Update**added hamon pics and closeups

[cabowen]

I scour the internet looking for blades. Literally hours of looking everywhere i think one may be listed. and antique sales. then I look at alot of pics, then i gamble with em. So far i have picked 3 winners, let's pray my good fortune continues!

 

Jason-

 

As others have pointed out, this is a WWII era work signed "Ishihara Yoshisada". He worked in Seki, and as you can see by the hamon, was true to the Mino tradition.

 

What this is, based on the long length and classical tsuba, is an iai-to. Seki was home, then, as now, to many dealers who offered iai-to to the martial arts crowd. They sold them right along side of the gunto...

 

This signature, again, as others have pointed out, is crudely cut and a frequently seen sight in WWII era mass produced/machine made blades. The fact that this blade has no stamp does not mean it it traditionally made. As an iai-to, it would not have been military issue and therefore a stamp would not have been required.

 

Most likely, and I can not say definitively from your photos, it is not a traditionally made blade.

 

Someone here made a comment to the effect that "you cannot tell what steel the blade is made from by the hamon"...Actually, if you know what to look for, you can tell if the blade was water or oil quenched and whether or not it was forged by the hada and hamon. There are activities that will not show in western or other non-tamahagane steels. Addtionally, if you can tell that the blade was oil quenched, and that there is not a genuine hada present, you can pretty much bet the farm that it was not made of tamahagane....

[Stephen]

Chris

 

sure is nice to have your experience on board, now how is that Gendaito book going? :D

[SwordGuyJoe]

I am interested in Chris' answer, but wanted to say, $30! Gendai, Iai, or Showa-to be damned, that is a hell of a deal! Well done Jason. I'd ask where you are finding these deals, but I probably wouldn't tell me if I were you either. Cheers

[jason_mazzy]

Chris,

 

Can you tell me why it wouldn't be traditionally made? and is there anything you would like to know that would help you make a more definitive answer? it has beautiful activity in the hamon, lots of nie and a great turnback at the kissaki.

 

if it is not traditionally made, it is an awesome piece of non traditional work.

[cabowen]

let me preface my explanation by reiterating what I said above- it is most likely not traditionally made....My reasons for saying this are as follows:

 

1. This is a "smith" from Seki. Seki was the center of machine made/non-traditionally made gunto production. Very few professionally trained smiths making traditional blades worked in Seki during the war. In fact, I would go so far as to say that 98+% of all blades made in Seki during the war are not traditionally made.

 

2. The crude yasuri-me and and mei are standard practice for these mass produced blades and a big tip off. Professional smiths finished the nakago to a much higher standard, even when making gunto for the military. While it is possible that this smith used tamahagane and water quenched the blade, tamahagane, especially later in the war, was rationed by the military and only Jumei Tosho had access to it.

 

3. Iai-to were made in mass quantities for the budo practitioners, whose numbers grew with the nationalistic spirit that was coursing through the country. Typically, iai-to, even today, are a lower grade/cheaper sword. They are meant to be used and are usually both used and abused. Few have the deep pockets to afford an "art" sword for such usage. Masters and the rich are an exception. They however, would not be ordering a blade from an amateur smith.

 

4. The fact that it has a nice hamon and boshi, whatever that means, does not mean that it was not made with western steel and oil quenched. Generally, oil quenching does not produce the quantity and quality of nie one sees with a water quench, if any at all. It is very difficult to explain what an oil quenched hamon looks like except to say that it is generally devoid of nie and other activities.

 

Let me again say that I am playing the averages here. Your sword may be an exception. Without seeing it, I can't say definitively. You will find there are as many exceptions as rules....

[jason_mazzy]

I am playing the averages also, and your information is so invaluable as a tool for learning about this period. Thank you so much for teaching us, and mostly me.

[cabowen]

Always happy to help....

[george trotter]

Hi Jason and all...

interesting thread, and a nice find Jason. Seems to be an interesting sword, but from the characteristics I see in the pics, and the nakago, mei, yasuri etc...I'd agree with Chris and all that it is MOST LIKELY, not tamahagane, though it might be fold forged and water tempered (need really good pics to comment).

To help you study...Yoshisada was a Seki Tosho of WWII. He started swords on 25th Oct 1939 and his real name was Ishihara Teiichi. I think the mounts are civilian?...and there is no stamp, so as Chris says, this is probably a private order, or somehow "outside" the military system. The signature style is definitely WWII and I would venture to say that it is kazuuchimei (cut "in-house"). The style looks like the style of Fukumoto Kanemune and you can see examples of his mei cutting in Slough..pp. 24-27. He cut mei for many smiths who worked within the Fukumoto Amahide (Kanemune's father) "co-op" sword system in Seki...of course Yoshisada probably cut many himself also.

 

Only careful study will determine the hada/nie combination of construction (forged/ water quenched etc?), but experience has taught us that few of these swords are traditional tamahagane gendaito, but a fair number are very creditable showato (trad forged/quenched) but using western style steels. Certainly, for the purpose they were made, these are very adequate swords. If it is any help, I once owned a Yoshisada sword (sig as on Rich Stein's site), and it did have hada and a very bright, hard construction, with seki stamp...but not, I would say, Tamahagane.

Regards,

George.