Okan

Hayashida Hitoshi (林田等)

Yup this is the one, thank you very much both @xiayang and @SteveM

Looks the same I believe..funny how it ended up on reddit. Attributed to Kanenaga but It's a shikkake with TH.

hmm thats weird..its not a kanenaga..

Thanks a lot guys.

Thumb..always the thumb..yet another thumb.. https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/video/4th-marine-division-w-nude-Japanese-prisoners-of-wars-on-news-footage/513426165?adppopup=true

https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/video/imperial-Japanese-army-lieutenant-general-tomoyuki-news-footage/505358427

Welcome!!

This subject really triggered my OCD @Spartancrest - > you do that time to time! This one also looks like your fish..Perhaps the artist didn't have a great memory description sums up my thoughts.. Also checkout some more renditions.. https://strangescience.net/stsea2.htm

I don't think yours is a Shachi

Might be something from Mitsukurinidae family that is already extinct..or a goblin fish(Mitsukurina)...But I bet it's a representation of a saw fish(family)..or an extinct one anyway.

He is indeed!

Some of you might remember my shipwreck tsuba that I've been trying to restore. Most of them were impossible to save as they are very heavily corroded. I've sent some tsuba to Koden Tosogu and @C0D did a miracle work on one of them. I wanted to share it with you guys as it has pleased me so much. https://www.facebook.com/kodentosogu/posts/784148462922148

From these pictures it looks like a real katana nakago welded to a fake blade..I might be wrong though need to see clear pictures..why did you even buy it?

Hey guys, I've acquired this blade from another dearest forum member 2 years ago. The mei was translated by @Markus some years ago. 十郎左衛門男・仲谷鎌太郎佩刀 Jurôzaemon-nan - Nakatani Kamatarô haitô "worn by Nakatani (also read as Nakaya) Kamatarô, son of Jurôzaemon" The sword at first sight looks Koto Wakizashi..But it's obvious that it's a shinshinto and was ordered and made in the style of Koto. From the signature, it looks like this was a gift from a father to his son..Maybe a Coming of Age gift? (Slender blade 2,4 motohaba).. So I've decided to find this boy Kamataro...First, I've decided to locate the father as Jurozaemon is somehow sounded like a unique name. And luckily they have a surname! Very high chance they are samurai..So the father's name should look like " 仲谷十郎左衛門" - "Nakatani Jurozaemon" After spending some time on Google, I've located the same name in the " Diaries of Naomichi Takegaki, local magistrate of Osaka" - 大坂代官竹垣直道日記 The original book(1830s) was in the University of Tokyo but it was edited&published by Prof. Atsuo Nishizawa at Takasaki City University of Economics..I've actually called him to get his email to describe the situation and asked my question. And he replied as, "Nakatani Jurozaemon is a subordinate of Naomichi Takegaki,local magistrate." Of course, there is no way to be %100 sure they are the same person but I believe he is...Also the years match...Now I'm working on finding the boy Kamataro! To be continued...

@SpartancrestSorry for not responding your previous messages, I was in a loong vacation I believe our perception now is set to see/detect this cut down tsuba right I doubt it but wonder if these cut down tsuba were ever used by a samurai back in the days...

https://asianews.network/Japanese-wwii-sword-connects-Japan-u-s-7-decades-later/

It's legit.

You'll find great examples on this in a pretty much unknown memoir book called "In the Shelter of the Pine". She took a pretty good and detailed notes on the swords they received as a gift and gifted to others..Written Ogimachi Machiko, second concubine of Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu(Chief adjutant to Tokugawa Tsunayoshi) excerpt from the book: "The gifts, as befitted the special nature of the occasion, included long swords and many other such items of exceptional quality. For the father of the young lord, there was a famous sword known as “Norishige.” For his eldest son, there was a long sword by the name of “Sadamune,” a bay horse with black points and fitted with a saddle, and much else besides. My Lord’s fourth son received a long sword known as “Kiku,” his fifth son “Sukezane,” His Lordship the Right City Commissioner “Mitsutada,” and the Governor of Buzen “Kanemitsu.” For the women of the house and the young ladies, there were silk twill and a variety of furnishings, all of them eye-catchingly beautiful, but I shan’t list them. Among the gifts pre- sented to His Highness, the most noteworthy were the long swords. From the young lord, there was a genuine blade forged by Nobukuni. It was accompanied by the sword “Yukimitsu,” a horse fitted with a saddle and other equipment, robes, and suchlike. His father presented the sword “Kunitoshi,” a genuine blade, as well as a horse and such. His fourth and fifth sons presented him with a long sword said to have been forged by someone called Aoe Sadatsugu, and one known, I think, as “Shirikake.” My Lord’s two sons-in-law presented tsurugi, one called “Ryōkai” and the other “Naotsuna.” The men thought very highly of all of these."

If I understood correctly, you are looking to see some swords made for or used by Japanese shogunate. Well here are some: The first one, Monoyoshi, made by Sadamune, used by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The rumour was when Tokugawa went into battle with this Wakizashi, he would always win. Passed down to his ninth son, Yoshinao, Lord of Owari. Second one, a tachi attributed to Aoe Sadaji. It was originally 75cm but it was shortened to 60.3cm. It was named "Nikkari", comes from the legend that after it slashed a ghost who was smiling, turned out next morning a stone pagoda had been cut into two. Dedicated to Hideyoshi by Nagahide. And Hideyoshi 's son Hideyori presented it to Takatsugu. Third one, the one and only long blade made by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu, master of tanto..They called this blade Ichigo Hitofuri(the one and only lifetime sword). It was owned by Ashikaga family during the Sengoku period. Later on it was dedicated to Hideyoshi and as he was short, he had the sword shortened to 69cm(it was originally 86cm) It was burned in the great fire of Meiriki but Tokugawa family had Echizen Yasutsugu recover it. Later on, Tokugawa Mochinaga presented it to Emperor Komei. Has been passed on as an imperial property since then. Fourth one, Tokugawa Ieyasu's favorite sword, made by Sukezane of Bizen. Originally belonged to Kato Kiyomasa, presented it as his congratulations on his daughter's marriage to the tokugawa. And the last but not least, Dojigiri Yasutsuna, belonged to Minamoto no Yorimoto. Built at the end of the Heian period, had been inherited in the Ashikaga Shogun..passed on to Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. It wasn't used in any battle, but the cutting quality had been proven by cutting six corpses in the Edo period.

Ok..same sergeant...same sword? So it's either two small soldiers or..just kidding..huge sword.. @Jussi Ekholm @Bruce Pennington

many here are trying to help you but you get defensive for the reasons I'm not sure why.. Most of them are way more experienced than you are but you still don't agree with some of them.. Also, I'm not speculating, circumstances doesn't matter. It was out of polish. It doesn't have any papers. It was in a sword shop instead of an auction. It was sold to a tourist. All for a reason..Sword dealers are not idiots, you now.. No offense but If I were you, I would really invest in books instead of a new sword.

Instead of taking a chance, why don't you post its pics and ask for help before buying it?

I can see that you only want to hear good things about your sword and I think you are a bit obsessed with it, which is totally fine. But, please remind the fact that this sword was sold at a sword shop in Japan. Which means shop already knew what this sword was and there was a reason why this sword was sold to a "tourist" instead to a Japanese connoisseur&collector. As you stated many times, this sword spoke to you We get that. Sadly, the swords I own don't speak to me but I speak with them...The only swords are speaking to me are the ones I can't afford to buy.