Mei Translation Help on Shin Gunto in Type 3 (1944) fittings and Possible Seki Stamp

[bachmanw]

As the title states looking for some help with translation on a Shin Gunto in Type 3 Fittings (I understand this is not official terminology).   I believe it is 1945 Vintage.

 

Would like to know what each side of the Nakago says as well as the Red Paint.

 

Also there appears to perhaps be a Seki stamp but I am not sure.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

 

[moriarty]

Greetings Bill,

 

It's a nice shin-gunto you got there, fittings seem well kept.

As for the kanji, I believe it reads:

 

義宗- Yoshimune (left side)-

昭和二十年一月-  January 1945 

[Bruno]

Looks like GIFU small stamp.

[Bruce Pennington]

Agree with above, and the paint is faint at top, but maybe 1625.

[bachmanw]

Thanks guys!

[bachmanw]

Bruce - I am assuming the Red Paint Kanji would be an assembly number or just a number identifying the blade?.  I did not see any numbers on any of the other parts; but I will check again to see if there are any.

[John C]

Yes, though no one is sure exactly what it means. The numbers range from 2 characters to 6 and are sometimes preceded by a katakana letter. Different arsenals/smiths tended to use different colors. For example, almost all souvenir swords are two numbers with black paint; RJT smith Kanehide used green on one side and aqua blue on the other. Personally, I think there is a little more to it than just "assembly" but I am in the minority.

 

John C.

[mecox]

Bill, in my files I have two Yoshimune (I assume they are different smiths):

YOSHIMUNE 義宗: real name Furukawa Eiichi (古川栄一) .
Born Meiji 25 (1892) November 25. Reg. Showa 18 (1943) October 28 (age 51).    This is in Sesko list.

 

Now I think these ones were oshigata I found (but I did not keep pic):
YOSHIMUNE 義宗: family name Fukumoto.
(“Fukumoto Yoshimune” SHO stamp), (“Seki Yoshimune saku” SHO stamp) (“Yoshimune” “February 1945” GIFU stamp) [rinji seishiki]

Yours would be like #3 in rinji mounts, with Gifu-sakura stamp and late war (Jan 1945)

 

Or may be the same person?

 

[moriarty]

1 hour ago, mecox said:

Bill, in my files I have two Yoshimune (I assume they are different smiths):

YOSHIMUNE 義宗: real name Furukawa Eiichi (古川栄一) .
Born Meiji 25 (1892) November 25. Reg. Showa 18 (1943) October 28 (age 51).    This is in Sesko list.

 

Now I think these ones were oshigata I found (but I did not keep pic):
YOSHIMUNE 義宗: family name Fukumoto.
(“Fukumoto Yoshimune” SHO stamp), (“Seki Yoshimune saku” SHO stamp) (“Yoshimune” “February 1945” GIFU stamp) [rinji seishiki]

Yours would be like #3 in rinji mounts, with Gifu-sakura stamp and late war (Jan 1945)

 

Or may be the same person?

 

Greetings Mal,

 

I got a few Yoshimune oshigata saved, but I believe Bill's example may just be a lower-grade undocumented smith, judging by the choppy style. Hope this collage can help my point.

 

                  Kind Regards

[mecox]

From what I have seen I think you are correct Maurice, with production through the war and most blades stamped.

[Bruce Pennington]

17 hours ago, bachmanw said:

Bruce - I am assuming the Red Paint Kanji would be an assembly number or just a number identifying the blade?.  I did not see any numbers on any of the other parts; but I will check again to see if there are any.

Bill,

Here's my favorite photo for that question.  No one knows why there are matching numbers on fittings of some gunto, but not others.

 

[SteveM]

義完 (Yoshisada) is a possibility.

 

This thread mentions Ishihara Yoshisada signed his name two ways 義定 and 義完 (both read as Yoshisada). 

I haven't found any corroborating evidence for this, however.