cabowen

While I hesitate to say "never" when talking about Japanese swords, it is about as certain as it gets to say that a showa stamped blade is a non-traditionally made sword. This is the whole point to the showa stamping as instituted by the Japanese government. They would not haphazardly place a showa stamp on a blade that was traditionally made, nor would someone purposely place one on a traditionally made blade due to the fact that showa stamped blades were not as valued as traditionally made blades. If anything, there are probably unstamped non-traditionally made blades passed off as traditionally made blades. Using western steel in the 16th/17th century is not comparable for three reasons: that steel was not the same as what was coming from western smelters in the 20th century; smiths in the early period were putting the steel through the oroshigane process which drove out impurities and adjusted the carbon level, and they were water quenching. None of this was done with the western mill steel used in showato. Many people have sworn to me that they have a showa stamped blade that is traditionally made. Every one to date has been clearly non-traditionally made upon examination.

Maybe I can be even more succinct: as a rule, few osuriage, mumei wakizashi are worth (economic valuation) the cost of a proper restoration. This does not look to be an exception.

The Showa stamp is on the blade for a reason. They weren't applied haphazardly.

(Seki stamp) Noshu Seki ju Hattori Masahiro saku Made by Hattori Masahiro of Seki, (in Noshu) As David wrote while I was typing this... Seki stamp indicates a non-traditionally made blade. This is a WWII era blade.

Undocumented or an early/late mei of a known smith....The mei style indeed looks like those of other Fukuoka area smiths such as those you mention.

Something like: I know not the melancholy of this world- (at) home, the blossoming plum...

Bottom paper is from the now defunct Nihon Tosogu Bijutsukan.

Absolutely not.....

The owner thinks it is made from western steel and assuming he has a better view than I do, I would assume he is correct. Usually western steels of the type used for gunto are much easier to quench in oil as water produces too fast a quench and causes cracking. That, and the fact that the hamon seems flat and lacking, tends to make be believe that the blade, while probably at least partially forged, is likely oil quenched. For nearly $3000US, unless looking for a blade meant for iai, I think the OP could find a nice, traditionally made nihon-to... As I have said before, if one is looking for quality, traditional WWII era blades, it is best to simply avoid anything from Seki.

The blade is dated January, 1945 and made by Hiromitsu. Most likely a non-traditionally made blade. Second mekugi-ana is there because it was originally mounted in 1944 pattern gunto koshirae.

According to the description at the link you reference, it is a WWII era gunto, most likely made with western steel (and probably oil quenched). It is therefore not a traditional Japanese sword. It is in good condition and quite unusually long. It would probably make a great blade for an iai practitioner, but for the money, you might do well to look for something traditionally made....

The shape of the hamon is simply a stylistic matter. A review of the decadent hamon "paintings" done in the later Edo period should be proof enough of that.... A competent smith can create a choji hamon on any forged or unforged blade provided it is the right kind of steel. We don't see pure choji with masame because one is from the Bizen tradition and the other Yamato.

Actually, it is the product of cooling a blade of the proper steel at the proper temperature at the proper rate. It has nothing to do with forging.

I was speaking in general and wasn't specifically referring to this set of kodogu. Art, as they, is anything you can get away with.....and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....That about covers it!

Not sure I can agree that workmanship/craftsmanship has anything to do with the artist's intention. Slipshod work produced on purpose is still slipshod work. A poorly shaped, forged and quenched blade is bad workmanship. I would think the same would apply to kinko.

I think that good workmanship stands on its own. Whether or not they are art, now that is subjective...

Sure looks like a showato....odds are good it is oil quenched....

I can only assume they were making new ones in Showa in such a manner that it was economically feasible. I have seen numerous iai-to from the period with poor quality contemporary fittings. I have always believed that if they were making gunto koshirae, never mind airplanes and battleships, they could make cheap fittings....I think the question isn't "why would they?" but rather "why did they?"

Very true. My wife, who is Japanese, was not keen on swords in the house and absolutely would not have armor on the property!

They were making them in the Showa period for the same reason they are making them now-for iai-to. Most, if not all of the samurai mounted showa-to, were made as iai-to. With the nationalistic spirit in full bloom, the traditional martial arts enjoyed great popularity during the Showa period, thus the manufacture of large numbers of iai-to....

I haven't seen any gendaito by Takehisa, but that doesn't mean one doesn't exist....The only smith of note from Aichi who worked during the war was Tsutsui Kiyokane.

Noshu ju Ikeda Kanetsuna (tsuna may be open to interpretation) saku.

Thank you very much but I think I have those already.....

Sure, that is another possibility.....

Yoshiaki Showa 18 November