Bruce Pennington

The ones make in the Seki area, Nagoya Arsenal, were mostly made by the Seki Token Co. (if I have that name right). But they have Nagoya arsenal stamps and Seki stamps on the fuchi and blade. This one was put out by someone under the Tokyo 1st Arsenal, and I can't say I've ever seen who made them for Tokyo.

Little stamp by the blade serial number is the "TO" of the Tokyo 1st Army Arsenal. Can't clearly see the fuchi (collar above the handguard), but I assume it's steel, not copper. Sometimes there are faint stamps on these. Any chance? I've never heard which contractor made the iron tsuba models for the Tokyo arsenal. Maybe @Stegel or @Shamsy can enlighten us!

And just a follow up, I am not saying anyone was rude here, it simply reminded me of a time when I was in the past

Ha Ha! Reminds me of a time quite a while back when I was commenting on a topic I really didn’t know, and one of the guys bluntly, should I say rudely, asked me why I was even commenting and I should stay out. I let him know that was pretty rude, and he linked to a earlier conversation where I had said exactly the same thing to him! He was quoting me! Ha!

Wow, that was a great kantei lesson!

Wow. An Excerpt: "The 154-day successful siege of Port Arthur is considered the greatest military achievement of General Nogi Maresuke, who committed seppuku in 1912 after the death of Emperor Meiji in the tradition of the samurai to serve his master even in the other world." Maxein, Otto. Samurai Swords for the Material Battle . Books on Demand. Kindle Edition. I did not know this was done even in times of success.

The UK Amazon link wouldn't let me buy, but this one works for the USA: https://www.amazon.com/Samurai-Swords-Material-Battle-Gendaito-ebook/dp/B0963Q1F9Q/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=samurai+sword+for+the+material+battle+ebook&qid=1622390213&sr=8-1 Just ordered it, thanks Peter!

That term is sometimes used to describe blades like items #2 and 4 in Richard Fuller's list of 9 ways blades were made during the war:

Geoff, The "Na" or "名" is the inspector stamp of the Nagoya Army Arsenal. There were a few Army Arsenals overseeing sword production throughout the country. Swordsmiths in areas surrounding the arsenals sent their swords (or the Army picked them up for shipment) to the arsenal where they were inspected and either fitted out, or moved off to shops for fitting. The Army assumed control of all sword production in late '41/early '42, and the inspection stamps of the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Association (SCMA for short) tapered off while arsenal inspector stamps take over. Although we are starting to think the Gifu in Sakura stamp might actually be the stamp used by the SCMA after the Army absconded with their Seki logo. Inspectors of the Nagoya arsenal began using the Seki "関", although in a much smaller size. I don't know if I addressed your question or not. As to Seki smith blades, they were like any smith. I imagine there might have been low-skilled smiths that simply made showato, but all the smiths we have studied seemed to have made both gendaito and showato. The main problem is that gendaito took much more time to make while showato could be made more rapidly to fill Army quota demands. But there are plenty of examples of gendaito from plenty of Seki smiths.

By the look of the tsuba (hand guard) it’s a Type 98 Japanese Officer sword. More pics would help.

I've always been puzzled that something like tempered steel can dull by cutting softer stuff. That article discussed the study's discovery that cutting the hair created micro chips and cracks, but I didn't see any explanation as to HOW hair (or anything else softer than steel) can bust steel, even at the microscopic level. Where's our metals guys (@IJASWORDS)

I missed the memo, I guess, and stumbled upon @mecox latest article on the smiths of Tokushima prefecture. He's outdone himself with this one. Lots of history. Great article. Found here:

I like that blade style. There've been a couple posted on these forums like it. Looks legit to me. It's also got that flatter tsuba style sometimes seen on custom rigs.

OMG. Now I know why publishers use editors. Page 3 correction: Center stamp marked as "Ren" is a "Nan" stamp. I've corrected 8.2 and uploaded on the Downloads section. Sorry!

I still have the first fake I ever bought (got a second one with a batch of 4 at an auction). Not sure why I still have it, but I'd hate to let it back out on the market to sucker another rookie like I was at the time. Pluse, it's still good to hold it and look it over in-hand. It's a stark reminder of the quality differences between these fakes and the real thing.

I've had a couple of requests for a hard-copy of the "Stamps of the Japanese Sword." I was skeptical because I assumed the photos would be more easily seen in digital form on a laptop or computer. But I've made a trial copy and I'm impressed. It's very readable and the images are quite clear. With double sided printing, the Stamps Doc is 30 pages long. I've added the articles on the post-war souvenir sword and the one summarizing our discoveries investigating the Mantetsu blades. Total pages - 45 (90 both sides). I can print it for $36 USD and will have to add shipping (which I haven't investigated yet). I'd assume under $10 for USA shipping and around $20-30 international, but I'll try to find out. So anyone that wants a copy, PM me with your mailing address. I haven't established an account with the paypal alternatives, but will do so ASAP. Due to copyrights of several of my outside sources, I'm only charging my cost to print and ship. Let me know if interested. For those who prefer the digital, I've uploaded 8.2 on the Downloads pages:

Yup, got the same message. What kind of website is only viewable in it’s own country?

Wonderful place to familiarize yourself with the real thing: http://ohmura-study.net/957.html

Here's a question - If stamping of showato was a requirement (law, but none found; military?; industry concern?) Why are all the stamps, even military ones from the Seki/Gifu area? When the military took over sword production/supervision in 1941/2, the commercial stamps, Showa and Large Seki, pretty much went away and by 1943 military stamps took over. In fact in 1943, the massive majority of stamps are the NA of Nagoya. Where are the Tokyo 1st and other stamps? Yes there are a small number of SAKA of Osaka Arsenal, but very few and VERY few "TO" of Tokyo 1st. Even knowing that the Seki area produce 70% of blades for the war, that still leaves 30% that should have stamps from the other arsenals and areas. Here is the current survey results:

Hi Charles! Welcome! Part of your answer lies in determining how you want to collect. Like, will it be just old Nihonto, or WWII gunto, or a sampling of both? When you know how you want to collect, then your place for searching might be affected. The NMB sales section is a great place to buy because you're not going to see any fakes being sold, and prices are going to be respectful. When I was collecting, I often found that what I was looking for simply wasn't being offered on NMB at the time, so I'd go to fleabay and/or dealers. It really pays, literally, to know your stuff before shopping with either, but I've been successful at filling out my WWII collection from multiple sources. Even buying books, like Michael said, can be driven by your taste -- books on Nihonto? Books on WWII gunto? Both? I agree, though, getting educated is your first investment. I don't know how much research you've begun, but for starters: The Japanese Sword Index Ohumra Study Both are free and full of a massive amount of vital information. There are other sites guys might want to give some links to.

Yes, that does indicate that military authorities were preparing as early as 1940 for their take-over of sword production, doesn't it. Not just the RJT program - the whole sword production of Japan.

Bryce, Welcome to the Data Collection Club! It's a great way to expand our understanding of the Japanese Gunto. Interesting finding. I know from one of Nick Komiya's discussions of kyugunto fittings that they did specify a movement/change of locking clips due to rain getting into the saya. So, it is possible there was a shift in location for the 94/98, like you are seeing. Of course, the sample is extremely small, so always keep an open mind, but maybe you've spotted in interesting development in the gunto.

Yes! That's what generated my questions. Good article.

Thanks Jean. Good explanation!

Link didn't work, but I found it on their website. I see what you're thinking. Boy the one on the blade is really crude in comparison. Like someone tried to recreate the image by hand.