Kaneshige with Kokuin stamp

[cisco-san]

Hello,

 

a friend of mine send me some pics from the Nakago of a blade, signed "Noshu ju Kaneshige saku" with Kokuin stamp.

The shape of the Nakago is very bad and I do not see any Sho stamp.

Anyway, I wonder if any blade made during Showa time, with a Kokuin stamp, is a non traditional blade?

See also one pic from the book "An Oshigata Book of MODERN Japanese SWORDSMITHS 1868-1945 from John Scott Slough" page 65. Or if the existence of a Kokuin stamp is completely independent and describes only that the construction of this blade is done with Kobuse method and  does not indicate if traditional or non traditional made.

 

Many thanks in advance

Klaus

 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

Klaus,

I'm out of time for today, but will do some digging.  I feel like I've read, somewhere, the "genuine core steel" refers to tamahagane.  If someone else knows the answer, please jump right in!

[John C]

Not sure if this helps, however some further information on Kaneshige exhibiting a Zohei-to sword, separate from the "forging sword" division. In this case, I am assuming this was a non-traditional sword:

 

It is noteworthy that this military sword exhibition was divided into the categories of "trial sword", "forged sword", "soldier sword", and "special steel sword". In the "Special Steel In the "Zohei Sword Division", "Yoshimasa, Kaneshige, Yoshitada, and Kanemasa" from Seki Kyoshinsha, and "Yorimasa" from Hattori Gunto Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in Tokyo are exhibited. In the "Forging Sword Division", Ichihara Nagamitsu, a swordsmith of life, exhibited a sword with a blade length of 2 or 12 shaku as "Ichihara Nagamitsu, Okayama" and was selected."

 

John C.