Help with identification of my grandfather's sword

[hopeforthebest]

Hi All - I am new here and this is my first post. My father recently gave me my grandfather's katana and we've been trying to research it. I think he actually posted on this forum in the past, but I cannot find his post. I am hoping that I can get some insights from this knowledgeable community. Thanks in advance for anything that can point me in the right direction! 

 

A little background:

 

1) My grandfather purchased the sword sometime in the 1960's from a Korean war veteran. The veteran either purchased the sword in Korea or in Japan (while on leave). We are not sure.

2) The Mei appears to read "Kuniyuki" and is made up of two characters 國行. I have found swords online with a similar Mei, but it doesn't look exactly the same.

3) The handle and Tsuba look ~WW2 to me.

4) The Saya fits the length of the sword, but maybe due to age or warping of the wood, it is a little more curved than the sword

5) The blade (sharp part) is ~25.5"

 

I also found a list of reference materials that discuss this Mei that could help me with a lead, but unfortunately I couldn't find these materials readily available online anywhere:

• Nihonto Koza Volume
  • NK-2-F14
  • NK-2-F28
  • NK-2-11
  • NK-2-55
• The Japanese Sword: A Comprehensive Guide
  • JS-102
• Albert Yamanaka's Newsletter
  • NN-2-3-14
  • NN-2-1-17
  • NN-1-8-10
  • NN-1-8-10

[chinaski]

Inscription possibly reads Kuniyuki or Kuni Yuki but I am still very much learning and more knowledgable folks will know more than me.   That said, I am 99.9% confident the 2nd Kanji character is Yuki.  

 

The Nakago-shinogi and Kissaki look a bit off/odd as well, but again I am not an expert.  

 

And edit:  I didn't read your entire post before posting, I just looked at the signature and went through my Kanji references.  I'm actually pleased with myself that I was able to "translate" that.  LOL.   

[hopeforthebest]

Thanks for replying, chinaski. The tip of the blade has almost certainly been chipped off at some point in time, so you are right. From what I gather, the symbol for "Kuni" changed after WW2 when the Kanji were simplified in Japan, so there are multiple ways that "kuni" is represented depending on time period. The "Kuni" symbol in the picture was used in Japan, China, and Korea prior/during WW2.

[Bruce Pennington]

Well, this is an interesting one!  Above the mei and ana, you can see where someone filed off a Showa stamp.  It was an inspection/approval stamp of the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Association, used between 1935 and 1942.  Most dated blades with the stamp are from 1940-1941.  Sesko lists a Kuniyuki:

 

"KUNIYUKI (国行), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Ōita – “Kuniyuki” (国行), real name Honjō Tetsuo (本荘鉄男), rikugun-jumei-tōshō"  

"Ōita" is the city or prefecture he was from:

 

 

"rikugun-jumei-tōshō" or RJT was an Army program that had tight production specifications, and their blades come with a star stamp, but the program didn't start until 1942.  Kuniyuki obviously applied for the program when it was instituted, and passed the test for entry.

 

The showa stamp most likely means the blade was not made in the traditional manner, but in my experience, the blades bearing this stamp are well made, and nice quality.

[hopeforthebest]

Thanks, Bruce and great eye! Very cool and I will research this further based on the information you provided!