Conway

Agree with the above comments on writing/numbers on habaki being a hallmark of Chinese fakes. Additionally, the habaki says Manchurian cavalry on a sword pattern used by police.

Reliable in terms of providing accurate descriptions and selling genuine items? None come to mind. I think most auction houses have a pretty rudimentary understanding of Japanese swords, so fakes or genuine pieces that have been meddled with can easily slip through the cracks.

Well then you can’t be faulted for having to look internationally. Have you seen the dedicated thread on Type 95s, which includes a link to a great downloadable reference on the topic? Might help you get a foundational idea of what period correct originals look like. In my opinion, I would steer clear of that auction house if possible. Whether intentional or not, they’ve been known to misidentify items and sell fakes along with genuine pieces in the same auction with no distinction between the two (There was a fake NCO in the auction linked above (Lot 25)). I’ve also seen previews of their items when they set up at the big US military shows and haven’t been impressed with their Japanese swords.

Just a thought, but since you are in Ireland, I would consider looking for one locally. Given the buyer’s premium and international shipping (tarrifs??), you might be in for quite a ride. Especially, if you are looking for a representative example and nothing rare.

Here’s one I recently picked up. Autumn 1942 -ya 639, with yamagata M (W) stamp.

I see you are in the PNW. You should look into the Rain Dragons sword club. You can contact @Scogg for more details.

Maybe this smith is a possible relation of Mano Masayasu and Mano Kuniyasu, who were also smiths (and brothers) from Owari during WW2. Here are a few other examples found online, but no additional details on the smith. Maybe @mecox has some knowledge of this smith. https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b1119732614 https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/o1145185613 Also, that’s a nice looking display!

@John C Good catch. I was beginning to wonder if “Kane” was correct when I didn’t find any na stamped Kanehide references. Maybe “Kiku” could get added to the useful characters link on the home page.

Leo, It’s signed Kanehide 兼秀. On the dated side there is an inspection stamp above the date kanji - 名(na) for the Nagoya Army Arsenal inspection. Your friend’s sword looks to be in nice shape.

Hey Sam, Also Kanezane. Looks like Noshu ju Asano Kanezane saku kore 濃州住浅野兼眞作之 Similar example here (example C): ASANO KANESANE

I did some searching on 眞鐵 and could not find much. I noticed Moriyama san called it “magane” in his post above, but would it be correct to pronounce it as “Shintetsu?” I found one reference to shintetsu here: Taikei Naotane O-Dambira, Sai Jo Saku, 1848 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon This Kanezane also has a “Sho” stamp.

@TLD Where did you find this sword? There’s a new grifter on eBay selling swords out of CA, but the seller is actually based in China. Looks like it could have come from this seller.

I would say there wouldn’t be many collectors of Japanese swords or military artifacts if we were all haunted by the potential back story of the items or their owners. For me, it’s important to place these items within their historical context and have some level of respect for people who served their nation and were thrust into armed conflict by their political leaders, regardless of being a member of an “Allied” or “Axis” force.

Hi Luke, That’s quite the post, but it’s a good sign you take your work seriously. The majority of these naval dirks were neither intended, nor built for combat use. Being a naval dirk, I think both the owner and dirk would have gone down with the ship had the owner perished. More than likely, its current condition is the result of its conservators of the last 80 years not taking care of it.