Kiipu

☆ 濃州住金重 = ☆ Nōshū-jū Kaneshige. 名 = Nagoya Army Arsenal final inspection mark above the date. 昭和十九年二月日 = 1944 February.

John, I rechecked my correspondence and this is what I have for you. The correspondent had seen eight Meiji 25s over a period of 15 years. He noted the scabbard numbers when possible. Letter dated 1999-0215 1) 5578 (scabbard # 3954). 2) 9090 (scabbard # 8170). 3) 16065 (scabbard # 6609). 4) 10781 (scabbard # 13454). 5) 14408 (blade & scabbard no's match). 6) 575 (no scabbard # reported). 7) 9777 (no scabbard # reported). Letter dated 1999-0307 Blade serial number 325 that still had the leather finger loop on the D. guard. [This was the only one that he had seen with a finger loop still existing.] In summary, only one sword still had matching numbers and another sword still had an intact finger loop. No blade inspection marks were reported nor did I ask for them.

John, below is the proper name for this sword. There is no Type in the name. Oddly enough, within a year or two, type was introduced, as in Type 26 Revolver! 明治二五年騎兵刀 = Meiji 25th Year Cavalry Sword = 1892 Cavalry Sword.

Conway, when time permits, can you answer the following questions about 9536. 1. Does it have an arsenal logo on the crossguard? 2. What is the scabbard's serial number? 3. Does it have a leather finger loop?

I have three that I do not see on your list. Below is all the information I have which is coming via text (no pictures). Blade # 2522, no arsenal logo, scabbard # 2522, yahoo.co.jp. Blade # 9090, scabbard # 8170, private collection. Blade # 9777, no other information, private collection. Hope this helps.

Everything is still OK, I just looked at the wrong ferrule picture. Serial number 137101 was made by Iijima under Kokura Army Arsenal supervision. Shortly after, the supervising arsenal changed to Tōkyō 1st. The Tōkyō 1st logo can be seen in the picture in the 2nd post by John C. I would recommend reading up on these swords first and then buying. Ask Sam how easy that is!

Tyler, I edited my post above as I looked at some of the wrong pictures. The 137,000 range would date from late in fiscal year 1942 (April 1942 to March 1943). For an advanced education about Type 95s, carefully read the WRF thread via the link below. Short Development History of Type 95 Gunto Senility is a terrible thing to waste!

It was in the 137,000 range that Iijima began switching arsenal logos from Kokura to Tōkyō 1st. So both logos appear in this serial number range and slightly beyond. I agree with Conway that the scabbard might have been repainted. One can clearly see the paintbrush strokes running lengthwise. If this was done, then it is likely that the sword has been cleaned up in general. And finally, agree with "lonely panet" that it is real. Tyler, many thanks for posting the pictures.

Better pictures would help with the reading. The text in red below would need better pictures to confirm the translation. 源昭兼 = Minamoto Akikane 昭和二十年一月 = 1945 January Blade started out as a Type 100. Note the second hole toward the bottom. I would carefully check it for a "star" stamp and/or inspection marks on the nakago mune.

The 94s with arsenal 造兵廠 blades had more curve to the hilt compared to other 94s. Not sure why this was. An example can be seen via the link below. Not sure what is going on with the one above though. Help with sword

Below is the citation for the recent Plimpton book. This is a sword only book and thus no coverage of Japanese dirks. I would recommend acquiring a copy of the 1997 F&G book first before the Plimpton book. Plimpton, John E. Swords of the Emperor: A Guide to the Identification of Imperial Japanese Swords, 1873–1945. Nashville, TN: Headstamp Publishing, 2022. Swords of the Emperor (Standard Edition)

What better way is there to start the new year than with some gendaitō reading material. Mal & Co., Ltd have thoroughly revised the two part treatise on Japanese naval swords. This was a major, full-time, undertaking by Mal & Sueko that took months to accomplish and the results speak for itself. Do give Mal a big thanks for all that he has done via the download pages linked to below. Lets support those that help us be better informed collectors. Cox, Malcolm E. Japanese Naval Swords, WW 2: Swordsmiths & Workshops. Part 1. Updated. 2024. A4 size, color illustrations, 132 pages. Japanese Naval Swords Part 1 Cox, Malcolm E. Japanese Naval Swords: Swordsmiths & Workshops. Part 2. Upgraded. 2024. A4 size, color illustrations, 166 pages. Japanese Naval Swords Part 2

The plot thickens! Seems there are character variations within this Kanesada lineage. Akira Komiya over at WRF has pointed out that the 2nd generation Kanesada used 兼㝎 instead of 兼定. So maybe that is what is seen above? Strange sword Akira referenced the following Japanese Wikipedia article. 和泉守兼定

Malcolm Cox has released another monograph for gendaitō collectors and it is worthy of taking a close look at. It can be downloaded for free via the link below. Cox, Malcolm E. Yoshioka Yoshichika 吉岡 吉近, Shimada Yoshisuke 島田 義助, and the WARRIOR Stamp. 2024. A4 size, 47 pages. Yoshika Yoshichika, Shimada Yoshisuke and the Warrior stamp

Are we sure this is Kanesada 兼㝎 and not Kanesada 兼定? Strange sword

The emblem at the top center of the letter is for the Imperial Military Reserve Association 帝国在郷軍人会. This was a joint Army-Navy association and hence the star over the anchor symbol. 在郷軍人会 Thanks for sharing as I have never seen one of those letters before.

It relates to the Battle of Tsushima. The link below is courtesy of SteveM, who cited it in a previous Mikasa thread. Z flag

That is the swordsmith Isshin. 一心 = Isshin. ICHI (一)

While doing my usual grave digging, ran across a Katsumasa 勝正 with a number of 264. Not sure if this one is already recorded or not. Help with a stamping

After consulting with some of the translators, I am going to use the following translation. 昭和五年五月二十七日念之 = 1930-0527 kore o omou/omotte = in remembrance/commemoration/memory of 27 May 1930.

Another otsu dirk 乙種短剣 but with a chiseled name instead? Mikasa tanto translation

Updated link below via Wayback Machine. Star Stamped Japanese Sword ☆　隠岐国住沖光作　☆ Oki no kuni-jū Okimitsu saku. 昭和十八年七月 July 1943.

The date inscription under discussion is coming from page 87 of Modern Japanese Swords. The picture below shows the ura 裏 side of the katana-mei 刀銘. It also has a horimono of 皇國興廃在此一戦. For more information about the book, see the link below. New Book Out. Modern Japanese Swords: The Beginning Of The Gendaito Era Some corrections for the book can be found below. Mistranslation On The Book [Modern Japanese Swords: The Beginning Of The Gendaito Era].

On Windows, I guess one needs the Chinese language pack installed to see this character. In MS Office, the font used is "MingLiU-ExtB." The character that comes before 之 can be seen over at Wiktionary.org. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/𫝹 The key to understanding the meaning is the relationship of the battleship Mikasa 三笠, the steel used 砲鋼, and the Battle of Tsushima 日本海海戦. Thanks to Mal & Sueko for their help with the translation.

It is a Chinese character and I will post a link tomorrow. The reason for the character is that May 27th was the start of the Battle of Tsushima 日本海海戦.