Bruce Pennington

Ed, I wonder if the left and right facing swasticas were intentional or just part of the elaborate pattern. Anyone creative enough to make that pattern likely built it around the swastikas. I learned something tonight as I didn't know the "left" and "right" facing carried different meanings!

Wow, that's unusual! Almost looks like bamboo mats.

Stephen, Did the owner state whether the fittings were RS or Type 98? The nakago has 2 ana, like it was made for RS fittings, but I've got 2 others in this year-group made that way, but found in Type 98 fittings.

It is my understanding that each of the contractors indicated by their stamps made the whole sword, fittings and all. Someone may correct me if I am wrong about that.

Both great! keep them coming!

another

This is another example of what we have been struggling with, swords that are so poor we don’t think they’re original Japanese, but so good they don’t look like island swords. Like the one I just posted which had a clearly Japanese sword Smith signature, but a large number on the habaki. A theory is developing that these were made in China for the Japanese.

Here’s an unusually large number on a legit civil sword converted for the war: found Here.

You’re right, thanks. And thanks for the extra photos! I was trying to use Thomas,’ fancy chart arranged in a different way, I didn’t read it right.

MOモ 104, so a 1943 blade with the Nan-ban Army Arsenal stamp. Thanks Stephen, a new one! Any chance of getting the full set of nakago shots?

It is a good book, but it was superseded by a newer version, same authors, in 1997. The newer version has more updated information and is more comprehensive. They learned a lot between the two books.

I am out of town this weekend, but will get back to you when I am home again. From memory, I believe the black is painted over chipped and beat up original paint. But I do believe it is war era in origin.

I hope we get some input from owners out there on this. Nick's history of the RS model points out that it was officially ordered in 1938, but wasn't officially announced in the newspapers until 1941 with an expected output of 3,000/year. But apparently that wasn't reached, and it seems it might have been 1943 before it really launched. This is one of his threads on it, with the relevant paragraphs in posts #5-8

Elements of truth to that in all the reference books. I like Ohmura's site for it's unmatched display o fcolor photos of high quality fittings and it's variety of colors and designs.

Not a great work of art, but art all the same (and certainly WAY better than anything I could do!!!). Found by Thomas @Kiipu at Warrelics Here. Bob Coleman didn't believe it represented real Japanese work or art. He didn't say why, and he's no longer with us, or I'd ask. Anyone see what he was seeing, or not seeing, that made it seem Chinese to him?

Thomas found another here: Warrelics

You can read, for free, dozens of high quality pages about gunto at Ohmura's site: http://ohmura-study.net/900.html

I would do almost anything for a nice toffee apple! But in spite of Steve's faith, I cannot recall or find the discussion either. @cabowen mentioned that he's seen a '42, but he didn't post pictures in the thread I found. I'm fairly sure someone posted a '41, but I can't find it. The search function, in spite my checking "All of my search words", keeps giving me 317 pages that contain "type" not just "type 3" or "type 44". There are a couple of NMB guys with "Type 3 collector" in their by-lines. Hopefully someone will help out George.

The translation guys will help with that first one. But the second one is likely a Chinese fake. It COULD be one of the island-made swords of the war. Will need more pics of the whole sword and fittings to say more.

I missed that point. A shame. Seems stupid, too. Japanese reading Japanese inscriptions on the nakago would see the 1985 date. I guess they're counting on non-Japanese buyers to get sucked in.

Dave, Here's another one! The whole gunto is black and it looks original, or at least period: https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/forum/ken-jasper-international-militaria-forums/Japanese-militaria-forum/12244933-1943-Japanese-sword-please-take-a-look

Bingo! Good catch on the date. Who ever did this rebuild did a pretty decent job from mixed parts.

Added by who though? I would be really surprised if these could be peeled off, postwar, and applied somewhere else.

I did a survey at NMB and found 7 gunto with the blue sticker and 5 with the silver. None of the blue ones had dated blades, but they range in obvious fittings from high-quality kaigunto to low-end late-war army. A couple of the silver ones were on 1942 blades (one undated but with large Seki stamp; other dated Feb 1942). The rest were mumei or blades unknown. One was even found stuck right onto the outside of the leather saya cover. One had an old family blade in it. But 1942 is the earliest date found, which coincides with the Army takeover of the Seki logo. Maybe this was their initial response to losing the logo before adopting the Gifu? The one with the old blade makes me think the sticker was more of a "Final total package" approval, or even a koshirae inspection approval.

While I recognize the talent an art of more complex pieces, for some reason I really like these: found Here.