Need help figuring out the signature and if this blade is machined or traditional

[kealpe]

I keep hearing that the WW2 era sword blades aren't very good and not made traditionally. I'm not an expert but this sword blade doesn't look like a machined blade with etched temper line. Can someone take a look at the blade and tell me if this is a machined blade and tell me a little about the blade? I tried to figure out the signature but just got more confused as I went. The third symbol I think is Kane and the last symbol is Saku (made this)

 

Thanks for any help you can.

 

Regards, Keith

[SteveM]

池田兼綱作　Ikeda Kanetsuna saku

 

The hot stamp above the signature is 関 (Seki) which is a stamp placed on blades made for the war. Normally these would be considered arsenal blades, and therefore non-traditionally made.

[Brian]

Remember that the Showato/arsenal blades we talk about are not really machined. They were still produced by a smith or workshop with lots of hand work, but just not traditionally made or water quenched. And the hamon were real, not etched. But oil quenched.
The NCO Shin Gunto are machine made, but that is a different sword entirely.

[Dave R]

[Bruce Pennington]

11 hours ago, kealpe said:

I keep hearing that the WW2 era sword blades aren't very good and not made traditionally.

Hi Keith!  You've likely been hearing that from guys that don't study WWII blades.  So, it depends upon what a collector considers "good".  There were over 2 million swords made for the war and many of them were made by top-ranking smiths.  Mantetsu, Yasukunito, and Minatogawato were swords made for the war that were better than many, if not most, swords made in centuries past.  The RJT system put out thousands of traditionally-made blades from top smiths.

 

Now, having said that, your blade with the large "Seki" stamp was likely not made "traditionally", but like the Dave's chart shows, that simply may be that it was oil quenched, not water quenched, but could have been made with the same skill and techniques of the traditional smiths.  From my observations, most blades with the large Seki are quite good, to high, quality.  A system of inspections was put into place early in the war to weed out poor-quality showato.  Those passing inspection were stamped with the Seki or Showa stamp. 

[kealpe]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the input, I made a copy of the manufacturing methods, very good reference. Any idea as to the maker?

[Bruce Pennington]

5 hours ago, kealpe said:

the maker

This is all there is on him in Sesko's book:

"KANETSUNA (兼綱), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Kanetsuna” (兼綱), real name Ikeda Tsutomu (池田勉), born August 13th 1907, he worked as guntō smith"

[george trotter]

Keith, it looks like (reading downwards from the stamp) IKE DA KANE TSUNA SAKU

This is Ikeda Kanetsuna made (this)

There is a Seki smith listed as Ikeda Kanetsuna. His real name is Ikeda Tsutomu? He started at Seki on 26 Oct. 1939.

Regards,

 

Dang, that Bruce beat me to it again...