about to go pick up this blade, mei looks right

[gun addict]

I know one of the signature says "showa spring" but what is the author's name ? Thanks for the help of translation and my God is nihonto addictive? I picked up a set of Nihonto just last month and now i stuck knees deep researching about these things at 3 in the morning

[Stegel]

Are you able to post a better picture, perhaps a close up, it would help heaps.

Is there anything on the other side?

 

Ernst

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

Mei reads: 興亜一心満鐵作之 Kōa Issiin Mantetsu Kore o Tsukuru

 

Made with railway steel.

[gun addict]

Thank you very much Jacque, i am again amazed at how fast this forum responds and the wealth of informations avaliable. Are there any significance to this particular smith and "railroad steel" blade? For $50 i dont think i can lose out anything. With further research this seemed to be a blade made by Manchurian railroad company as indicated by http://www.h4.dion.ne.jp/~t-ohmura/gunto_114.htm, not a nihonto by any traditional sense but a piece of history nevertheless

[gun addict]

the other side says 昭和辛已春, i can speak, read and write Chinese so i suppose the best translation would be spring of Showa 15 which is 1941 is im not mistaken

[Brian]

Showa 15 is 1940. Remember the first year is 1...the second year of Showa was 1927. So it is 1926 + X - 1

 

Brian

[gun addict]

thanks Brian, forgot about that. I texted the seller hoping he would have rest of the fitting. We'll see though. The pictures ive got from his online ad does not look too good due to the excessive lighting

[gun addict]

and.........it was gone within 10 minutes, oh well, restoration would've been costly

[bmoore1322]

Deleted.

 

 

Brian

[Kai-Gunto]

Mantetsu blades are much rare than those with showa or seki stamp.

[bmoore1322]

Deleted.

 

 

Brian

[Kai-Gunto]

I collect Japanese navy swords and daggers and show and ask about them if I want too , the same can You.

But in here there is more nihonto collectors than us showato collectors , there is always wma forum with Japanese navy and army ww2 .

[bmoore1322]

Okay, i was just trying to understand if certain non-Nihonto swords are permitted in this section for traditional made blades that are water quenched, not oil quenched blades.

 

Brian

[Lance]

Here's another link about Koa-Isshin Mantetsu. They weren't actually made of rail steel, although the steel for them was produced by the same factory that did. While not true gendaito they seem to be the best quality non-traditionally made swords during Showa period that you're likely to find.

 

http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/koa.htm

 

 

Regards,

Lance

[gun addict]

sorry, at the time of posting i thought the blade was a Gandaito. Anyway looks like someone had a steal (steel) at $50, if only i had done my homeworks faster. The same gentleman selling the blade has 6 more Nihon-to but from his pics it looks like a majority is in WWII mountings and he's more than 2 hours away

[Kai-Gunto]

sorry, at the time of posting i thought the blade was a Gandaito. Anyway looks like someone had a steal (steel) at $50, if only i had done my homeworks faster. The same gentleman selling the blade has 6 more Nihon-to but from his pics it looks like a majority is in WWII mountings and he's more than 2 hours away

Off you go

[Geraint]

Hi Timothy.

 

Two hours, six swords? Are you nearly there yet?

 

Cheers.

[Lindus]

Hi Timothy.

 

Two hours, six swords? Are you nearly there yet?

 

Cheers.

 

The question should be "Are you ever" young Wilton.

[Weidas]

50 bucks for Mantetsu... incredibly low price... check out his other items. If price range is alike i think you should consider whole sale negotiation