PacificRim Posted July 16, 2019 Report Posted July 16, 2019 Greetings, my name is Alex and I recently started collecting Japanese military swords. I acquired a sword which I believe to be a type 94, although it does not have the removable haikan. The mei on the nakago did not have any information about the sword maker and the year of the blade was forged, but it said “Showa 10th year 3rd regiment (a name I can’t translate) test cut” From the shape of the nakago it doesn’t look like a Showa blade, any information is greatly appreciated. The seller stated that the sword is a battlefield pickup from a WW2 vet who fought in the pacific theatre. Best regards, Quote
16k Posted July 16, 2019 Report Posted July 16, 2019 Two mekugi Ana, one that’s been filled, looks like an older blade to me, but please post pictures of the entire naked blade for the sugata and try to get some picture of the Hada, the Hamon (if you can see them) and a picture of the nakago jiri. Quote
Yukihiro Posted July 16, 2019 Report Posted July 16, 2019 Doesn't this tsuba remind you of another one?... http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/28235-unusual-open-work-tsuba/page-2?do=findComment&comment=294929 1 Quote
ggil Posted July 16, 2019 Report Posted July 16, 2019 Totally guessing, pre-showa, but not by more than 100 years, just going by the yasurime and how proudly they still stand even with all the corrosion nearby. interested to see what the seasoned folks think. kinda a hard call with the blade being out of polish. And we never get much to go on. still a shot in the dark a bit. maybe zooming in to see if the metal has big/small/no grain. Maybe some resident vets miss the post with the words Showa (bless their souls) in the title, but you can look thru a few posts and see some folks that are excellent at translating whatever missing characters you need, and send them a pm. That would be a surefire way to get help with translating. Quote
PacificRim Posted July 16, 2019 Author Report Posted July 16, 2019 On 7/16/2019 at 8:54 PM, 16k said: Two mekugi Ana, one that’s been filled, looks like an older blade to me, but please post pictures of the entire naked blade for the sugata and try to get some picture of the Hada, the Hamon (if you can see them) and a picture of the nakago jiri. I will post the entire blade later, thank you. -Alex Quote
PNSSHOGUN Posted July 17, 2019 Report Posted July 17, 2019 Old blade, Shin Shinto or Meiji/Taisho. Nice sword with Mon, early mounts and original tassel. 2 Quote
16k Posted July 17, 2019 Report Posted July 17, 2019 I’ll go with John’s conclusion. Old, but not very old. 19th century most likely. It’s been suriage. Quote
Jacques Posted July 17, 2019 Report Posted July 17, 2019 Nengo seems to be engraved, what does it say ? Quote
Shugyosha Posted July 17, 2019 Report Posted July 17, 2019 I'm in the IJA camp. The third kanji is the second of "Showa" (和) and the other bit I can make out is: 第三師団 - Dai san shidan - "number three division". A clearer picture of the tang might enable one of the better linguists to read the inscription. Given the length of the inscription it might be higher quality than the usual Showato or maybe even a Gendaito. Quote
16k Posted July 17, 2019 Report Posted July 17, 2019 I don’t know, John. Looks older to me, probably shortened to conform to length regulations and tested during Showa as you can see that the tang around the inscription is shinier. Inscription looks more recent than the rest of the patina. Quote
BANGBANGSAN Posted July 17, 2019 Report Posted July 17, 2019 於昭和十年一月（At Showa 10th Year 1 Month-1935 January） 第三師團留守部(Third Division Stay-behind force) 百有餘囬(Over Hundred times) Not sure what's the last two Character,it looks like 試切(Test Cut).or 試刀（Test Sword） 4 Quote
PNSSHOGUN Posted July 17, 2019 Report Posted July 17, 2019 Hmmm, test cutting in Manchuria over 100 times sounds morbid. 3 Quote
BANGBANGSAN Posted July 17, 2019 Report Posted July 17, 2019 Sometimes they use haystack or dead pig for test cutting,but if it really cut over 100 human bodies(Dead or alive) ,then this sword must be Ominous。 On 7/17/2019 at 10:46 AM, PNSSHOGUN said: Hmmm, test cutting in Manchuria over 100 times sounds morbid. Quote
Shugyosha Posted July 17, 2019 Report Posted July 17, 2019 On 7/17/2019 at 9:57 AM, 16k said: I don’t know, John. Looks older to me, probably shortened to conform to length regulations and tested during Showa as you can see that the tang around the inscription is shinier. Inscription looks more recent than the rest of the patina. I won't disagree: I'm a bit thrown by what I think is corrosion and that the last two kanji are obscured. So we have some corrosion, some original patina and part of the inscription that has been cleaned up? Quote
BANGBANGSAN Posted July 17, 2019 Report Posted July 17, 2019 Yes,Can't be sure what's the last two Kanji .I think 試切or試刀 kind of make sense.But also could be other character，like 武力。。。 On 7/17/2019 at 11:59 AM, Shugyosha said: I won't disagree: I'm a bit thrown by what I think is corrosion and that the last two kanji are obscured. So we have some corrosion, some original patina and part of the inscription that has been cleaned up? Quote
PacificRim Posted July 17, 2019 Author Report Posted July 17, 2019 Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge, since I am a newbie to the gunto collection, I hope you gentlemen on this forum will continue to share your knowledge and experience with me in the future. Best regards, Alex Quote
BANGBANGSAN Posted October 16, 2019 Report Posted October 16, 2019 On 7/17/2019 at 11:49 PM, PacificRim said: Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge, since I am a newbie to the gunto collection, I hope you gentlemen on this forum will continue to share your knowledge and experience with me in the future. Best regards, Alex The last two kanji could be 成功（success），that way make more sense. Quote
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