Bruce Pennington

Thanks John, glad to have another researcher on the team! I agree with @SteveM, the 766 is a 1943 blade. With that in mind, the kana is more likely a FU　フ, not a RA. With random marks, scratches, and corrosion a FU and RA can easily be mistaken for one another. So, I'm logging this down as a 1943 FU 766. Also, @John C - does he say whether it is a Koa Isshin? 2. I do already have the YA 710 on record. 3. The 125 is a HO like Thomas said, and is already on file too. But your bringing it up has caused me to discover that a ?122 I have on file from a poorly posted oshigata, is actually from this HO 125! So, @Kiipu and @BANGBANGSAN, I'm deleting the "?122" in the unknown column of the 1939 year.

Thanks for the update, Gareth! I think you’re right about it being a private order, or possibly it was sold through one of the many private shops. No worries about response time. The home life is first priority.

Welcome to NMB Shad! I'm curious about the habaki. Has a unique shape to it, and one side seems ro have an "8" or some sort of pattern? Can we get some cloe-ups of the habaki?

Gareth & Thomas - thanks for the update! Nice discoveries.

Excellent! Thank you henri-joël. Very creative!

Ha! Yes, it’s been fun chasing this stuff around. I have to say, though, that I’m sort of just the ‘pretty face’ on these efforts, while the lion’s share of the research and digging comes from the guys here at NMB.

The last blade I have on file with the SMR logo is Spring 1939 N 574. The rest all went over to the Koa Isshin slogan. The company used the logo on all sorts of things like silverware, watches, even manhole covers, but on swords, the Koa Isshin slogan took over completely, until much later, when that was abandoned.

Yes, I missed out on a sword once for the same reason. A guy even asked for the specific location of the antique shop I found it in. Admittedly, I didn't have the money at the time, so no harm, no foul.

Thanks John, appreciate it! Interesting note, that NA 574 is, so far, the last blade made in 1941 we have on file.

Gareth, Many Akihisa blades have numbers stamped on the nakago. Any on yours? If so, pictures Please?

And the article states he registered RJT a Wakabayashi Shigetsugu, so it would seem logical (don't know how strictly it would have been followed) to think his star-stamped blades would be under that name, not Shigefusa.

A butterfly. Posted by Helmetbuyers at this Wehrmacht-Awards thread.

@Okan Thanks for the explanation, I appreciate the clarity. No offense taken good man. Steve, I think most of your posts would be better spent on the military forum, as most of these are military gunto. There aren’t as many nihonto guys over there, but there are enough to help you for the occasional gunto that has one in it.

@SteveM @Kiipu @BANGBANGSAN Could I get a translation of the green painted kanji above the "515" on this blade? A bit unusual for text on these painted numbers.

Don't know current wait times, but I waited 18 months before my Mantetsu got in. And considering Brian's post concerning Current Spate of Mail Thefts of swords coming back/to the USA from Japan, I'd think twice about sending to them and go for a US polisher.

I quite agree. I've run into the same issue with some of my posts. People are free to read or not read whatever they like. So, if someone doesn't like the content .... move along folks! I'm glad you posted it, as it has the dots, or punch marks at the end of the nakago that I am tracking. And in my opinion (I know, opinions are like butt holes, everyone has one and they all stink! Ha!) there is no such thing as a 's..t sword' especially if it a gunto. History, people. Lives lost, families destroyed. Millions of people globally affected. Honor, loyalty, bravery, comradeship, and on I could go. These pieces represent a lot more than what simply meets the eye. Ok, I got my rant in for the day!

Lee, That's a cheap price for a contingency model officer sword, especially one with that very rare anchor mon. This gunto has been up for sale on 3 different occasions over the years, that we know of on NMB. It's been discussed on a thread HERE. I'm posting a couple of photos for when the sale link goes dead.

Thanks Trystan! The only RJT Shigefusa I find reference to is Kojima. Wakabayashi is discussed in Slough & Sesko without mention of RJT work. So, I say this was from Kojima Shigefusa. Boy that zodiacal dating, without having the Showa written first, throws me every time!

O M G! That is one gorgeous rig!

That nakago sure seems long! Is the gunto extra long, too?

Could be 13, 16, or 18, but I'm going to go with 13.

Steve, what concerns you about it? They were so popular, it is said they had a wait-list of officers wanting them. As to traditional, there was nothing traditional about them - Manchurian steel, rod-in-tube construction - unknown quenching. Did you read the SMR Mantetsu Article? I honestly don't believe more can be said about them that's not already in it. With full respect to Mr Slough, none of them were made in Japan. There were 4,500 "unfinished" blades sent to Tokyo 1st for finishing to help them meet their yearly quota, but the blades were made by the Japanese mego-company South Manchurian Railway, or Mantetsu. Is that gunto up for sale online? If, so, could you PM me a link so I can ask the seller for the serial number (unless you care to check into that for us!).

can anyone translate the green kanji with '515' at the end? Quite unusual.

Got that one, thanks! I have Yoshiharu 27 & 71 dated Autumn '43, so I'd say this is a '43 blade, too. Edit: 26, 27, 35, & 71. In '44 - 103, 200, & 250

That’s fascinating to see it laid out that way, Thomas! Thanks for the post!