schnitzel

I have been doing some reading and wow there is a lot of stuff out there!!! To me it would almost seem like one has to focus or otherwise you can become lost very quickly. My brain has come up with another question. Were katanas issued to individuals or handed out randomly? I have read up on soldiers in war being identified thru a piece of their gear being found. Just thought it would be a trip.

Well I think I am in rabbit country. I just spent the last 3 hours google searching a lot of terms i have seen used on this forum. HIstorically I have been a WW2 German mauser collector. However I think an opening has occured in my heart!!

This is all very interesting! I am going to see my friend tonight and bring him all this information in writing. My friend and I briefly spoke on the phone and he wanted me to pass on his gratitude and appreciation. The information given freely in response to my inquiry has been enlightening and he wants those that contribute to know he values it. Personally, I a curious about his sword and now I want one of my own! :D I think this may be how an addiction is born! I have lots of research to do now! So if they value was arbitraially set at 1 million yen. What would be a more factual assessment of value? This information is not being sought to sell the sword!!! I just want to be able to let my friend know.

First of thank you everyone for taking the time to reply to my naive questions. This is a fascinating subject to me but, I at best ignorant of all the nuances. I am curious if it is possible to find out who this sword was issued to during the war? Below is the only other picture of the blade i have currently. If this is no help and actually raises more questions, I would gladly take more pictures.

Pcfarrar, Could you elaborate on your reply a bit. What does 1941 ehibition-3rd seat refer to? Also is the value 1 million yen or is that what it cost in 1941? EDIT- is this a machine made sword or traditional? Thank you so much for your help!!! Kind regards, Rob

Hi, My name is Rob, and obviously I am brand new here. My arrival here is based on the recommendation of members of another forum. As a favor for a friend I a trying to find specifc information regarding a katana. The story goes, that this was taken by a US Marine interrogator at the battle of Iwo Jima. The family that gave it to my friend are rock solid. To me the sword looks legitimate, but I do not know how to validate it. Further I am trying to identify the kanji on the hilt as well as the markings in red on the other side. Any info on that and what type of sword would be great! Thanks all!