First of two WW2 bring backs to I.D.

[hi-revr]

First time on the site.  Looking forward to a lot of reading and learning.    I would like to find out as much as possible about this sword and another I will post soon.  I feel very lucky to know where both of my swords came from and in the case of this one, who the owner was.  This one had not been disassembled until I did it a few days ago.  Before someone says DON'T ...............I already cleaned the lose rust off with Hoppe's and a soft brush.   There is still plenty of rust.   The scabbard is black lacquered wood.   It also came with this tassel.  The handle wrap looks like a rope material dipped in dark red paint.   I'll take some relatively uneducated guesses for fun and see what the experts come back with.   I look forward to you confirming or correcting each of my assumptions.

}}} I think it was remounted late in the war?

}}} Many of the small parts appear mass produced?  The Tsuba and spacers have a stamping of 310. 

}}} The blade appears to be re-drilled for the new handle?  The upper hole is somewhat oblong.  

}}} The green paint characters are either a serial number or the person/company that did the remount? 

 

Thanks, 

 

 

[hi-revr]

[hi-revr]

[hi-revr]

[Stephen]

I think Sukenobu.

Showa ju hachi

 

Edited February 19, 2022 by Stephen
To show Steve's correct answer

[SteveM]

Here's your man. We were just talking about this smith the other day. 

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/38633-new-acquisition-need-help-please/#comment-400292

 

亮信　Akinobu, a.k.a. Sukenobu

[Stephen]

Was coming back to correct good for Steve.

[Stephen]

http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/oshigata/sukenobu.jpg

[Bruce Pennington]

1943

Contingency model (Rinji seishiki) of the Type 98 Officers sword.

[vajo]

It seems allways a star stamped gendaito in these fittings. Great.

 

Thats a fine sword Eric. Its a true nihonto not massed produced.

[hi-revr]

Thanks everyone for the help so far.   I'm trying to wade through all the sword lingo and learn.  Very interesting but somewhat frustrating being a rookie.    I think I get the basic picture of the model and eventually found the warrelics.eu detailed article by Nick Komiya on Rinji seishiki.   Here is an interesting piece of that article..............""

""""""Let's start right. It should be written RINJI SEISHIKI GUNTO, not RENJI and pronounced Linji. To be really accurate, the army did not call it anything but a gunto just like the felt field caps had no special name, so they called it descriptively "field caps made of felt".

 

In the same principle, the army did not give the gunto any name, so if you needed to specifically refer to it you had to string adjectives together to describe it. "Rinji Seishiki" was how the Gunto was first described in the memo of 16th September 1938, so using that as an adjective clause, a Japanese would call it a Rinji Seishiki No Gunto, which is merely saying "Gunto designated as contingency specification".""""""

 

It appears few if any question the majority of what is written in that article.  If true these would most accurately be described as {{ Linji Seishiki No Gunto }} of a Type 98.         Question.......Why do we say Rinji instead of Linji?    

 

Do we know exactly where this blade smith worked?

 

What are the painted charectors?

 

Thanks

 

[Stephen]

5 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

1943

Contingency model (Rinji seishiki) of the Type 98 Officers sword.

Better known as type 3.... hehe.

[vajo]

Last Stage Type3 Rikugun Jumei Tosho to point that out.

[Bruce Pennington]

Interesting to note the poor quality screws.  @hi-revr - Eric, are there any threads on that bottom one?  It seems to have a slotted head, like a screw, but there don't appear to be threads.  It looks more like a metal peg.

[SteveM]

Question.......Why do we say Rinji instead of Linji?    

The Japanese word is 臨時, which is usually written as "rinji". Actually, there is no hard R or L in the Japanese language. There is a sound that is kind of an intermediate sound, a "soft R" where the tongue lightly touches the palate - and its this sound that we usually represent by the letter R. So the word 臨時 when written in English becomes "rinji". The actual sound can resemble both linji or rinji, but normally we would write this as "rinji". 

 

Do we know exactly where this blade smith worked?

As above, Gifu prefecture. I don't know if we can pinpoint it even further than that. 

 

What are the painted characters. 

I can't tell what the first one is: it looks like a "B". The second one is 七 (the number 7 in kanji). The last one is almost all scratched off, so a bit illegible. If there are numbers on your fittings that match the number on the tang, it points to the ensemble being a complete set that has stayed intact since the war, and hence potentially more valuable.

[hi-revr]

 I've collected militaria off and on for 45 years so I know the "buy the item not the story" routine.   What got me started was all the stuff my father both sent & brought back during his service from 44-46 most with the 7th division.  After landing at Inchon he eventually ended up in the 7th signal company and eventually the 7th signal co supply as supply sergeant(Korea occupation).   The most valued thing I own is a shoe box stuffed full of most of the letters he wrote to his parents.   It still amazes me how much he either shipped home or packed in his duffle.  The items he had and couldn't get home is even more incredible.  More on all that in the future.  

 

As supply sergeant he would be tasked with requisitioning souvenirs for troops heading home.  Contrary to what some believe official orders regarding souvenirs changed several times.   By spring/summer 46 as things loosened if a dozen guys were leaving he would go to the depo where all the capture weapons were(a gym at the former Japanese barracks) and get 2 swords, 8-10 rifles, a few helmets, and a handful of bayonets.   Needless to say he got to know the guys at the depot and was in a position to help them with regular supply items.  He was given two swords and two rifles (one each at different times) from the ""hand picked"" rack behind the desk.  He said this one was the only black lacquered scabbard in good shape plus it had a tassel and the best part,,,,,,,,,,,,a silk scarf with what I assume is the original owners information tied to the sword.  I will post a pic soon.  

 

With all that said I can say with confidence nobody has touched this or the type 95 I will post since 1946.  One last tidbit.  He coated the blades with Vaseline before shipping them home.  He recoated them again back in the late 70's and they still look great.

[BANGBANGSAN]

@hi-revrThe guy on the front row to the right is 土岐亮信 the one who made your sword.

 

[hi-revr]

Forgot to answer the screw question.    One is flat head the other round head, two different thread pitches.  Both look like someone had their 12 year old kid practice grinding one day.  threads are 75% gone, both ground to a minor taper.   

[hi-revr]

Here is the piece of silk or cotton that was wrapped around this sword.  I would like to know if the English matches the Characters.

It looks like he took the time to print the English letters very neat and legible.  This was turned in as part of the surrender in Korea it would seem likely this guy survived the war.    I also have capture papers for both swords.  I did a quick search for the 9th training flight regiment and found nothing.   Any further input appreciated.  

 

[BANGBANGSAN]

32 minutes ago, hi-revr said:

 

 

It's called surrender tag, the Kanji info matches English.

[Stephen]

Aka transportation tags.

[mecox]

Eric & Others, this is TOKI YUICHI SUKENOBU 土岐 雄一 亮信, younger brother of Toki Kanemasa and a student of Niwa Kanenobu.   

See Member Articles in Downloads:  Seki Toki Swordsmiths - Member Articles - Nihonto Message Board.  This is outline of these two swordsmiths.

 

[hi-revr]

Here are the ""finely" machined screw pegs.

 

 

[hi-revr]

To clarify the Kanji,  Sho Wa Ju Hachi Nen Haru

Or... Showa 18 Year (1943) Spring ?    

 

[Kiipu]

昭和十八年春 = 1943 Spring.

[hi-revr]

Same here   No  Shu  Ju  Suke  Nobu

I understand it roughly translates to Made by SukeNobu but what do the individual Kanji mean?   I ask because I want to learn things as correct as possible.   

 

[hi-revr]

Tang top stamps   Nagoya arsenal acceptance stance???   If so why two different sizes?

[hi-revr]

Better shot at Star stamp (that one I understand)  and circled you can see part of another stamp.   Just noticed this one tonight.     

I assume the Gifu district stamp ?   

[Kiipu]

濃州住亮信 = Nōshū jū Akinobu (a.k.a. Sukenobu).

Mino Province

[Bruce Pennington]

Thanks for the added photos, Eric!  Most RS gunto used a bamboo mekugi on top and metal screw on bottom, but I've seen a few like yours with 2 metal screws.

 

We don't know why the mune stamps were put there, but I see a lot of it in the 1943 blades, from both Nagoya and Tokyo aresenals (yours being "NA" of Nagoya).  I can only speculate that there were 2 inspections that happened, thus receiving 2 stamps, or there were 2 inspectors working each blade, thus 2 sizes.  As to the possible marking above the star, I can see why you think it is a sakura, but I doubt it is anything more than layered corrosion.  SO FAR, I have never seen a star-stamped blade with a sakura stamp of any kind.  There are often small Seki and Na stamps on either/both sides, but not a Showa or Gifu.