Conway S

Here's another "1" on the mune of a Taguchi Masatsugu along with the double "ho" stamps. Date is April (uzuki) 1943. No star stamp.

Gifu stamp appears on swords from 1930s, but 1931 is too early. Conway

The title was a reference to this Yahoo JP seller who previously listed a sword they claimed belonged to Hideki Tojo. It was not intended as a racial slur. Understandable that poor phrasing could cause confusion. But then again, who would come to this forum to disrespect Japanese? Conway

David, Maybe it's obvious to you, but the scabbard is for a Type 3, whereas the rest of the mounts are Type 98.

Maurice, I was thinking Watanabe Masanobu - 渡辺正延. Take a look on the forum and you will see signatures for this smith vary greatly. Maybe I am way off though.... Conway

The bottom mark is an anchor within sakura. More examples posted on page 47 of this thread. Conway

David, Here is the link to Sesko’s Swordsmiths of Japan. E Swordsmiths of Japan Conway

Edward, Nice find. You correct in assuming this one has been depot refurbished during its service. The "0" is a clear indication. As you may have already read, the date is usually stamped on the guard where the current markings are found. In addition to the 小, the other markings are seal script inspection marks, which may correlate to an individual inspector. The undated guards are typically earlier production. The scabbard throat piece on this example is also less common. Here is a great link with lots of solid info on Type 32s and other military swords: http://ohmura-study.net/962.html Conway

Does anyone know what the "1" signifies? Is it an inspector's mark?

Steve, This sword was discussed on the forum in December. I wouldn't trust that it's a "gendaito" just because the seller states that. Many of these RJT smiths also made non-traditionally made swords as well.

Looks like the nakago has not been shortened based on the photos. Other Kanenao examples like this in souvenir koshirae on Pg. 95 and Pg. 96 of "Japanese NAVAL SWORDS WW2 Swordsmiths & Workshops" by Mal Cox. Conway

The green tsuka ito appears from time to time. I’ve seen quite a few on Iijima swords. I guess a question it raises for me is whether the tsuka for Type 95s were made in-house by the subcontractors or provided from an external supplier. Conway

David, It looks to be signed Takai 高井Sadatsugu 貞継. Conway

Fredrik, The smith is 兼則 Kanenori. There is an article in the NMB downloads section with more information on him. The date is May 1943. Conway

Sam, Personally, I’d say $300 -$500 depending on the condition and whether it’s a field grade or company grade sword. There’s so many plain company grade swords of poor workmanship out there so it’s nice to have a more unique example. But that’s just my opinion as someone who’s a bit addicted to parade swords. Someone else who just wants one to complete their collection might not pay that much, but they also might not recognize the interesting historical context. Conway