Conway S

Kevin, Are the fittings on the saya copper or painted?

I came to post about something @Bruce Pennington mentioned in the thread on tachi vs. katana mei only to find he's brought the thread over here too! I came across the following Type 19 cavalry parade sword and the maker's mark of "T" in sakura made me wonder about the practice of logo within sakura. Perhaps it's been mentioned before, but does anyone know the significance of the sakura? Could it signify "approval" or "appointment" as a contractor? I'm thinking in terms of stamps like the Ichi and Kobe on Type 95s and the one below. Conway

Here is another example of a mon on the fuchi. This time located on the opposite side of the chuso release. This zohei-to also has a pinned kabutogane and the thicker pierced tsuba. WW2 Japanese ARMY OFFICERS SWORD & SCABBARD MATCHING NUMBERED MOUNTS & MON

Alex, That's a Type 8 precursor to the Type 19. Note the absence of open-work metal design on the guard. This type of sword is fairly uncommon compared to the Type 19 which saw use through WW2. Normally if this was a mounted nihonto, there would be an ana for the mekugi. It looks like the tang of this sword is threaded into the back on the handle. A picture of the back end of the handle would help in determining if this is an older blade or not. If it's screwed on, would not recommend trying to remove it. Conway

There were 2 swords in this auction with field grade tassels and one with a general's tassel. This one sold for $1500 before buyer's premium of 28%. Unless they had better pictures on their auction house website, the pictures of the blades were pretty unhelpful. Nonetheless an interesting piece and I also like the yasurime. Conway

Greetings, I know this thread has not been active for a while, but I came across some documents for sale that may be of interest to some members here. A few of the documents reference the Imperial Household and Yasukuni Shrine. See below. It's regrettable that the US made a specific effort to remove swords from museums in order to destroy them or send them to the US. WW2 US Officer Occupation Japanese Imperial Household Museums Access Swords Tech Conway

@Bruce Pennington This sword reminded me of your post linked below. This one is pretty late for type 98 mounts. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/27137-very-unusual-konan-essei-mantetsu Conway

I don’t remember seeing this particular sword, but I may have missed it since they rotated their display a few times.

Greetings, Saw this is an upcoming auction. Has anyone seen a 1945 sword like this? Japanese WORLD WAR II SHIN GUNTO KATANA WITH PATRIOTIC "TETSU DAMASHI" (IRON SPIRIT) INSCRIPTION Conway

Looks like Yoshichika 吉近 Conway

It looks like you’re trying to sell it on eBay too! https://www.ebay.com/itm/386982802969 Conway

Lance, I would say “worthless” is a bit of an exaggeration even in its current condition. If you live near Orlando, there is a Japanese sword show in June. There may be a few people there who have the specialized skills to wrap the tsuka. Conway

For future reference posted more photos here:

@PNSSHOGUN Here are some pictures of the kai gunto I posted in the translation section. As you can see it's signed: Tenshozan Fujiwara Akimitsu made this from stainless steel and it's dated a lucky day in November 1938. Minus some patination on the fittings, everything on the sword is in great condition. Conway

I think Brian is correct. As a collector of British swords, I have been confused to find references to old unit names after the unit amalgamated with another. As a matter of heraldry, I think battalions wanted to maintain ties to their original regiments. I think @Dave R also collects British swords and may have some additional insight. Conway

Peter, Here is a useful link for these types of zodiacal dates. http://www.japaneses...com/kanji/zodiac.htm Conway

Thank you both for your assistance! I greatly appreciate it. Conway

Greetings, I am hoping someone can help translate these characters. Thanks in advance! Conway

I know you have said in the past that you don't go to shows, but that's where you find deals and can see the piece in-person before buying. There were at least two swords signed Nagamitsu at the Chicago Show this past weekend. Conway

Can you post a picture of what you think is a stamp? Conway

Adam, I try to track NCO serial numbers for my own understanding of who produced in the various serial number ranges. I recorded an IIJIMA at 13320東 with the first pattern tsuka. I also recorded an IIJIMA at 13176東, but did not annotate whether it had the early non-symmetrical tsuka or not. Like Bruce said, best to wait for the input of the experts. Conway

You can search Inaba on the forum and find that it may refer to a smith but also likely to a forge in the case of kai gunto. By the way, I think the “ba” used is the hiragana form. Any stamps on the nakago? And if I am wrong about the translation at least you may learn something new! Conway

David, Maybe I am way off, but it looks like a stylized Inaba. 伊 奈 波

Steve, smallsword on eBay often has Nagamitsu for sale. As I am sure you know, his prices are negotiable. Conway