Granfather brought this back from WWII

[jeremiah]

Any help would be awesome!

[mdiddy]

Signed Toki Kanemasa. Seki-produced Showato in Shin Gunto mounts.

[Mark]

I think we discussed this one already??

[jeremiah]

on facebook?

[jeremiah]

  mdiddy said:

Signed Toki Kanemasa. Seki-produced Showato in Shin Gunto mounts.

 

is this what is says completely? or is it just signed Toki Kanemasas and the rest of what you said known by the build? I dont know anything about this sword...thank for the help, I have already learned a lot.

[Nobody]

  jeremiah said:

on facebook?

Ref. viewtopic.php?f=15&t=11759

[Jamie]

The same as last time and you still posted the pic sideways.

[jeremiah]

oh snap, sorry about that. been on too many forum trying to research this thing! People seem to give me tiny bits at a time though...

[Brian]

  jeremiah said:

is this what is says completely? or is it just signed Toki Kanemasas and the rest of what you said known by the build? I dont know anything about this sword...thank for the help, I have already learned a lot.

 

The sword is signed with his name..Toki Kanemasa. He worked in WW2, in the Seki area. The type of typical WW2 swords were called Shin Gunto...which is what most smiths made, as these are the mounts yours is in. Most of these Seki smiths made average, non traditionally forged swords...close to mass produced. This is one of them. Basically an average WW2 sword..more militaria than art sword. Hope this helps.

 

Brian

[jeremiah]

So do the non-traditional made swords or mass-produced swords have a hamon as well as the transitional? Mine has one so im trying to figure out if it was a traditional blade mounted in military as some have suggested. and also it has been suggested that this is Chinese writing and not Japanese, is this true?

[Brian]

The mass produced swords do have a hamon. Oil quenched instead of the more risky water quenched ones. Not as beautiful hamon with little activity.

I expect this one isn't traditionally forged. But still a real Japanese WW2 sword.

The mei is Japanese..not Chinese.

 

Brian

[Veli]

Yes, many non-traditional blades do have a hamon, but the hamon of those swords are lacking many of the features - also called activities - that make genuine nihon-to attractive and fascinating. Your blade -although definitely Japanese - is not considered traditional, because it is not made of traditional steel (tamahagane) and it has been forged and probably also quenched using non-traditional methods. The characters in the signature are Japanese, although it should be added that Japanese writing symbols (kanji) do have a Chinese origin.

 

Veli

[jeremiah]

very cool! thanks guys. you are very knowledgeable.