Another Donation to the Abilene, Texas Museum in need of a Sanity Check

[Wakal]

Thanks to everyone for helping us the last few times we had something interesting come in that I and my staff didn't know enough about to be comfortable identifying, and here we go again.  A recent donation looks like a late war Army officer's model, with a center-mounted latch (unfortunately broken), and a rather crude tsuba.   I would hate to have a nicely aged knock-off on display, and would be almost as unhappy with something really nice.  I don't think this is the latter, but am not sure about the former.

 

 

Thanks,

  Alex

 

PS  If anyone is ever visiting Abilene, Texas, please swing by the 12 AD Museum for a personal tour!

[xiayang]

Looks like a WW2 blade, probably made using non-traditional methods.  It's got a Shō stamp (昭) and the signature reads:

 

谷川一心 = Tanigawa Isshin

 

From Markus Sesko's Swordsmiths of Japan:

 

Quote

ISSHIN (一心), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Isshin” (一心), real name Tanigawa Yoshiharu (谷川慶治), he died on November 1st 1945 and worked as a guntō smith

 

[mecox]

Alex, as noted by Jan, this is a Seki smith, whose real name was Tanigawa Yoshiharu (谷川慶治) and his tosho name  “Isshin” (一心).  There is not much info on him, no date of birth, but he registered as a Seki swordsmith on Showa 16 (1941) September 12.  He died in Showa 20 (1945) either March 1 or November 1 (both are given).  This could suggest he was older and born late 1800's.  When he registered he was living is Seki-machi, Tsukini-cho.  His recorded oshigata show mei of:  Tanigawa Isshin, Tanigawa Isshin Saku (Seki stamp), Tani Isshin (sho stamp) with date September 1940?.  Your blade looks early war (pre 1942) with Sho/sakura stamp.  The nakago all appear to have higaki filing (yasurime), although there is some variation in nakago shape and style of writing.  The oshigata below are from Fuller and Gregory books.  [Note: he is different to Koa Isshin Mantetsu].

Can you post a picture of your tsuba and seppa, they look rather basic.

 

      

 

[Wakal]

Very interesting!  I will dismount it and take seppa pictures tomorrow.

[mecox]

wow...looks homemade

[John C]

A little bit of info...the white painted 50 is a type of assembly number and is period to the blade.

John C.

[Stephen]

3 hours ago, Wakal said:

Very interesting!  I will dismount it and take seppa pictures tomorrow.

Don't see many of these. How thick is this?

Love me my copper, especially homemade, tons of character.

[Bugyotsuji]

Is the tsuba made of wood?

[Stephen]

2 minutes ago, Bugyotsuji said:

Is the tsuba made of wood?

Didn't think about that I assumed it was copper

[Bugyotsuji]

42 minutes ago, Stephen said:

Didn't think about that I assumed it was copper

Maybe it is copper! Very strange! 

[Bruce Pennington]

"Oh my kingdom for a [date]!" to misuse an old phrase.  This is the third late war gunto I've come across with a Showa-stamped blade.  Though I have not personally seen any 1945 dated, Showa stamped blades, we have 3 on record from a Mal Cox survey.  So, it is quite possible all 3 of these were made in the 1944-45 range.  And based upon these fittings, and the rushed finish to the nakago of this one, I'd say that seems likely.

 

Here are photos of the other 2:

 

A Yoshimitsu in late war fittings, no good shot of the tsuba, but looks pretty rudimentary, too!

 

A Yoshinao

[Baba Yaga]

Like everything we see exceptions BUT>>> Unless you're attending a collection in a world class museum most of what's presented is fair to bad. Our University had a Samurai Arms and Armor exhibit which I would rate at a 5 out of 10. The short katana under the glass case had a finger print on the blade. What would the "general public" know anyways.     

[mecox]

Bruce, don't forget this Tanigawa Isshin died in Showa 20 (1945) either March 1 or November 1 , so less likely making late war blades.  Could this be early war blade with late war koshirae?

[Bruce Pennington]

13 hours ago, mecox said:

Bruce, don't forget this Tanigawa Isshin died in Showa 20 (1945) either March 1 or November 1 , so less likely making late war blades.  Could this be early war blade with late war koshirae?

Yes, certainly could be the case for all 3 blades, and statistically speaking, the odds are for this option.  I filed them as having no date, noting the late war fittings for tracking purposes.

[Wakal]

 

I think the tsuba is cast brass, with the flow visible from the sand casting that didn't get to full thickness.  Or at least that is what I would say if I was over at, say, Flatland Forge looking at what one of the guys there had made and they asked my opinion.  But made from brass or maybe a brass and copper alloy, certainly not wood 

 

My goal when I was brought on the Board was to avoid the horrible display mistakes that I had seen at other museums.   I was spoiled in my youth, living in the UK and spending way too much time in the Tower and seeing how the big boys do things and was shocked after visiting and working (at) other museums during the (more than I care to admit) years spending wandering the globe subsequently.