Bruce Pennington

Small stamp is the Nagoya Army Arsenal inspector stamp "NA".

Jim, I would appreciate a photo of the other side of the nakago (tang) and a nice shot of the full sword in fittings. Thanks!

Flipped pics so Thomas doesn't loose his cookies!

@Brian - might move this one to Nihonto forum.

Good observation Thomas! I had one listed in the chart, MA 538, as NAN-stamped, but after checking the files, I don't see it. There is an odd stamp below the serial number that I must have mistaken for a NAN: This one also has a very tiny star above the mei, which is quite peculiar:

Thanks John, didn't have that one! Interesting there is no "NAN" stamp. Although, these can be struck lightly and hard to see. Can someone quote the comment by the "W" stamp? Just curious what they were saying here:

John, Came across this one on a 1943 Mantetsu. Not a great photo, sorry:

Matthew, The style of handle-work reminds me of other stuff I've seen from the war era, or just after the war, when sailors or G.I.s on ships returning home would wrap sword scabbards with cord. Or the ratan-wrapping we see on some. It very well could be something like that. It looks like copper wire? And what would you say it's coated with? As for the peg, or mekugi, many guys cut the tip off of a bamboo chopstick. I ordered a set of 3 off the internet pretty cheap. But in your case, you'd have to drill through the handle wrap to get the mekugi through the nakago hole ( mekugi ana). On the one hand it would be destructive to the original handle work, but on the other hand, it would make the sword safer to handle and enjoy.

The leather saya cover & haikan (belt loop) are signs the old sword was re-fitted for WWII. I have never seen a handle like that, and like Grey said, might have been added post-war. These swords often came home missing parts, and people tend to "fix" them up.

I cannot say the significance of tachi mounts in centuries past, but during WWII, they were used for presentation swords. Mantetsu factory workers reaching 25 years of service were presented swords in these mounts:

Thanks Morita-san! So, he was not the RJT smith, but this one instead: KUNIHIDE (国秀), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Kunihide” (国秀), real name Niwa Kamaichi (丹羽蒲一), born June 29th 1898, he worked as guntō smith (Sesko's Book)

Another Iijima fake at a JB Militaria Auction HERE. '51334' so still keeping in the 30xxx - 50xxx numbers series.

Again, not pretty, but another Boar's eye habaki. found on a post by @Jody HERE.

One for the files. I'm confidant about the 'Kunihide', just away from home and my reference books!

I have seen this a couple of times, if memory serves it was on army gunto. It is possible that it is a personalization by the owner of the Sword. Maybe some thing from home or family.

Not "pretty", per se, but posting due to the unique idea of the pattern going perpendicular to the blade rather than in-line with it. Found HERE on @roger dundas's post of his gorgeous tanto.

For the record, Roger, I don't think you've posted this before, so you can stop worrying about your "early stage of memory collapse"! I like the thick blade, too. Nice tanto!

You haven't stated you area of sword interest, but you can get some decent swords from WWII in that price range.

Great question, Peter, I've enjoyed reading everyone's story! Mine was simple as my goal in collecting was specific - I set out to collect a fair representation of the major WWII sword types: Army officer & NCO, Navy, and the pre-war kyugunto and Type 32s. In the process, I got 1 kaigunto with a Koto era blade, and 1 RJT gendaito, so I wound up with a sample of traditionally made blades, too. So, my "hunger" was satiated. I got hooked on collecting data on blade stamps, after that, which has run it's course, mostly. So now, it's mostly the social enjoyment of hanging out with all you guys, occasionally finding something new for the files, or helping a new guy.

Dan Watson, at Crimson Mist Military Antiques - https://www.cmmilitaryantiques.com/ - might be someone to check with. @Shamsy and @Stegel both have extensive collections. Don't know if they keep extra parts, but you could ask them.

Do the other seppa have the hole for a retention strap? Is the saya leather covered? Pics would help. What about the blade? Is it old or a Showa era blade?

I agree. Sunken stamps are often a sign of fakers. But have you ever seen a Seki Shoten logo on a fake? If it's fake, then I surrender the battle against them, as this one is perfect.

Plus, I have never seen anyone even try to fake the Seki Shten stamp. This one is not a fake stamp.

I think that is what is causing your concern. I have seen several like this, where an owner didn't realize that his "cleaning" efforts were removing original patina and coloration (I made this mistake early on, but realized the damage quickly before I went too far).

Any guesses as to the coating on that saya?