Nagoya Stamp?

[Frederik M]

hello all

i have this blade but not sure what this stamp is or mean? is it on both sides and on mune

is it a nagoya manufacture inspection stamp?

does it mean blade is 100% showato like seki or showa stamp or is it just inspection stamp and sword could potentially be gendaito?

thx for your help

[Shamsy]

99% of cases it's a showato unless it has the star stamp or one of the specialist stamps. I'd not hold any Hope of gendaito unfortunately.

[BANGBANGSAN]

Yes,it looks like nagoya manufacture inspection stamp 名！

[vajo]

The other stamp on mune is saka stamp.

 

Can we see the blade?

[Bruce Pennington]

The other stamp on mune is saka stamp.

 

Can we see the blade?

Chris,

 

I'm not familiar with "Saka". Can you give an example of it, and what does it represent?

[vajo]

Bruce i thougt it is the same little stamp as on the mune of my nagamitsu (saka stamp). But it looks different. I think this on the mune is also a "na" stamp.

I didnt know what the saka stamp is. It is  reportet in the oshigata book of john slough.

[Frederik M]

thx for your replies

here are some more pictures

it is a decent blade signed and dated

what is a *na* stamp?

[Bruce Pennington]

Frederik,

 

It is one of the many Arsenal Inspector stamps that were used on blades that were not made in the traditional way. The ordanance was passed in 1933 because non-traditionally made blades were getting into the collecting world that could not be distinguished from traditionally made blades. The "Showa" stamp was the primary stamp, but all arsenal stamps were used this way as well. The practice didn't make it into regular use until 1940, so there are many non-traditional blades made before that date that may not have any stamps.

 

The "na" was used by inspectors at the Nagoya Army Arsenal. Each of the arsenals had their own stamp.

[David Flynn]

Na stamp is seen on Showato and Gendaito.

[Bruce Pennington]

Na stamp is seen on Showato and Gendaito.

I also have a gendaito, star-stamped blade with a Seki stamp on the nakago mune. I'm thinking this is getting to be a trend, that inspector stamps on the mune are not connected with the order to stamp non-traditional blades.

[vajo]

Bruce

 

From the above, it seems that true gendaito appear with 
1. tosho mei and small logo stamp, eg "saka", and "na" etc (eg Ichihara Nagamitsu with "saka").
2. Blades with mei (no date?) and star stamp made "on-site".
3. Blades with mei, date and star-stamp made "off-site" by Rikugun Jumei Tosho .
All the smiths who made these swords were top quality smiths, so the presence of a star stamp or "saka" or "na" should not automatically dismiss the sword as "Militaria gunto". Jumei Tosho also made swords without star stamps, some with "contract numbers" on tang (not assembly numbers which are usually painted and correspond to the arabic numbers stamped on the fittings).

 

 

from the thread of George Trotter

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/5392-star-stamped-swords/

[Shamsy]

Nice one Chris. I've been too quick to dismiss, something I've chided others for. Now it's my turn to learn.

[vajo]

Hi Steve,

 

If Gendaito or not or something between is often not easy. I think this is why many Nihonto collectors didn't collect wartime blades. I collect every informations i can get about these swords. This board is full of informations but there is so many i often forget it