zuiho

Do not buy this. I see why you think WW2. It is the ring on the wood saya that would sit under a leather cover. Maybe it started out that way. but, now this is a degraded blade with fittings either overly buffed on a wheel or outright fake. The tsuka ito is wrapped around the handle like newspaper around a fish. It is a recent horror. The tang, with rust removed , is the result of blundering abuse. The chrysanthemum may be an added fake. The saya has been coated with a finish that was added in modern times. It is now devoid of any historic or artistic merit. It hurts my eyes to look at it.

Hello, I know nothing of the smith. The sword, however, appears to be one of the mass-produced showato using factory steel that were typical of the era. One tipoff is in the second photo down on the right. In the center you can see a high point in the gunome hamon with a bright spot right under the peak. I suspect these bright areas are repeated along the hamon. They are an identifier for showato. Another indicator would be a Showa or other stamp up near the hablaki. But I notice the saya is civilian with an added loop which originally would have been protected by a leather cover. The tsuka looks to be army style. It is likely this sword was bought at an independent commercial sword shop and modified for military use. In this case it could bypass the military inspection process and have no stamp but still be a "machine" made sword. That is my opinion of what you have. William G.

Hello, I have a silver-foiled "cat scratch" habaki attached to a handachi mounted katana. The mounts are of better-than-average quality. The curious thing is that the habaki appears to have a kanji chiseled on the inner surface of one side. I interpret it as "Hisa". There are also two shallow and small marks that are not chiseled. A single kanji does not seem to constitute a signature in most cases and perhaps not here, either. I did find an English interpretation of "Hisa" as meaning "forever" or "long-lasting" In this case, not a signature but a guarantee of quality ? Could it mean something like "guaranteed for the life of the sword'' ? The last reference I found to an inside-signed habaki in this forum was in May of 2020. The consensus then was that the marks were random. Photos are provided below. Bill G.

Hello, The post by "Butch " on March 27 featuring a type 3 gunto by Zuiho has prompted me to contribute my example. Listed below is my personal assessment and may not be entirely accurate but here goes: BLADE TYPE: Type 3 ww2 shin gunto by RJT approved smith ( as indicated by star stamp) SHAPE (sugata): Iorimune PERIOD: Showa WW2 PROVINCE: LENGTH (nagasa): 27 1/8 " , 87 cm. WIDTH (machi) : 1 5/16", 33 mm. (motohaba) : 7/8", 23 mm. THICKNESS: CURVATURE (sori) : shallow 5/8", 15 mm. FORGING (jihada/kitae) : itame Temper line ( hamon/yakiba) : Nioi based suguha midare with rough tobiyaki Note: Partial Choji-midare utsuri appears to be present on both sides. ( I call it utsuri as no line of nie or nioi is present ) POINT (boshi) : ko maru on chu kissaki TANG (nakago) : iriyamagata , kesho yasurimei SIGNATURE: signed on ura : ZUI HO SAKU with STAR stamp above Zui. DATED on omote: Kinoe or 21 st (year since start of zodiacal cycle), SARU (year of the Monkey ), NI ( 2nd), GATSU ( month) . This zodiacal date is equivalent to March, 1944. REMARKS : An assembly number 435 stamped on mune behind hamachi. Double press studs present on saya. Two screws placed one on each side hold eleven inch tsuka. Tsuka has wine-colored lacquered ito over imitation same' . Notes : The other smith name of Zuiho is Shigefusa. His real name is Kojima Kameta and lived in Tokushima prefecture. He had 5 students at his forge. Reference: Samurai Sword Kanetoyo Art Museum website, (Tokyo, Japan) . Cheers, William G.

Hello, I can contribute a photo of an M1873 naval petty officers sword. It is just under 32” long end to end.

Hello All, Here is a type 98 gunto that is different in detail from most others. The highlights on the fittings of this example are copper-tinted. The highlights along the edges of the fittings on most gunto are gold-colored. The fittings here are detailed by hand and have the higher quality thick seppa. (Ignore the saya finish. It is re-painted) I have seen 2 others with similar fittings . Both with good blades. William G.

That is a great photo in that it associates a particular style of gunto with the NLF. I believe I see a blurry anchor on the man's cap. Allow me to post what I believe was a gunto carried by an NLF officer. It has a koto blade, tired and possibly re-tempered. It has a poorly made civilian Showa-era tsuka with plain brass fuchi-kashira, old iron plate tsuba, and plain wood saya with black leather cover and two leather hangers with brass D-rings. A basic rig for an officer of limited means. I believe its similarity to the sword of the NLF officer in the photo is clear. William G.

A search on the NMB forum for Naval Landing Forces gunto found several threads. The consensus seems to be that there was no official gunto design specifically for these forces. I cannot help resolve this issue. However, I do believe I have a sword once carried by an officer of the NLF. Photos : This example consists of a private purchase outfit for an officer who probably had minimal money to spend. The tsuka is a Showa era civilian style with plain brass fuchi-kashira and machine - stamped brass shi-shi menuki . The badly wrapped tsuka-ito is over same'. The tsuba is an old round plain iron plate with a mon inlaid on one side. Aluminum and brass seppa keep it in place. The 23 inch blade is, perhaps, sue- koto . It is narrow, tired and has numerous flaws but was once a good blade with much activity. The dealer from whom I bought it said it was obtained by a US army vet in Japan during the occupation. The important aspect of this sword is the saya. It is a field saya of plain wood with a black leather cover using a snap retainer for the sword and TWO leather and brass ashi. There is clear wear at the top of both rings to show it was carried. Such a saya was suited for combat areas on land. The color black was, with some exceptions, exclusively used by the navy. The use of double ashi was the characteristic naval style. So, it was for a naval officer on land or in other words, the Naval landing forces. Comments are welcome. William G.

Hello, As the original poster I can add a bit more info. The habaki does seem to be hammered to fit the blade where it meets the munemachi since it is thinner there. I will not attempt to remove it completely as damage to the habaki may occur. Comments about the tiny size of the photos baffle me. If you double-click on these thumbnails they expand, at least for me as the original poster. As for knowing the answer, I do not. I do know the blade is very tired with core steel showing in spots and surface delamination evident. I like it for its WW2 connection and for everything, good and bad, that can be seen along its length. I have seen another example at a show. (Things seem to call to each other.) It was of similar dimensions, with a simple gunome hamon and mounted as a tachi. At the time , I thought it might have been a Boys Day item. Bill G.

hello, I will add another photo. The Habaki will not slide off as the nakago is thicker than the blade to which the habaki fits. Pretty typical after repeated polishes of a well-used blade. Also, I do not believe there is a weld as there is no transition seen in the metal that I can see. The hole in question could be the more recent of the two but the polish makes it hard to judge. I will tell you that there is a mizukage about 8 cm. up from the mune-machi. It was suggested to me that this was once mounted as a naginata and without a habaki but have never heard of an example. Bill G. .

Hello, This is a bit of a teaser. Can anyone figure out what is going on with the mekugi-ana nearest the habaki ? Image posted below. i believe the blade is sue-koto. It is about 2 shaku in length with mild sori and mounted for use as a gunto. Bill G .

Hello, I see that there is interest in buying a sarute. If you go to Lions Gate Arms and Armor in the NMB links you will find two for sale in the "sword fittings/parts" section at earthbound prices. One is a gilt "monkey hands" type suitable for a kai gunto. . Poor photos but they are described as original. William G.

sorry, neglected to sign my post. William G.

I tracked an auction for an IJA sarute on Ebay that ended with 30 bidders and a final price of $316.00 on July 10. There was nothing special about it . It had cherry blossoms and leaves in the pattern with average wear , no painted highlights, of middling quality. Is this really where the market is (crazy) ? Or, was it a spontaneous and singular feeding frenzy among Ebay sharks?

Hello, Your sword may not be high quality but could be at least a relic of a significant time in Japan. Others have alluded to Satsuma koshirae. They suggest, I think, that the rough bindings indicate its possible use in the Satsuma rebellion, a last-ditch stand of traditional samurai who saw their own selves become outmoded relics in a new age of modern weapons and tactics. For this reason, I would leave it alone and not try any repairs or "window-polishes". It is likely the blade will disappoint, anyway. Further research is what you should do and really, the main thing you should do. Bill G.

Hello, One of my first books was B.W. Robinson's Arts of the Japanese Sword. In it was a small section on how to clean up rusty iron tsuba. This involved a wood fire and black shoe polish. Naturally, I just had to try it . It was not a good tsuba to begin with but with this treatment I successfully made it much worse. About this time, on my first sword, I decided to clean up the small rust spots along the edge. I had uchiko powder but decided Naval jelly was much better suited. I must tell you, the stain this stuff leaves behind is a fair imitation of a sashikomi polish. Might look ok on a Chinese fake but not so good on a nihonto. Bill G.

the Kanemichi blade at Nihontoantiques appears to be a blade approved for the military. Muji hada and oil quenched from the looks of the peaks in the hamon. It has Showa era koshirae which is comprised of either cast or stamped brass pieces. This sword , I think, is suitable for a martial artist for either iaido or tameshigiri since it is neither a true nihonto nor a military relic of historic value. I have seen several blades by Kanemichi and all were of very good quality for being showato. Kanemichi even had the approval of Hakudo Nakayama, chief of the Imperial Guard at the time. As for the price, a Kanemichi blade can be had for less . Bill G.

Hello, I cannot say much about your specific item other than to say that since the leather cover is black it may have belonged to a gunto carried by the Naval Landing Forces. There would be no need for a leather cover aboard ship so a Naval ship officer would be unlikely to choose it. I can also say that when civilian swords were chosen by officers a common modification was to knock out the kurikata, fill the groove with a piece of wood then add a metal suspension ring and combat cover. They might sometimes drill the tsuka and add a tassel loop. You can often pick out such modified swords in photos of group sword surrenders. So, it follows that a great deal of variation can be seen in such outfits, as your example shows. Just my observations , William G.

Hello, I might be a little skeptical of the story . I don't doubt your Grandfather received these items from his friend. However, they are very unlikely to be from a naval officer. The fittings on the blade are of an Army shin gunto with a leather saya cover which even the naval land forces would be unlikely to have. Secondly, Japanese survivors of ship sinkings were known to refuse rescue by allied ships. They would rather drown than lose face by being captured . A ship's captain would never submit to such shame. In any case, he would not have his sword with him during battle. Your Grandfather probably did not know the difference or care. They were just war souvenirs . William G.

Hello, Most of my interest has been in gunto and have seen many. In my experience, showato will show muji hada; no grain pattern in the steel between the hamon and shinogi ridge line. Also, many showato will have a shinogi that wavers along the length of the sword instead of a graceful curve thus betraying the fact that it is a factory made item. The signature is not definitive since a workshop may have produced both showato and gendaito. The seki stamp indicates showato as a rule but everyone hopes their blade is the exception that is known to occur. William G.

Those leather NCO tassels are as rare as hen's teeth. Most have rotted away so are much more uncommon than the silk braid officer's tassels. So their value is higher. I'd say twice as much. William G.

REPLY TO: post by Klaus Schicker Hello, You may be confused, Herr Schicker. I know I am. There is no suggestion the blade being discussed is a Kanemichi. Nor can I help you with photos as I do not own one. I have, however, personally examined four Showa era blades with this signature. They all had a Showa stamp and so were factory blades but were of good quality. It is said Kanemichi forged true nihonto and when he did, he signed them Kanetoki. William G.

Hello, Better eyes than mine have discerned a showa era date on the nakago and , looking at it again, I must agree. As for the seller swearing it is prewar, perhaps he believes that to be true. My neighbor's father had a sword in gunto mounts he obtained in occupied Japan . He believed it was made in the 1880's because one of Japanese workers he oversaw told him so. My examination of the sword showed it to be a 1943 showato from the workshop of Kanemichi of Seki. Very nice for what it was, but no antique. This sword could still turn out to be a very nice Gendaito. William G.

Hello, To me, this looks like a genuine good quality shin gunto. The blade, judging solely from the sori and the general shape and color of the nakago with the long mei, strikes me as being a Shinto period blade in good old polish. This is what I see but an in-hand examination might have a different result. The tsuka-ito seems to be darkened towards the tsuba. This occurs from being held by the officer to keep it steady by his side and further indicates its authenticity. William G.

I am 53. I bought my first Japanese sword in 1965 at the New York World's Fair, a souvenir toy. But I was inspired by the tale told of my Uncle's swords brought back from Japan after WW2. They were kept in my Grandmother's attic and no one was allowed to see them. Their very existence inspired me. Yet, my first acquisition was in 1986, a Showato. After that, several nihonto in gunto mounts and several in traditional mounts, all from gun shows. The result has been that my collection is only of so-so quality and I wish, in retospect, I had bought others I had passed over . My Uncle finally sent me photos of his best sword several years ago. It is a gendai by Nagamitsu. It is likely a presentation piece, one of his best. It has a nagasa of 26 1/2" , itame hada, midare hamon, bohi and horimono of dragons set in lozenges on each side. It still inspires me. William G.