John C

JC: I'm looking at assembly numbers and noticed Toyosuke uses black paint and generally two numbers. Are 58 the only numbers on the one above as far as you know? John C.

Rick: Does yours have the stamped numbers or the W stamp? John C.

@Bruce Pennington have you seen these small circle stamps before or are they just zeros stamped in (0904) John C.

Thank you, Steve. I was thinking date because I thought the "moto" character was haru. John C.

Hello: This is from a sword I might be interested in. I believe it could be a date (zodiacal) but I cannot make sense of the mix of characters. An/yasu/or sada? ? Kane Haru? ? Could the last two mean "second month" Please advise, John "not the sharpest tool in the shed" C.

Just to add my two cents...I agree with all of the above; that the blade is real, and the signature probably not. The saying you will read often is "buy the blade, not the signature." I would extend that to "buy the blade, not the sales pitch." It's like what the guy says who is selling a dead horse - it never runs away and doesn't eat much. If the blade is legit, and you like it, and you can afford it, then go for it. In addition, I have a different take on "older" blades. While the smith may not have been a household name, he still poured his heart and soul into making the thing, which I can't do, so I tend to give them all a little respect. John C.

Bruce: Not sure if you have this Yoshiharu with W listed. Autumn 43. Might be a faint 3 (see arrow). https://japanesesword.com/archived-pages/2017/8/5/gunto-by-yoshiharu-in-34-pattern-shin-gunto-mounts John C.

Not sure why he would do that, however, the 503rd PIR saw action on New Guinea and Corregidor. In fact, the 1st Lt. William M. Eddy who signed as G-2 officer on his form was stationed on Corregidor (Battery A field artillery). So either of those two places would be a good guess. John C.

Bruce: Are you recording the assembly numbers (158)?

@Bruce Pennington Looks a little like the HE stamp but given its position, probably part of a number. John C.

Looks like it may have painted assembly numbers. Was it used during the war? John C.

Thank you both very much! I almost went with Northern Expedition. John C.

This should be easy, but I cannot get the second kanji in line 1 or any of line 2. Kita = north __ ni ni = 22 So North China or North Manchuria? Possibly Beian Hokaun? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you, John C.

Looks fake to me. See the thread on fake type 95s for more info. John C.

It appears to be using a late war "quick" wrap (the name escapes me). The issue, though, is that tuska are made to fit the nakago in shape as well as length and width (hence the assembly numbers found on many of them). At that price, I think you would be taking an expensive gamble. Just my opinion. John C.

David: A minor point. But it seems the hamon comes awfully close to the edge of the blade in some places. If it touches (or runs off) the edge, that would be considered a fatal flaw. This could be an indication that the blade was produced by a novice rather than someone experienced. John C.

Adam: The best thing is that it sounds like you had a good time...and time well spent. John C.

Bruce: This quote is from a site on plating brass with copper. Might explain the peeling you are seeing: "The activation in Sulfamic acid suggested in another response is acceptable, but it must be rinsed well so it does not carry over to the plating bath. Please note that Plating peels off when the base has not been cleaned or activated sufficiently well." John C.

Thank you, Steve. It was the last character that threw me off. Below is Sgt. Takehira Ogawa (English name order). John C.

Hello: I think I see Ogawa Ryohei. Thank you, John C.

Thank you very much! I could not figure out the 3rd character in line 3 (the date) so I assumed it was a season. This information will help me to associate typed kanji with handwritten kanji. John C.

Hello: This is what I think some of it says. Please correct my mistakes and help fill in the gaps. Line 1 (right to left): Alumni association _ _ _ _. Line 2: (name) Primary school _ _ _ _ 3rd year?? Line 3: Showa 9 (1934) Summer?? Line 4: unknown Line 5: Rei (?) seventeen at the time?? Thank you, John C.

For me, the dichotomy is between the crudeness of these types of swords versus the number of hours it must have taken to produce them. Somebody had a lot of time on his/her hands to hand stamp all of the details. John C.

Bruce: I think you nailed it...as usual! Found this pic of police officers wearing the same uniform from 1945/46. Even down to the pocket pens. John C.

I tried looking at the original under a loop, however I think it's as clear as it is going to get. The symbol on the backstrap looked vaguely like the standard sakura. John C.