John C

I think it is a full sized sword (36 inches at the waist even if you are short). Unrelatedly, the different shades on the tassel would indicate a blue and brown one I think. So lieutenant or captain? John C.

Dan: Thank you for the link. Got mine on order. John C.

The tassels on my 98 were in really rough shape when I got it (from poor storage). They were literally crumbling off. I managed to preserve some of it but I can see where someone may cut them off due to damage. John C.

Agree! Wasn't planning on buying it, just curious about gendaito signatures. John C.

True. But seller notwithstanding, I was wondering about whether or not all new blades had to be signed. John C.

Hello: This sword is being auctioned as a mumei gendaito. But I was under the impression all new swords being made in Japan had to be signed. Am I misunderstanding this? If they do have to be signed, under what circumstances could this be taken out of Japan and be sold in the US? Just curious, so thank you for taking a look. https://www.ebay.com...6:g:nsMAAOSwNYdkpwYp John C. p.s. the Damascus pattern looks reminiscent of something from China, however I know nothing of the modern Japanese blade making process.

Are you talking about the squarish piece (habaki) or the oblong spacer (seppa)? If it is the habaki, set the tang (nakago) on the carpet or other soft surface and have someone carefully hold the blade end vertically (use a thick cloth - it just needs to be held in place). Then take a piece of wood with square edges (for example a cut chopstick with flat ends) and place it just on the edge of the top of the habaki where it butts up next to the blade. GENTLY tap on the wood, alternating each side until the habaki starts to slide off toward the nakago end. You should be able to then pull it off with your hands. I use a 3/4 inch square dowel and another piece of thin wood to do light taps. John C.

Could the second kanji be tama? John C.

Is the one picture dated October 10th, Showa 29 (1954)? John C.

I'm still collecting data on that. Not sure what it means exactly, however "assembly number" doesn't seem to tell the whole story. Most folks aren't interested in the mystery, however, so when I get enough data to figure it out I'll give it a shot. In the meantime, I have identified some patterns in the use of colors with certain smiths/shops and the use of western vs Japanese numbers. John C.

I would agree with Bruce. But I would also add that if people are willing to buy them, assuming they know what they are buying, they do have some intrinsic value. I suppose that is true of anything; value is set by the invisible hand of the market (Adam Smith, "Wealth of Nations"). John C.

The YA 677 serial number matches the year (1942). I think you did well. John C.

Yes. As noted by others, it would be called a showa-to; meaning a sword made in the showa era. But the community uses the term to describe a mass-produced blade made during the war period. The mark on the tang (seki) confirms the era. John C.

Love that arsenal mark. John C.

Bruce: Is that a souvenir sword? John C.

Update: the tanto sold for 5,450 dollars. John C.

I think probably semi-traditionally forged. This would not be a "gendaito" in the sense it was made from tamahagane steel, hand hammered and folded, then water quenched and tempered. But probably made from "puddled" or mill steel, air (machine) hammered, then possibly water quenched (I cannot see the typical oil quenching signs from the pics, however most blades of this type were oil quenched). That said, it is not a type 95 NCO blade, which was completely machine made, oil quenched, and unsigned. So, yes. Typical of the period but a decent part of military history. John C.

I think number 3 in the first pic could pass as army if unaware. John C.

I believe the navy also used brown tassels. Are there any differences between the army and navy ones or are they interchangeable? John C.

A little bit of info...the white painted 50 is a type of assembly number and is period to the blade. John C.

Matt: I recently bought a lot of 80 photos, in which about 20 were signed like that under the glue and black paper. Some of them were a real bear to clean. Several of mine had army inspection stamps so I assume they had been sent home from the field. John C.

Blurry pics but looks legit to my eye. There will be a serial number on the mune made up of a katakana letter and some numbers. That will legitimize the blade a little further if they match since there is a pattern to them. John C.

Rob: For what it's worth, I thought the same thing. I was thinking maybe a female who disguised her identity in order to fight. But I guess a young male could also disguise his true age for the same reason. Thank you to Moriyama for the clarification. John C.

I wouldn't surprise me to see a Kanemoto signature based on the style of hamon (pic is an example of one). John C.

Interesting. The Ashi on the sword above is the same as the example in Bruce's stamp doc. John C.