Bruce Pennington

Peter, The star on your kabutogane is the Tokyo 1st Army Arsenal, but the other stamp is an unidentified shop logo. Here's a more clear photo of another with that stamp: Haven't seen that small stamp before on your tsuba/seppa, so it's unknown too. Can we get photos of the nakago mei and date for the files? I don't have that one listed in the survey.

Thanks Rob! Looks like I got it right in my survey chart, but misspoke in my reply - 2 Tadayuki 1942 Large Toshimasa B.Hennick, NMB 1942 Large Yasutsuna e-sword.jp 1942 Large Yoshishige F & G 1942 Large Yoshimichi Robinalexander, NMB 1942 Large Yoshimitsu Shinano, NMB 1942 Large Yoshisada Phil Reid, NMB 1942, Jan Large Kanetsuna Moley, NMB 1942, Jan Unknown From Fuller Survey 1942, Feb Unknown From Fuller Survey 1942, Feb Large Kaneaki Sasa1971, Guns.ru 2anaT98 1942, Feb Large Tadayuki Johnbull, NMB 1942, Mar Large Kanemichi 1942, Apr Unknown From Fuller Survey 1942, Jun Unknown From Fuller Survey 1942, Jul Kanenao Wmoore77 NMB 1943 x 5 Unknown From Cox Survey 1943 small Yoshichika Corry,NMB, jiri stamp T98 1943 Large Hiromitsu Apstla, Guns.ru, Gunzoku 1943 Large Tadayuki Cbecket NMB 1943 Large Yoshishige Pennington, NMB, kaigunto 1943, Apr Unknown From Fuller Survey 1944, Mar Yoshichika also has “Na” Angus,NMB, RS 1944, Apr Yoshimune Sechan, NMB 1944, May Kunitoshi (Star) Cillo, pg 93 1944, May Kunitoshi (Star) cursive mei Cillo, pg 93 1944, Jun Small Kanetoshi (Star) Cox 1944, Aug Small Kanehide (Star) only on mune Nihontocraft.com 1944, Sep Unknown From Fuller Survey

An unusual one (to me anyway). Found by @PNSSHOGUN at this Yahoo auction.

Just when you've thought you've seen it all!!! Unusual mon there, too. Seems to be either extremely long gunto, or one of those light-weight, slim lined gunto. Too bad the blade is not with the koshirae.

Thanks Kyle! Cool display with even a helmet!

I seem to remember another thread than this one with similar "knives" to what I'm posting, but as usual with my non-excellent search skills, this is the only one I could find. Thoughts? Found on Warrelics HERE And on Gunboards HERE

Nice find Paul! I agree with your thought that the non-matching numbers, being close, seems to indicate a factory replacement. I know we discussed this, along with several examples, on another thread. It's another example of the hundreds of thousands of gunto that we'd LOVE to study, but until someone, like you, posts them for all to see, they remain in the vast unknown. @Stegel @Shamsy

Which adds to the well-balanced argument that the large Seki stamp is not a certain sign of a non-traditionally made blade. The large Seki, in my observation is, at minimum, a sign of really well made showato. This is only the 2nd Tadayoshi blade in found in my survey. Thanks John for the photos!

You read my mind Peter! Thanks buddy!

A pic from Jace, for posterity (years from now, photo links often go inaccessible, so we like to post actual photos in case that happens later) "He 300994"

George, The MRS gunto has an SMR Mantetsu blade, so by "gendai" it's a era, not nihonto, as we commonly use the terms. This style Rinji seems to have been made at the Mantetsu factory, for only Mantetsu blades are found in them. Chris, I've been prowling a couple of Russian forums hoping to find more of these. Since Russian troops are the Allied force that overran Manchuria, it was proposed that maybe they might have a significant amount of them. But so far, none have shown up on the 2 forums. I even posted pictures of it hoping to generate some posts from guys that might have one.

Interesting piece Eric! There is a third with the same kabutogane (found it HERE):

2 More!!! One posted by @eric-t, and the other linked by him:

Dang! Why would someone pay $750 Euros for a replica, when they could get the real thing for barely more.?

That’s pretty cool! And it’s clearly not a postwar add-on. you might as well include me on that list of vicarious voyeurs!

I agree with all the above. At best, it's an island-made sword, at worst a fake. Never seen the "XX" before. My gut feel is the fakers just put random stuff on the nakago to sucker unsuspecting rookie buyers. I'm not a Japanese linguist, but don't think it's Japanese. There are other guys who know some of the S.E. Asian languages that may be able to comment on that possibility. My one time personal experience with a faked leather saya cover - it's really thin and cheap. Looks better in pictures than in hand.

I've seen it 3 or 4 times, and it tricks me every time! David, could you show a clear shot of the same'? Is it fabric or canvas? I have a mumei, stainless, Takayama-to, with similar fittings. I was bothered by how new it looked and that the leather was brown, not died black like they were supposed to be. But yours, while there are differences, is quite similar. I'm thinking now, that mine was probably in the same time period - late 1945. Here's a shot of mine: and the canvas same' Takayama tip:

Good job following your suspicions! Very obvious fake.

Right, the other side. Looks like 2 dots, and maybe the number "15"?

I just keep getting surprised at the variety of art on these habaki! I guess with art, and the human imagination, there is no limits! On a nihonto posted by @ChrisW HERE. Can't tell if the rectangles are foil added to the surface or are they the real brass color and the darker brown is a coating?

Ah, missed that! These reference books have SO much stuff that they have to be read more than once to actually see it all. Of course, the first time I went through it, I didn't know anything at all, so I didn't know the significance of most of the stuff in there.

I'm going to show my Type 95 ignorance, here, along with my horrid computer skills, but would it have been possible the Plimpton saya HAS the horseshoe jiri, but the paint-job simply put the green paint straight across?

I really like this version of the clouds & rain pattern. Posted by @eric-t HERE.

Really nice version of the cloud/rain pattern habaki! Some detailed work went into making that.

Wow, Erns, I see what you mean! Sort of supports the posted tsuba as legit Japanese. Even if a faked copy, that still means the COPIED a legit Japanese design. Here's the posted chart from Nick Komiya: