Grandpas Other Sword WWII

[BourbonGuy]

This is the other sword my grandfather brought back from WWII. The sheath is wood and the signature is longer. I also noticed deep scratches in the tang which is different from the other sword. Can anyone help me identify it/learn more about it? Thank you all so much for your input.

[Ray Singer]

Noshu Seki ju Kanetaka kore saku 

 

Appears to be a WWII era showato arsenal blade. 

[Bruce Pennington]

Chris,

Any small stamps up above the mei (signature)?  No date on the other side, I presume?

 

The file marks are called yasurime.  You can see the different styles on this site: Sword Blade Terminology - Japaneseswordindex.com

[BourbonGuy]

8 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

Chris,

Any small stamps up above the mei (signature)?  No date on the other side, I presume?

 

The file marks are called yasurime.  You can see the different styles on this site: Sword Blade Terminology - Japaneseswordindex.com

Thanks Bruce. No stamping above the mei and no stamping on the other side.

[mecox]

@BourbonGuy   Chris, as noted the mei  is   Noshu Seki ju Kanetaka kore saku.  He is  “Kanetaka” (兼高), real name Matsuda Takaichi (松田高市), from Seki, born Meiji 44 (1911) Sept 11.   He was an early  student of Kojima Kanemichi (小島兼道).  

Note there are around seven wartime  smiths with name of "Kanetaka"  and of these two have the same kanji as  兼高.  The other one is Kuwayama Kanetaka  (桑山 兼高)  born 1928 and independent from 1942.  (but different style of mei and yasurime filing is               different (sujikai)).

Your smith Matsuda was earlier, he is in 1937 Gifu list, and registered as a Seki smith on Showa 14 (1939) October 26 (age 28).  His yasurime is of taka-no-ha.    He is considered a "senior swordsmith" of Seki, and in  1937 national report : lived in  Bugi-gun, Seki-machi, Azanaka-machi.  and in 1939  at Seki-machi, Naka-machi (same address?).  He had 1 deshi (student) in 1937.  He trained from Taisho 13 (1924) under Kojima Kanetoki (Kanemichi) and became independent  Showa 5 (1930) May.   He is in the  1940 list of trained smiths by Seki Token Kaji Association.   However, of note, he is not listed in 1941 exhibition,  1942 banzuke list or 1943 list by NTT/NTS associations, unusual as he was a smith of note.  Possibilites are that he died  or enlisted  (in 1941 he would have been 30). 

Blades are typically not dated and have taka-no-ha yasurime filing on nakago, and are signed katana-mei.    He looks to have been active in the earlier war period producing quality Showato sold through shops and not in an arsenal.     His kokuin looks to have "taka".      Examples:

#1.  [Japanese Sword Index (Stein)]:  Showa stamp  "Noshu Seki ju Matsuda Kanetaka saku"   yasurime: taka-no-ha.

#2:  [ikedaart.net]:   Showa stamp   "Matsuda Kanetaka "       yasurime:  taka-no-ha.    nagasa:  71.2 cm   sori:  1.8 cm

#3:  [  Meirin Sangyo]:  Seki stamp    kokuin hot stamp     "Noshu Matsuda Kanetaka saku"   yasurime: taka-no-ha     nagasa: 68.4 cm  sori:  1.6 cm .

#4:  [auction yahoo.com]:  Showa stamp   "Noshu Seki ju Matsuda Kanetaka saku"    yasurime:  taka-no-ha      nagasa:  69.4 cm       shingunto koshirae.

#5:  [Fuller & Gregory, 1983]:  Showa stamp   "Noshu Seki ju Matsuda Kanetaka saku"      yasurime:  taka-no-ha      reverse has a dedication:  "Ojite Tanaka Shi Motome"  (made in accordance to the request of Mr Tanaka), so is a custom work. 

#6:  [Fuller & Gregory, 1983]:  Seki stamp    kokuin hot stamp.  "Noshu ju Matsuda Kanetaka saku"      taka-no-ha.

#7: [Fuller & Gregory, 1983]:   Showa stamp    "Matsuda Kanetaka"    taka-no-ha.

#8:  [Chris BourbonGuy]:      no stamps reported    "Noshu Seki ju Kanetaka kore saku"   .   

 

                 

        
 

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