David Flynn Posted April 12, 2011 Author Report Posted April 12, 2011 Looks like a badly struck sho stamp to me. 1 Quote
Stephen Posted April 12, 2011 Report Posted April 12, 2011 David thats what George and i were thinkng...seem like its wings might be a bit large. Quote
ankhearty Posted April 30, 2011 Report Posted April 30, 2011 Here are pictures of stamps on the hilt, blade, and throat of the scabbard of a late war sword my Dad brought back from Japan in 1953. Please tell me about them. John Loughlin Quote
ankhearty Posted May 1, 2011 Report Posted May 1, 2011 Okay, only one of the pictures made it that time! Here's another try. John Loughlin Quote
k morita Posted May 1, 2011 Report Posted May 1, 2011 Hi,ankhearty This hot stamp is a logo mark of Seki Sword Company Ltd(関刀剣株式会社), that manufactured military swords as a subcontract from The Army during WWII. Ref: Jim Dawson, [swords of Imperial Japan 1868-1945,Cyclopedia Edition] on page 185. 1 Quote
ankhearty Posted May 1, 2011 Report Posted May 1, 2011 Thank you Morita san! I suspected that the stamp preceding the serial numbers on the blade and the scabbard throat was that of Seki. Is the stamp on the tang also Seki ? John Loughlin Quote
k morita Posted May 15, 2011 Report Posted May 15, 2011 ankhearty, I described the hot stamp(logo mark) on the tang in my posting above. 1 Quote
ankhearty Posted May 16, 2011 Report Posted May 16, 2011 Thank you again Morita san! You've shown great kindness and patience in answering my questions! John Loughlin Quote
kaigunair Posted May 19, 2011 Report Posted May 19, 2011 Well, here's another. Anyone have info on this one? I've posted a topic here also:http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=10442&sid=fa3028721ea1d8fb39e9a3a575e575f3 and signature on other side (nidai? -- saku) : Quote
SwordGuyJoe Posted May 19, 2011 Report Posted May 19, 2011 Hakudo Tameshi-giri Sho - Tested by Hakudo See link attached to your other post. Quote
cabowen Posted May 19, 2011 Report Posted May 19, 2011 nidai Yoshichika early showa smith. Used western steel. Quote
kaigunair Posted May 19, 2011 Report Posted May 19, 2011 Found one: Nidai Yoshichika swords have received NTHK and NBTHK origami and origami from Fujishiro. They are considered true gendaito despite being made from western steel. His swords were tested (tameshi-giri) by Nakayama Hakudo (sometimes read as Hiromichi) of Ishikawa Prefecture. The nakago are often stamped with "Hakudo Tameshi-giri Sho" (Tested by Hakudo) Signature on other side: Quote
cabowen Posted May 19, 2011 Report Posted May 19, 2011 I know that Yoshichika made both western steel, non-traditional blades and traditionally made blades. Without seeing the blade/kantei-sho, it does not follow that his non-traditional blades were awarded kantei-sho. Quote
cisco-san Posted June 9, 2011 Report Posted June 9, 2011 Has anyone seen such stamped mei before? Many thanks in advance. Quote
k morita Posted June 9, 2011 Report Posted June 9, 2011 Hi, The stamp says "Ehime prefecture" in Shikoku. Quote
cisco-san Posted June 9, 2011 Report Posted June 9, 2011 Dear Morita-san, many thanks for information. Does somebody know more about this stamp (e.g. does this stamp "automatically" indicate that it is a non-traditional made blade, swordsmiths in this prefecture?)? Thanks! Quote
george trotter Posted June 9, 2011 Report Posted June 9, 2011 Klaus, I'm only guessing, but it seems to be a Prefectural (Ken) ownership mark. The character for "Ken" was simplified after WWII so at a guess I'd say this is put on pre-WWII...maybe prefectural Police? Firebrigade? The blade may be older traditional made as it looks like the nakago has been shortened and a new hole put in. Any other marks on fittings etc? George. Quote
cisco-san Posted June 10, 2011 Report Posted June 10, 2011 Hi George, many thanks for information. My first idea was also that this is a older blade, but, to be honest, I never saw a "Showa" stamp on an old blade. This is for sure a result of my ignorance Anyway, here is the link for the auction http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... QgJgM%253D Thanks Klaus Quote
edzo Posted August 8, 2011 Report Posted August 8, 2011 Greetings, Here is one a little different than the one shown above. Quote
cabowen Posted August 8, 2011 Report Posted August 8, 2011 I think this is the Toyokawa Navy arsenal stamp.......? Quote
chrisf Posted September 8, 2011 Report Posted September 8, 2011 Might be off-topic but an interesting reference to Yoshichika swords is that Hakudo Nakayama tested swords for the Imperial Guard and had a Minamoto Yoshichika blade himself which I believe was sold at auction(?)some years ago. He demonstrated the cutting efficiency by holding the blade by the bare tang and cut through the hips of a dead pig which so impressed that allother swords were withdrawn and only Yoshichika blades were to be carried by the Imperial Guard. I have owned a Yoshichika and seen and handled several others and a high percentage seem to suffer from chipping and have often wondered if this was a result of using Western steel or a different hardness factor which produced a very sharp but slightly brittle edge? Quote
shibeni Posted October 13, 2011 Report Posted October 13, 2011 Hello, I made conection to posted link of strange stamp in one of my swords: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3106&p=22453&hilit=masa+mitsu#p22453. Two kanjis stamped on nakago are inscription - Masa Mitsu. Size of one kanji is aprox. 4 mm. Stamp is in the oposite side of where should be mei of swordsmith. Regards, Bojan S. Quote
Ray Singer Posted October 19, 2011 Report Posted October 19, 2011 Another stamp example for the archives. I acquired a very nice Kongohyoe Minamoto Moritaka this past weekend. On the mune are two KUMA stamps. This is also the first Moritaka I have seen which did not include a kao. Photo below... - Ray Quote
cabowen Posted October 19, 2011 Report Posted October 19, 2011 I would suggest the kuma stamp is a reference to the arsenal in Kumamoto where Moritaka was working.... Quote
Ray Singer Posted October 19, 2011 Report Posted October 19, 2011 Yes, I had assumed so. Not so get too off-track from the stamps topic but is there any consistency in whether smiths who typically included a kao in their mei did so in star-stamped blades? I have seen a number of Kawano Sadashige, but it appears that he usually excluded his kao on blades which were arsenal submissions. Likewise, I recall a Gassan Sadakatsu with a star-stamp and no kao. Quote
Ted Tenold Posted October 19, 2011 Report Posted October 19, 2011 I had this on file, so I thought I'd post it. So far, it's the only example I've seen of a Sadashige with both his monogram and a star stamp. It is dated December, 1944. Quote
Ray Singer Posted October 19, 2011 Report Posted October 19, 2011 That you Ted. I just did a search online to see if there were any other Moritaka examples and it brought me back to an older NMB posting from 2006 with a Morinobu having both star stamp and Kao. http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/niho ... 77159a4b69 Quote
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