Shin-gunto Late 1944 Mounts

My friend’s late father brought this Late 1944 Shin-Gunto back from WWII. It came from the Hiroshima area (outside the destruction, obviously). The blade and mounts show their age and lack of proper care, but are not terrible. Yes, I am educating her on proper care.

Please check my interpretation of the tang markings.

The date side looks to me to be: 1944, August; lucky day.

On the mei side there is the Star arsenal mark and what looks to me to be: Okishiba (Okishiga?) Yoshisada, then kin, tsukuru, kore (humbly made this?). This is the first Shin-gunto mei I have tried to decipher, let me down gently…

There is an Okishiba Yoshisada in the list of the Rikugun Jumei Tosho. Does this blade seem consistent with his work?

Date image 1

Date image 2

Arsenal Star Mark

Mei

Hada (having trouble getting a good picture)

Its a great sword , a gendaito.

But are You sure its not yoshitada? He was rikugun jumei tosho too .

Yes, I like this sword, really nicely done.

Brian

It is Yoshisada

Hi Greg,

Yes, you have translated correctly...this is Okishiba Yoshisada of Osaka...Okishiba is his family name and Yoshisada is both his personal name and his art name. He is a good gendai smith who was a Rikugun Jumei Tosho (Army accredited swordsmith). I also have one by him, although mine was private order (no army inspection star). Your friend has a nice sword and mountings, in very good condition IMHO.

1. Yours is signed with his "usual" army signature which always? seems to include his name Okishiba.

2. The kessho (fancy file marks at the top of the tang) are different from mine, but again, seem usual for army work...(mine is like the Gassan style which has some school connection with him).

3. The hamon seems a bit more active on yours...mine is smaller features of the same thing as yours (can't tell a lot from the pics you posted) but generally he is notare/midare (slow undulations with irregularities) so yours seems right. He is said to "work in itame, ko-mokume and for hamon he has notare and other yakiba. Old traditional forging basics and good hagane combination/fusing" (Tosho Zenshu p.656).

FYI this line is still going. They descend from the ko-Sanjo (they say) through Heianjo Fujiwara Nobushige of Kyoto (Yamashiro) to several generations of Okishiba Masatsugu in Osaka (Settsu). They are blood kin to a parallel line of Osaka smiths the Okimoto line. I think several generations, brothers, sons all worked together as a forging team. Yoshisada won a number of Sword Association prizes and was first seat in 6th/1941 New sword Exhib.

Yoshisada (YOS 746, 478a) (I think b. in Taisho 1912-1926) was a younger brother to the 2nd Gen Masatsugu and a source says Yoshisada was followed by his son (no name given). He had 2 nephews Masakuni and Nobushige, who only died recently. Yoshisada was working after the war also from 1955 , and entered the New Sword Exhib. at least once in 1956.

You and your friend are very fortunate to have such a nice example...congrats....he is a favourite of mine.

Regards,

Great information. Thank you George, Jean, Brian, Thomas. I did some more digging and found an oshigata on Richard Stein's site that is very similar.

http://home.earthlink.net/~ttstein/yoshsada.jpg

It is Yoshisada

Yeah ,I see , my ipad didnt open the photos of the mei ,only them of with the date.

Its a great sword , a gendaito.

But are You sure its not yoshitada? He was rikugun jumei tosho too .

Hello gunto,

Why do you feel it's Gendaito? Is it the presence of the start stamp? I have read both pro and con views on that issue. Is it something else you see that makes you feel that way? Any info will be appreciated. Thanks.

Kind Regards,

Stu

Stu, the Star Stamp means, it was made by a Rikugun Jumei Tosho, and is a Geandaito.

Yep. It is generally accepted that star stamped swords are Gendaito and made from tamahagane. Think this was one of the requirements in being granted the stamp on your nakago.

Brian

just found this thread. I came across one similar.  What is that covering the top of the saya ??  Leather ?  or paper ?

Hi Wayne,

Probably leather...I have seen this type of "half-cover" a few times over the years...may have had a leather thong attached to hold the Icho (tassel).

Regards,