TadaYoshi Gendaito

[huntershooter]

Saw a Tada Yoshi (Kojima) signed Gendaito with a Showa stamp on ebay. Hist333 (Mike Y) as the seller.

Nice looking blade.

 

Any thoughts on this?

[James]

  huntershooter said:

Saw a Tada Yoshi (Kojima) signed Gendaito with a Showa stamp on ebay.

 

There's a bit of a contradiction in that statement there ...

[huntershooter]

Precisley.

Look at the blade.

[Brian]

Haven't looked at the auction yet, but it has been proved a few times that the presence of a showa stamp does not preclude the possibility of a sword being hand forged from tamahagane. That assumption has been made a few times, and while it seems valid 80% of the time, there are definitely Gendaito with showa stamps.

 

Brian

[Stephen]

its kosher to link us up with ebay

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-Samurai-Sw ... 286.c0.m14

[Kajihei]

Hi All,

 

I used tho think that the "Showa" stamp meant Showa-to, and subject to confiscation or destruction in post-war Japan. Then I learned that some war-time swords with the Showa stamp are currently registered and sold in Japan. Here is one example by Kanetomo:

 

http://samurai-nippon.net/951/

 

I am not sure if this means blades like this Kanetomo and Kojima Tadayoshi are traditional tanrento or just a "high-grade" showa-to (if there is such a thing), but it is good to know that fine gunto blades are receiving recognition and finding market in Japan.

 

I often wondered about how to tell showato from traditional tanrento, other than to cut it and examine the cross section under a microscope. Can somebody enlighten me?

 

A gunto "expert" told me that showa-to blades were produced by inserting softer metal rod into a hard-metal pipe and them stamping them, thus creating the soft-core-hard-shell combination without the repeated forging and folding. Very clever, eh?

 

Kaji

[huntershooter]

Thanks Stephen. That was beyond my capabilities.

Nice looking blade. May have to bid on this one.

[kusunokimasahige]

Thats not a Gendai!

 

KM

[drbvac]

I have a kanefusa blade with the showa stamp and I know it is made in the 'traditional way" as he made blades both before and after the war. The stamp looks very much like the one on this blade as it isnt clear and only goes into the nakago part way as it is cold stamped on the blade.

 

I am of the opinion that this was the case on family blades that soldiers wanted to be mounted in gunto mounts and the stamp is an acceptance stamp only - showing the blade is "OK" to be mounted and carried into battle.

 

I believe it is Gendaito and TAD 305 or TAD 306 in Hawley

 

2 cents

[Brian]

Henk,

How about clarifying that statement with a reason? Auction ended 2 weeks ago, so it's a moot point, but looks like a Gendaito to me. Hamon doesn't look oil quenched either, and I think this seller knows the difference.

 

Brian

[kusunokimasahige]

Well i was looking at the Nakago only and thought the patina looks older...

 

I am speaking from my archaeological experience with iron..

 

However I might be mistaken though... also the quality of the blade makes it difficult for me to attest its age...

 

KM

[drbvac]

I also thought it was an older family blade - - but reading Dr. steins note on the terms, some use gendaito to mean made by any methods after 1876 until the end of the war while many collectors use it often to mean blades made during the same time from tamahegane in the traditional way.

 

From the look it is made traditionally and it could be older than gendaito as checking Hawley, the kanji written as it is for Tadayoshi was shinshinto, and the gendaito smiths signed differently - but what the heck do I know!

 

Can someone who does help and put me out of my misery