Interesting Late-'44 Gunto

[Nihonto Chicken]

I've had this Late-'44 (Type 3?) shin gunto for a number of years, thought I'd perhaps share a looksee here and solicit opinions on some whys and wherefores.  I've heard that the change in fittings from the earlier style gunto was perhaps to simplify construction and save valuable copper and copper-based alloys for other war efforts, hence the blackened iron tsuba, ashi, ishizuke and kabuto-gane on typical Type 3s.  However, my example, while visually simpler than its more numerous brothers, uses copper in place of blackened iron for the end pieces. 

 

The blade has a 25.5 inch nagasa and is fold forged and water tempered, signed only Kokura Arsenal (I think).  The ito is standard old style silk over black lacquered wood (no same or shagreen).  The saya is a rough black lacquer over wood (no metal). 

 

Here is a close-up of the kabutogane, note it is plain, no stamping or embossing:

 

Here is the ishizuke, also smooth and plain (and very thick!).  It is made of two halves soldered together.

 

The menuki are just plain pieces of some non-ferrous metal (unfortunately not gold or silver koban!). 

 

The ashi is black lacquered iron of a simplified 1934 style, the fuchi and kabutogane are plain copper, and the tsuba is blackened iron.

 

The seppa, which look like aluminum in the pic above, are actually dished steel with aluminum paint and brass inserts.  They and the tsuba are tightly fitted to the nakago as evidenced by the punch marks.

 

The blade itself is well polished (no waves or dips) and shows a very thin nioiguchi that at times exhibits nijuba, ashi and yo (cow dribble hamon?).  The boshi is jizo (not pictured, I was blind enough with what I got!).  Unfortunately, the sword also exhibits a number of ware in one area.

 

 

The pic below shows the worst of the ware, the rest of the sword is fairly clean:

 

Here is the mei, which reads Kokura Arsenal, I think.  I didn't translate it myself (too tough!), but seem to remember matching it to a mei in a book that I cannot now locate.  Typical. 

 

Here is the date, Sho Wa (1926) jyu (10) ku (9) nen (year) = 1944, jyu (10) ni (2) gatsu (month) = December, 1944:

 

There are also three characters on the mune side of the nakago which I can't identify.  The lowest one looks somewhat like an Arabic 2, but there are no assembly numbers anywhere else. 

 

So, does anyone have feedback as to

 

1. How does this model fit into the progression of Type 3 style?  If a simple, end-of-the-line, "last ditch" effort, then why the use of copper instead of iron?  Or maybe just a one-off Kokura Arsenal production?

 

2. Can anyone confirm or deny Kokura Arsenal as the mei?

 

3. What are the kanji on the nakago mune and what do they represent?

 

4. Any other insights into this piece or the progression of Late-'44 gunto in general?

 

TIA!!!

 

 

[reeder]

Yes, Kokura arsenal.  http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/13623-kokuri-rigun-z%C5%8Dheis%C5%8D/

[Kai-Gunto]

Maybe field repair or homeland defence!

[GregD]

Same style tsuka...

[Nihonto Chicken]

Same style tsuka...

Thanks for the pics!  All the rest of the koshirae appear to be identical to my example.  So it seems that this fittings style may have been standard issue at Kokura Arsenal.  What about the blade mei?  Is this the fourth example here of Kokuri Rikugun Zoheisho with no personal swordsmith signature?