Bruce Pennington

Hey guys, Can I get one of you magicians to read this one for me, please? It's on a nice, upgraded navy dirk:

Yes, and it's how I get a ton of stuff for my charts, too! Ha! But I understand what you guys are getting at. I don't mind the posts, as my hobby has morphed into just being here to help new guys with their questions. If we don't allow that, we just become an insular bubble of old farts incestuously wallowing in our own stuff. It's like having a "City name" Japanese Sword Club that only allows people to show up if they join first. But I totally get Brian's problem with growing data needs and less than matching memberships/donations. Tough problem, for sure. NMB is like a public library where people can go to look up stuff and learn, yet needing the financial support to keep it open. It is a struggle all non-profits and not-for-profits constantly deal with.

I know that shadowing and the fact that it's a black & white photo could be falsely giving the impression, but this could be a black painted saya. It's clearly a Type 95, steel tsuba (sorry Sam, no numbers, Ha!):

And a couple of black-wrapped (leather? Tape?) saya found on this thread:

Adding links to unique wicker and ratan covered saya:

Thanks, Steve! I posted it over on Warrelics to run it by Guy and Akira to confirm. Will update when they reply.

@SteveM Steve, can you translate the mei on this for us? I have 3 on file with chiseled/etched numbers, but all 3 used Japanese numbers. I feel like I've seen one with western numbers, but I don't have record of it. Two of them are Type 95s and one is a Type 98. 98 95s - both were coppers Thanks for the link on the ratan cover, Joseph! @IJASWORDS said he's seen a few of these, and they were had Katsumasa blades.

Thanks for sharing this, Jan. Both the blade and the fittings are quite beautiful. Those fittings were an upgrade, and for us Military sword collectors, quite desirable. A small clarification - "Kyu gunto" were the early, Western-styled sabers. This is a navy "kaigunto" (Kai - navy; gunto - literally army sword, but it was used more commonly as "military sword").

Generally speaking, moisture is the enemy of steel blades. Order a nice sword cleaning kit - Online List of Japanese Sword Cleaning Kits - and use the oil that comes with it to with all the parts down, especially the blade.

Value runs from $1,600 to $2,400 depending upon condition, this one in the lower half of the range. But that still depends upon where and when you sell it.

The star is confirmation that the army provided the steel for the blade. The only steel the army provided to RJT Smith’s was tamahagane. I cannot imagine a smith using tamahagane and oil quenching the blade. Now, on the other hand, you can have a blade made by an RJT qualified smith, but it may be made from a different kind of steel and either water or oil quenched. That is something that each blade of this type would have to be evaluated.

Agreed - Showa 20 - 1945; March. Brian, is that a stamp above the date? Are there stamps above the mei?

Wow, gorgeous!

I have this blade on file from @phil reid, back in 2021, as "1940". Looking at his other blades, the date kanji line up well for that year. Such a gunto, in today's market, rans more like $1,200-1,400 USD, which is about 2,000 Aus dollars.

Wow, never seen this before!

Tom, Is this yours? If so, are there small stamps on the nakago mune (back edge)? You know about the RJT star-stamped blades, right? Could we get a couple shots of the hamon and fittings?

Wow. Are the photos from a sale page from whom you bought it?

Thanks, Paul! Looks like it was part of the stamping practice of the Shōheikan Military Uniform Co., Ltd, then. Might be able to move this small star out of the "Unknown" category. I'll have to do some digging first to see if seen only/always on Shōheikan fittings.

Not my forte, but thought you guys might appreciate this. Made by 菊岡 Kikuoka I thought it was interesting to see a habaki designed with the inner lining fitted to the bohi. Also, his method for attaching his name to the back of the menugi seemed unique.

I have my first opportunity to attend a sword club meeting, this one in Sacramento. It will be Tuesday, 18 Nov, at 7pm. Meeting is at the Sacramento Asian Community Center; 7334 Park City Dr., Sacramento CA 95831. Hope to see somebody there from NMB, but I don't know if we have anyone else here.

They are improving on the Kokura and Suya stamps! They still can't get the small, center, Tokyo 1st stamp, though. Yeah, that serial number is bad. No Type 95s have a zero at the beginning of the number. Another tell is the dimpling in the diamonds of the tsuka. They are raised properly, but blurred. So far, they have a hard time making clear, crisp dimples.

Brandon, Can you check this sword's seppa to see if there is a small star with a number?

@paul griff - Is there a small star on the seppa and/or tsuba of your Kanefusa?

I don't have my 200 one with me, but I have 134112, and it has the same flaw!

Sam, You probably already have mine? 202446