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SteveM

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SteveM last won the day on February 10

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  1. Or possibly 天正子四年 (Tenshō - rat - 4)
  2. Chippy writing, typical of WW2 smiths. This Yoshitsugu (義次) is probably the Seki smith whose real name was Hibino Komajirō. I would expect it to be a typical arsenal blade, not stainless steel, not tamahagane. If its stainless steel, the inscription on the tang usually says "made with anti-rust steel" or something similar. I think as the war dragged on, the Japanese stopped using real ray skin, and opted for cheaper, more readily available substitutes, which may account for the plastic rayskin that was on the sword. (Don't know if they used plastic or celluloid or something similar). So I think you've got a fairly typical WW2, signed, arsenal blade. If it had any hamon, it was most likely a cosmetically applied one.
  3. The sword should be pointing with the tip up. (Otherwise the signature is upside-down). 越前住日向守藤原貞次 The translation is mostly correct: Echizen-jū Hyuga-no-kami Fujiwara Sadatsugu 日向 can also be pronounced "hinata" in some cases, but in this case it is a certain location, pronounced Hyuga. There are no less than three smiths who signed using this name and title. I don't know which one signed this. Could also be a forgery, as forgeries are very common in the world of Japanese swords. More pictures of the sword might help. The fittings are a hodgepodge of antique, samurai-style fittings, and a wartime leather scabbard: interesting, but not nearly as interesting as the sword itself will be.
  4. I think you got a very nice and collectible piece of WW2 memorabilia. Signature on the sword is 関住星谷義長 Seki-jū Hoshiya Yoshinaga (Made by) Yoshinaga Hoshiya of Seki The fittings are in good/very good condition, the sword is in good condition for a WW2 sword, and the sword has a distinct mei, and is from a known smith...its all good. I think if you Google the smith's name, you can find other threads discussing other swords by him. The issue of the surrender tag is a side issue, but I think its probably OK, just a bit less worn than we normally see. With a WW2 sword and fittings in good condition like this, the presence (or lack) of surrender tag has minimal affect on the value of the ensemble. I think most people would like to have the tag as evidence of the sword's history, but, really, the condition of the sword and the scabbard are the important things - which is why I think think its a side issue. In any event, it is a real location in Japan, so if you ever wanted to research the presumed former owner, it can be done.
  5. Wakayama's Index of Metalsmiths https://www.amazon.co.jp/刀装金工事典-若山-猛/dp/463900379X
  6. 二コ一 would normally mean "one of two" (one of a two-piece set). The name looks like 関場正志 Sekiba Masashi. Not sure about the first character.
  7. Reverse side of your sword says 皇紀二千六百年五月 護国 Imperial year 2600, May. Protect the country Imperial year 2600 is 1940
  8. Here's another papered example. Showa-era smith. https://nihontou.jp/.../katana/1565/00.html Edit: Your translation is accurate. But your paper makes no mention of the mei on the opposite side (which looks very much like the inscription on the sword at the Nihontou.com link above. So, when I first posted this I didn't have any doubts about your sword or paper, but now, I'm not so sure. The sword you posted has the same inscription as the one on the "nihontou" site, but the paper is different. The one on the Nihontou site has a paper that correctly matches the inscription on the sword tang, and notes a size of 2 shaku, 2 sun, 1 bu. Your paper doesn't match your tang, and your paper notes a size of 2 shaku and 2 sun (but its a funny notation for the 2 sun.... its got an inexplicable "0" in front of it). And...weren't they using actual photographs in Heisei 29 (which is the date on your paper) and NOT hand-drawn oshigata? I think your paper may be, um, problematic.
  9. There is one Hirashige listed in Wakayama. Metalworker to the Tokugawa. Died in Meiji 12 (1879) at the age of 51.
  10. 明治三午年二月日 1870 (horse) year, a day in February
  11. 平重造(花押) Hirashige zō (tsukuru).
  12. Here's something about the metallurgy. https://markussesko....-thoughts-on-utsuri/
  13. Marking on the bottom sword (2nd picture) is the smith's name: 兼吉 (Kaneyoshi) The marking on the top sword should also be the smith's name, but part of it is obscured (or missing) so I can't make it out. Something + 國之 (~Kuniyuki), but the part before that is unclear, so I don't know if Kuniyuki is the smith's name, or if those two characters have some other significance.
  14. The chances would be pretty high, I think. Looking online, I can find 8 people named Abe living in what was that section of Wada city (now part of Takahata city). I wouldn't go cold-calling them, but if I wanted to repatriate that sword I might send a letter to one (or more) of them and ask if they were related to Shuichi. The problem is that if this is a real guntō, you couldn't return it to them because it couldn't be registered, or even imported. If its an older blade, you could do it, but I don't think Mike has repatriation on his mind, and its dicey to try to contact these people out of the blue unless you wanted to return the sword.
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