Scogg

Japanese sword bags often have yellow tassels, as seen below: If the sword originally had a General rank tassel, it would be a shame if it were lost; as they are pretty valuable. I see no reason to doubt your story, it sounds plausible to me. As Bruce pointed out, though, without a time machine, it may be impossible to confirm the full history with absolute certainty. That said, inherited pieces like this often carry personal and historical value that goes beyond what can be proven. Thanks for sharing yours; it's always a pleasure to see these kinds of items surface and be appreciated. All the best, -Sam

Hi John, cool sword. It's a pattern 2, Type 95 Shin-Gunto with the aluminum handle and brass tsuba. Yours has the Iijima factory stamp, TO stamp ((東)Tokyo first army arsenal supervisory section)), and Tokyo first army arsenal trademark star stamp. The date range I have for this serial number range and stamps is a little wide... It was made between September 1942 and March 1945; and probably sometime near the middle of that range, in my opinion based on my data. They are pretty collectible so take good care of it. Does the scabbard have a number that matches the blade? It would be near the opening where the blade inserts. -Sam

Thank you Bruce. I check eBay a couple times a week, but some always slip through the cracks. Those are good ones. The fabric handle one has been floating around the auction sites for over a year now. Interestingly, there's a very close serial number 109278 with Tokyo blade, that has a plastic or bakelite handle reminiscent of the late-war wood handle Pattern 5's. I have that one recorded as an anomalous outlier. All the best, -Sam Weird plastic handle version, second from the top, below:

There is an active nihonto club in your state of Indiana. If you want to get some eyes on your sword for more opinions, they would be great people to contact. @ChrisW https://indianatokenkai.wixsite.com/indiana-token-kai Nice looking blade, congrats; and welcome to the forum! -Sam

Hi @Dante Gambino, I deleted the post in the Nihonto section, because the information on this sword can be found here. Best of luck, -Sam

Those hash marks, the modified Roman numerals, are repeated on the seppa and tsuba. I had figured those to be the “assembly numbers”, and was hoping for a surname in the writing. Thank you everyone for the input! This is turning out to be an interesting gunto. Sincerely, -Sam

It looks non-traditional showato, in my opinion

I see it now, thank you@Bruce Pennington! I was scrounging the stamps document for something hourglass shaped . Anyway, let me know @SonoSam if you’d like someone to get eyes on it. Otherwise, I have no doubt that it’s genuine, and with the combination of input here and from Chris Bowen on Facebook - you’ve got the best info available . All the best, -Sam

The bomb at Hiroshima detonated high above the ground, and much of the radiation dispersed into the atmosphere rather than into the ground. That's one reason why places like Hiroshima and Nagasaki are not irradiated zones like Chernobyl. -Sam

Hello @SonoSam from Oregon; I am also a Sam from Oregon As far as I am aware, there are not any Japanese Sword Experts in our state. I am going to relocate your forum topic to the "military swords of Japan" section, because I think you will get better feedback there, especially about that stamp. Can't say I've seen that stamp before. I live nearish the Portland area, and I travel down to Eugene and Central Oregon very frequently. If you'd like me to take a look at your sword, let me know, and we can schedule something. For what it's worth, I am not currently buying swords, so fear not that I have any ulterior motives. Let me know, -Sam

Thank you Piers and Uwe! Much appreciated. While I still cannot make sense of it, it's interesting nonetheless! And good to know. Speculation: Maybe some kind of assembly system for the fittings, like i've seen on some other gunto Sincerely, -Sam

I understand this one might not be legible… Even if getting a translation is a long shot, I figure it can’t hurt to try. It’s very small, and located on a type 98 gunto tsuka. Sincerely, -Sam

Sakō Kaneshige worked before and during WW2 I believe he made both gendaito and showato but the photos that you've provided do not show the entire nakago. Are there any stamps above the mekugi-ana? I'm going to relocate your thread to the Military Swords of Japan section, in hopes you get some more feedback. All the best, -Sam

Thank you for pinning this thread, Bruce. I'm looking forward to building a consolidated Type 95 topic here on the board. I somehow overlooked cataloging all those black saya Type 95s, so that was a fun project this morning. To anyone interested in contributing to the Type 95 Shin-Gunto cataloging project; or if you have questions about a Type 95 in your collection or one currently for sale; please feel free to post here. For the most accurate information for cataloging, I’d appreciate clear photos of the following: - The stamps on the fuchi. - The serial number on both the blade and the saya (scabbard). - Both sides of the tsuka (handle). - A full-length photo of the sword and saya. - Any notable or unusual features. Thank you! -Sam

Thank you so much @uwe, that looks like the one! Much appreciated, -Sam

If you'd like this deleted, please let me know, and I can delete the sale listing. All the best, -Sam

I don't know exactly which ones, or how many factories and locations were destroyed prior to the end of the war (shutting down production). Or if the following is relevant to your particular sword. But you might find the following interesting: There was extensive firebombing campaigns carried out by the United States over Japan in 1945, months before the atomic bombs were dropped. In particular, Tokyo was devastated. By April 1945, much of the city had been bombed, and its industrial infrastructure including key arsenals and war facilities, had been largely destroyed. Thanks to visits from B29 superfortresses. All the best, -Sam https://www.britannica.com/event/Bombing-of-Tokyo

To echo what’s been said above. Facebook has an extremely active Nihonto community with several groups. At least a few of the groups are moderated by fellow NMB members. From what I can tell, Facebook has a lot more buying and selling with less discussion. Whereas NMB has a lot of discussion with less buying and selling.

Any info on this particular 4 diamond, or maybe “4 eyes” mon? Similar to Takeda clan, but the extra segmented circles has me lost

Thank you for your calm and thoughtful perspective, Hoshi. I'd like to remind everyone that Brian is still dealing with ongoing health issues. Part of the reason I’ve been made moderator is to help ease his load during this time where he is distracted by serious real life challenges. When discussions turn uncivil or overly contentious, it undermines those efforts and risks adding unnecessary stress to someone who is already going through a lot. Out of respect for Brian, the forum, myself, and maybe most importantly: for one another. I’m asking everyone to please be mindful of their tone, exercise patience, and prioritize civility in their interactions. This is now the third or fourth thread that’s begun to spiral, and I’d really prefer not to lock another one. I trust that as a group of adults, we’re capable of letting some things go, at least for now. In support of Brian and the forum. Sincerely, -Sam

Thank you for the clarity/correction Brano. I've linked a short and interesting discussion on the subject for anyone interested. Gakusee states at the end of the following thread: "For new swords, as is the case with Kotetsu, you really need zaimei ubu or at the very best undetectable little machiokuri but otherwise pristine nakago (and of course -sword). The Juyo criteria precisely state: “Blades made in the Muromachi period must be zaimei and blades from the Edo period and later, as a rule, must be ubu and zaimei to receive Juyo Token paper.” https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/38674-could-a-mumei-or-suriage-kotetsu-become-juyo/

Beware, AI is often not entirely accurate when it comes to Japanese swords. It pulls from a variety of sources, one of which is this forum, and you never know if it decided to take info from a beginner or from an expert. Also, information surrounding Japanese military swords has evolved over the years, so you can't rely on it to source up-to-date information vs outdated information. Often times, when it doesn't find a reliable answer, it "fills in the blanks", which can be misleading. We've tested it over the years with varying levels of accuracy. Sometimes it’s right, other times it’s wrong. Just beware not to trust everything it says. -Sam

It could be submitted. It would be very unlikely to be awarded Juyo just because it's shinto and suriage. But suriage alone does not rule out the possibility of Juyo, and many suriage and osuriage blades achieve Juyo and beyond. I believe there is a shinto suriage katana that has achieved tokubetsu juyo from Nanki Shigekuni. Never say never or always, and there are exceptions to many 'rules'. All the best, -Sam

Thank you @PNSSHOGUN, that’s a really interesting thread. Cool to see the variety of mon placement. I knew of a couple different spots you typically see, but I had no idea it could vary that much. Much appreciated, -Sam Edit: just measured nagasa, ~28.2 inches (~71.6 cm)

I wonder too, but Marcin’s theory makes sense. The ito is still remarkably tight for missing that section. It does not feel delicate to hold. Like the haikan, the whole tsuka looks “well traveled”. It was apparent the tsuka had not been removed in a long time, and took some serious effort and time to release. It’s missing the saya drag, and the wooden saya is splitting. The chunky Haikan is what originally caught my eye. The thickness and size of all the fittings gives it a rather “large” look. Even the kabutogane is longer than I typically see. I added a little clasped hands sarute to see how it looks (Sword in question is on left, with the sarute)