Gendaito with showa stamp?

[John C]

What do you all think? I know the jury is still somewhat out on this topic, particularly prior to 1942, however the seller claims this to be a water quenched gendaito - but with a showa stamp. Has anyone seen a traditionally made blade with this stamp? Kanenori (who made both showato and gendaito); no date. 

https://www.ebay.com...030039&segname=11051

 

John C.

[John C]

@Bruce Pennington Thoughts?

 

John C.

[dkirkpatrick]

I see nothing but showato. No real jigane or nie I could discern anyway.

 

Doug

[PNSSHOGUN]

Optimistic seller hogwash. 

[John C]

I thought that the showa/gifu stamps were only found on showato, though I was not sure if there may be an early "unicorn."

 

John C. 

[PNSSHOGUN]

Just an observation that swords with mixed forging methods tend to bear the Sho stamp.

[Bruce Pennington]

The Showa stamp is hotly debated by those who believe they have a gendaito with the stamp.  There are also 2 cases, from memory, where a blade passed shinsa with the stamp.  Pretty sure at least one of them was discussed here at NMB.  They only documentation we have comes from Ohmura and the Seki City website.  The Seki website makes the broad, generalized claim that "all swords" were inspected and stamped, meaning gendaito with showato; however Ohmura has a chart from back then showing how many blades had been stamped, and a note on the page states that the number didn't include gendaito as "they were not inspected", meaning only showato were stamped.  My gut goes with Ohmura as this chart is from back then, whereas the Seki website was designed and written by modern city publicity people who, like modern reporters, talk of things they know little about.

 

I have the feeling that the "gendaito" with the stamp were likely blades made from something other than tamahagane.  

[vajo]

The pictures show a clear showato, with or without a stamp. Its not gendai.