Casual_Collector

Here are some more pictures of the blade, hopefully a bit better quality. Unfortunately my phone camera isn't great, and most pictures I take with it are anywhere from 1.4 to 4+mb. As far as the pictures themselves, the blade does have some slight rusty spots (the mild marks on the length of it), and the hamon doesn't show up great on camera. I think the best picture of the blade is actually the original that I started the thread with, as the harsh lighting of the workshop (which is a buddy's shop, not my own unfortunately) makes it stand out a bit better. Let me know if any closer-closer shots are needed, I'd be more than willing to provide. Thanks again. - Joey S.

I do have pictures of the drag from the original batch of pictures. And from what I can see from the post you linked, it does have the '213917' mark. I am curious, does the other text on the drag say anything special, or is it just the name of the shop? As always, thanks for the input. - Joey S.

Hey all, sorry for the horrendously late response time. Thanks for all of the feedback, I appreciate all the input. As for observations, yes, the saya is made from aluminum. I've also read up on how to clean it, though already the sword looks like it was well-kept and cared for. As for the pictures I said I'd take, I did disassemble the sword to get a few good shots of it, though only this one's really post-able with the whole file size limit on this board. It's all put back together now, but I do have a few other pictures on hand. Note- While the sword looks like it has no hamon, at certain angles it's pretty clear, the blade's just polished fully. Also, picture quality I know isn't the best- Just working off an Iphone SE camera. I'll definitely stick around on the forum, though. Seems like a cool place to learn about the history of these blades, and learning these kinds of things is definitely a hobby I enjoy. Thanks again, folks. - Joey S.

Good to know. I'll see if I can get some better pictures of the blade- any specific part of the blade I should photograph, or just try and get the whole thing as best as I can? Always eager to learn more. Joey

Hey all, first-time poster here. Recently, I found a WW2-era Japanese officer sword in an antiques shop. Thinking it was cool, I wanted to get some information on it, and the shop owner let me take a look and snap a few pictures. Long story short, in doing a bit of looking into it, the information I was given by the shop owner doesn't line up. I was originally told that the sword was marked 'Kanemori', however someone on a less specialized forum told me that the kanji actually says 'Kanemoto'. Not to mention, the name is the literal only mark on the tang. No arsenal stamps that I can tell, and no other marks. I would just like to know about this sword, mostly asking if it's an actual antique officer sword or a reproduction, and maybe a bit about the sword's history if there's any to be spoken for. Note: I'm guessing that it's a Type 98 based on pictures I've seen online. Pics below- Let me know what you folks think. Thanks in advance for any info. - J.S.