Gendaito mei

[Matsunoki]

Hello from the UK.

Please can you help on this one? I’m going round in circles…..having Covid isn’t helping!

Dated Feb 1945

maybe Toshinao???…..probably not.

Very nice  star stamped Gendai in mint polish and shirasaya. 

I’m struggling with some of these Showa period kanji.

Many thanks

Colin

[xiayang]

関住武山義尚作 = Seki-jū Takeyama Yoshinao saku

昭和二十年二月 = February of Shōwa 20 (1945 CE)

[Ray Singer]

Seki ju Takeyama Yoshinao saku 

February, 1945

 

Edit, xiayang beat me by a few seconds. 

[george trotter]

Hi Colin,

I stand to be corrected (I have a bit of a struggle with the pics) but I think it says:
Star stamp, Seki ju Takeyama Yoshinao saku (red paint 49).

Date is Showa 20 year 2nd month (Feb 1945).

Hope this helps,

 

edit:   everyone beat me...

[Matsunoki]

@xiayang

@Ray Singer

@george trotter

I’d love to buy you all a large drink but then you’d catch my Covid

You guys are so so helpful 

Many thanks.

Now I’ll go see if I can find anything about him.

greatly appreciated

Best.

Colin

[Bruce Pennington]

Thanks for posting that, Colin.  This is the first star-stamped Yoshinao I've seen.  He is on the RJT list, and this is what Sesko has on him:

 

"YOSHINAO (義尚), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Yoshinao” (義尚), real name Takeyama Tsutomu (武山勲), born August 18th 1906, he worked as rikugun-jumei-tōshō and died July 11th 1982, jōkō no retsu (Akihide), Second Seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihontō Denrankai (新作日本刀展覧会, 1941)"

 

Can I get shots showing the full nakago, both sides, and any stamps on sides or mune?

[Matsunoki]

28 minutes ago, Bruce Pennington said:

Can I get shots showing the full nakago, both sides, and any stamps on sides or mune?

Yep, sure Bruce……I’ll post the whole blade in a day or two when I feel a bit better. I’ll let you know when I do.

Thanks for the extra info……kind of you. I hadn’t found much out……just a few Showato….no other Star stamps. 
Best.Colin.

[Bruce Pennington]

Oh, and sorry about the COVID!  We got a very mild version of it last month.  3 Days of minor sinus stuff, then a week of lack of energy.  No other symptoms.

[Matsunoki]

18 minutes ago, Bruce Pennington said:

  No other symptoms.

I knew Covid could be really bad (it killed my elderly Mum)  but this first hand experience is rather shocking as we wrongly thought it had got “weaker”…..apparently not. You were lucky Bruce. This virus hasn’t finished with us yet I fear. 
Keep well all of you.

Best

Colin

[Stephen]

20 minutes ago, Matsunoki said:

Keep well all of you.

Best

Colin

As you dear friend. 

Had aches in every joint the other day sleep most of the day. The bad knees wouldn't even let me walk just went out from.....sorry rambling ol man.

I wish you better.

[Matsunoki]

8 minutes ago, Stephen said:

I wish you better.

Thanks Stephen,…and you mate.

[george trotter]

Thanks for your kind words Colin...glad to help.

Like you I have had covid and like Stephen I have old-age knees and hip etc...that's life.

 

You are lucky to find a star stamped RJT smith from Seki, they are not common (mostly showato from there). I too was lucky to find one Seki RJT blade - by Nakata Kanehide.

Love the RJT smiths and their swords.

Regards,

[John C]

1 hour ago, george trotter said:

I too was lucky to find one Seki RJT blade - by Nakata Kanehide.

Ditto.

 

John C.

[Matsunoki]

On 11/5/2023 at 4:20 PM, Bruce Pennington said:

Can I get shots showing the full nakago, both sides, and any stamps on sides or mune?

Bruce,……as promised. I’m not very good at images!

it has a star stamp, a small stamp on the nakago mune and a small stamp above the date.

Hope they are clear enough.

All the best

Colin

[Bruce Pennington]

Thanks Colin!

Double ana, so made for RS fittings.  Both stamps are the small Seki stamp of the Seki Supervisory Unit of Nagoya Army Arsenal.  Quite normal on RJT blades.

 

I appreciate the photos.

[Matsunoki]

14 minutes ago, Bruce Pennington said:

Quite normal on RJT blades.

You’re welcome Bruce.

Are the small Seki stamps also common on Star stamped blades?

Thanks. Colin.

[Bruce Pennington]

Glad you asked, it made me take a quick survey.  I have 11 star blades with the double small Seki stamps, all from mid-'44 through 1945.  Seems prior to mid-'44 you see Na, Ho, and Ko stamps.  Hmm.  Implies that the Tokyo Arsenal stopped inspecting RJT blades or they simply stopped stamping them.  The Na & small Seki were both Nagoya Arsenal inspector stamps, so we see them inspecting/stamping throughout the RJT program.