Rod Mountford Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 Hi I have acquired a Shin Gunto blade and was wondering what the translation meant and if it is the swordmaker etc. There is a very small 46 stamped near the start of the blade as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Rod Sydney Quote
mywei Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 Takehisa Auspicious day in October (year not shown in photo) 1 Quote
Brian Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 Looks like someone ground the tang to get rid of the rust...so they pretty much killed it. 2 Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 Rod, Akihisa was a respected smith and made many blades for the Army RJT system. Could I please get a photo of the 46? Also, is there more of the date visible? It would be higher, extending above the hole in your second photo. There could also be a star stamped near the top of the nakago (tang). But if it's all under rust, then we won't see it. How about the mounts, and a shot or 2 of the blade showing the hamon? 1 Quote
uwe Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 Matt mentioned “武久” (Takehisa), Bruce! Possibly a smith from “愛知県” (Aichi-ken)…?! 1 Quote
Geraint Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 On 7/9/2021 at 9:45 AM, Brian said: Looks like someone ground the tang to get rid of the rust... Expand Might just be the chalk/talc Brian? All the best. Quote
Rod Mountford Posted July 9, 2021 Author Report Posted July 9, 2021 Hi the blade is in pretty bad condition with no hamon visible. I gather it is Takehisa not Akihisa? The 46 is very small. There is a small stamp on the edge of the tang as can be seen below. Thanks Rod Quote
Kolekt-To Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 On 7/9/2021 at 5:15 AM, mywei said: Takehisa Auspicious day in October (year not shown in photo) Expand "Auspicious" (meaning favorable, of good omen) is commonly seen on gunto tangs. What are some other words (common or uncommon) that can appear on gunto tangs in place of Auspicious? Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 On 7/9/2021 at 1:47 PM, uwe said: “武久” (Takehisa), Bruce! Expand Ooo..... need more coffee....Thanks Uwe! Rod, Thanks for the pics! That stamp on the mune is the "TO" of the Tokyo 1st Army Arsenal. And if so, COULD date the blade to before WWII. Is there chance of seeing more to the date-side of the blade? And I REALLY would like to have shot of that 46. I'm doing a study/survey of blades with stamped numbers on them. I would really appreciate it! 1 Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 On 7/9/2021 at 1:47 PM, uwe said: Possibly a smith from “愛知県” (Aichi-ken)…?! Expand Uwe, I have one Takehisa recorded with a "Na" on the blade, which would fit this. I can't find him in the NihontoClub database. Do you have anything else on this smith? Quote
uwe Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 Unfortunately not Bruce! But he should be listed in John Slough's book, as far as I know.... Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 Oops, didn’t think of looking there. Yes, you have the right guy. And he’s one of the few smiths with the “W” stamp. 1 Quote
Rod Mountford Posted July 10, 2021 Author Report Posted July 10, 2021 Hi all, many thanks for helping me out with this blade! Bruce I hope this pic of the 46 is clear enough? Is this a batch number? Thanks Rod Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted July 10, 2021 Report Posted July 10, 2021 On 7/10/2021 at 3:33 AM, Rod Mountford said: Is this a batch number? Expand Your guess is as good as mine. Predominant theory is they are assembly/fitter numbers put there to keep blade and fittings together during the whole process. Usually painted numbers are seen, but there are quite a few stamped ones. Most stamped numbers are found on RJT blades, but I don't see Takehisa on the RJT list. And there are a few in my survey that are like this one, not RJT, but with stamped numbers. I don't think they are literally batch numbers, if I understand the term correctly, as there should be duplicate numbers seen on other blades of that batch (of course, as I say that, the idea could still be correct as our sample of stamped blades is so minuscule as a percentage of the 2 million blades produced during the war!). 1 Quote
Kiipu Posted November 1, 2022 Report Posted November 1, 2022 @Rod Mountford What is the year of manufacture? Is there any M inspection marks on either side of the tang? Quote
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