Gunto Identification

[jeffery]

My friend brought this sword recently .... can someone help us translate the signature.

It’s interesting that the date is more complicated than other we have seen.

There is also 2 characters on the edge of the tang.

 

http://s779.photobucket.com/user/jeffasleep/library/

 

thanks for helping and

merry Christmas

 

Jeff s.

[ROKUJURO]

Jeff,

 

the MEI reads HIZEN no KUNI MASATSUGU, I think. For the rest you may try the KANJI pages here on NMB yourself, it is a good training.

[Bruno]

Is that an assembly number on the mune, like the ones one finds on Mantetsu-to?

[obiwanknabbe]

Hi Jeff,

 

I just thought you would like to know a little more about your smith. He was a member of the Rikugun Jumei Tosho (That is what the star stamp means). This was a group of "army approved" sword smiths that worked during the war. Here is a link to a site that explains the group in more detail http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/gendai2.htm

 

Blades by this smith have been papered by the NTHK as Gendaito. Now just because other blades have been proven to be traditionally made, it does not automatically imply that yours is. BUT, it does not mean that yours is not either. Further study would be required to make such a determination. That star stamp is a good indicator though.

 

Kurt.K

[Brian]

I haven't looked at the pics yet. But if it does have a star stamp..then yes..it does mean it is traditionally made.

 

Brian

[SwordGuyJoe]

It looks like this is your guy: http://nihontoclub.com/smiths/MAS1165 - His name is Taguchi Masatsugu and was rated Chujo Saku by Kurihara Hikosaburo and awarded the second seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihonto Denrankai (http://www.jp-sword.com/files/seki/gendaito.html)

 

Edit: Forgot to note (From Markus' book) - He was born in July 1904, forged from 1935 and studied under Kurihara Akihide.

[obiwanknabbe]

Brian,

 

Respectfully,

 

By "traditionally made" i was speaking about the entire process of production in the general Nihonto sense; That the blade be hand-made, folded, water quenched, and that it be comprised of Tamahagane. It is my understanding that many of the Rikugun Jumei Tosho also made many blades out of forged mill steel. These blades also would have had the star stamp on them. It is in that light that i suggested that there is a possibility that the blade in question may not be 100% traditionally made even though it has the star stamp.

 

Unless I am mistaken, does not the star only indicate that the smith was a recognized member of the group, and not a testament as to what the blade was made of?

 

Please correct me if i am wrong in thinking this.

 

Is there a blurring of lines where "traditional" production is concerned between gendaito and nihonto?

 

Kurt.k

[Jean]

Kurt,

 

AFAIK, gendaito is a period as koto, shinto....shinsakuto all included in Nihonto meaning traditionally made.

[cabowen]

  obiwanknabbe said:

Brian,

 

 

Unless I am mistaken, does not the star only indicate that the smith was a recognized member of the group, and not a testament as to what the blade was made of?

 

Please correct me if i am wrong in thinking this.

 

Kurt.k

 

The star stamp means the blade was inspected by the Army's judge and found to meet all of the criteria specified by the Army for production of gunto by their Rikugun Jumei Tosho (contract smiths). Among the requirements are that the blade be made according to traditional methods (made with tamahagane, orikaeshi-tanren, yaki-ire with water, etc.). It is because of these requirements as specified by the Army that we accept star stamped blades made by Rikugun Jumei Tosho as traditionally made. The army allocated and supplied tamahagane to the individual smiths and the governors of each prefecture supplied the charcoal.

[jeffery]

guys,

 

Thanks for your help.

 

My mate is very glad he picked it up.

 

Can I ask

 

1) What is the significance of the characters on the mune ?

2) Why is the date seems more complicated than others.

 

 

cheers,

Jeff S.

[cabowen]

Character on the nakago mune are arsenal marks. The date is just done in a different dating method also used in Japan.

[george trotter]

Congrats to your friend on finding a nice star stamped gunto.

I had a star stamped blade by Muto Hidehiro of Chikugo and it had the same stamps on the mune.

Top to bottom they are "Ko" for Kokura arsenal and "Ho" for 1st inspection.

This is discussed on Ohmura's site but I forget where...I think it was in the section on arsenal marks on NCO swords etc. Just because it is an arsenal inspection does not mean it is bad...these inspection marks of various types are found on traditionally made swords also...in this case it is an indication that the swords were collected from the RJT smiths in the region and taken to a central arsenal to be inspected for excellence before the star was put on (as final inspection) and the sword sold to an army officer...it is a "good" sign.

There is a pic of my Hidehiro oshigata showing mune stamps on "Arsenal Stamps" page 1. on this very section...

Regards,

[jeffery]

thanks ... again ..

[J Reid]

Kurt,

Since you are a newer member here you may not be aware that after MANY long and heated debates, we finally have legit "proof" ( in the NMB articles) in regards to the star stamps meaning ..

 

For your records:

 

 

http://www.militaria.co.za/articles/RJT_Info.pdf

[reeder]

  J Reid said:

Kurt,

Since you are a newer member here you may not be aware that after MANY long and heated debates, we finally have legit "proof" ( in the NMB articles) in regards to the star stamps meaning ..

 

For your records:

 

 

http://www.militaria.co.za/articles/RJT_Info.pdf

 

Josh, that is great. I had read Mr Bowen's findings after interviewing RJT smiths, but have not seen this document.

 

Thanks,

Brandon

[obiwanknabbe]

J. Reid,

 

Thanks for that link. It seems the source of my information was dated (http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/gendai2.htm). The article in this database stated that the smiths were also allocated Mill Steel for their work (middle paragraph one). I was thinking that, perhaps, this is something that occurred towards the end of the war when tamahagane became scarce? Apparently not.

 

Thanks for setting the record straight!

 

Kurt.k