging this as it has a double-stamped 昭 in sakura. Undated but signed by Amahide 天秀. Mal has a monograph about this swordsmith. WW2 Japanese T98 Army Officer Sword with Field Scabbard WWII Type 98 Katana

In the Suya 146K to 149K serial range, brass crossguards were the majority while steel was the minority. So both will show up, but just that the brass is more common. Looks OK to me. For comparison, see serial number 148224. Help with a bit of information on this type 95

I did a brief intro for guntō signatures. I covered the parts that come before and after a name. Reading Guntō Signatures For gendiatō signatures, I use Sesko's Gendaito Project to look them up. Gendaito Project

Not a dress sword, but does has a scabbard release latch mounted on the bottom of the hilt. Always thought it was interesting. A little introduction and my first kyu gunto!

The information that Trystan has provided above is about the history of the arsenal. As for the change that occurred in Type 95 arsenal jurisdictions, see Komiya sensei's post below. Short Development History of Type 95 Gunto

I have noticed small inspection marks on that side of the Type 32 blade; however, they are usually centered on the blade and not off to the side like yours. What model is your Type 32, 甲 or 乙? 甲 Blade Length: 832mm 32.75”. 乙 Blade length: 774mm 30.5”.

Very little documentation about this forge or the swordsmiths that worked there. Gendaito Kanetoshi (伊奈波鍛錬場兼利作)

That greenish-blue ito wrap was popular for civilian swords. See my comment below about these swords, many of which got drafted during the war. Inherited Sword, looking for help Identifying maker.

The highest serial number that I have with a picture is 217291.

兼元 = Kanemoto. versus 兼則 = Kanenori. 兼式 = Kanenori.

The blade and hilt is from a Type 95 Military Sword while the scabbard is from a mass produced Type 100 Sword. Sometime in fiscal year 1943, Nagoya Arsenal started mass producing the Type 100. They were made in large numbers and production even exceeded that of the Type 95. The veteran removed the scabbard retaining assembly from the handle so that the scabbard would slide all the way to the crossguard. The Type 95 locking latch protrudes beyond the crossguard and would prevent the scabbard from closing all the way. This sword is the earliest known Type 95 from Nagoya Arsenal with an unfullered blade. 関202446 Fullered blade. 関203348 Unfullered blade. Thanks for sharing Dev and good luck with the sale.

Below are some examples of the signature style as used on yours. Keep in mind, this forge used several different styles depending upon who the smith was that signed. Anchor Mon On Rinji (Type 3) Translation Help on Kai-Gunto

The mei is Inaba 伊奈波. I have some recorded with the exact same style of signature. The signatures vary considerable with these blades.

Ditto what David said above. Place the blade, sandwiched between wood blocks, in a vice near the bend and gently pull the handle toward you. Might not need to remove the handle to do this. No need to use force on this, just leverage it gently. (This only applies to blades of one-piece construction, such as bayonets or Type 25/32/95 swords.) Good luck and keep up posted.