Bruce Pennington

Can you copy and paste the web link? Also, with the new NMB software, sometimes you can simply right-click on the photo and copy, then paste on your post. Sometimes that works, sometimes not.

Type 98 Japanese Officers Gunto. Looks like the saya is aluminum? Not rare, but not standard either. The thick seppa like yours are usually found on gunto of a high quality than the average. Your guy probably spent a little extra on this.

Nihonto Club has a Yoshinaga, but he used a different mei and was from Hoki prefecture, where this one is from Seki. Doesn't surprise me though, as I've come across several smiths in my files not listed there. https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/YOS570 There were over 300 smiths working the Seki area during the war. We simply don't have official records of them all.

Wow! Beautiful work!

Thanks Sebastian! They are both the "Gifu" stamp: We don't know whether it was an Army acceptance stamp (leaning that way lately) or a stamp used by the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers' Assoc., who used to use the large Seki stamp until Army Inspectors absconded with it for their own use. Either way, it passed inspection and is non-traditionally made.

You can read all about the various types and see tons of high-quality pictures of each on Ohmura's site: Military Swords of Imperial Japan (Gunto)

Sebastian, Legit WWII Japanese officer gunto. Commonly called the "Type 3", but lately we've learned the version was a variant of the Type 98. It doesn't have an official label, but it was a 'Contingency Model' or in Japanese 'Rinji Seishiki', designed in 1938, but didn't 'hit the streets' until 1940 and not popular until 1943-1945. Yours is dated Aug 1944. Like John said, Masanori worked in the Seki prefecture. There is a small stamp at the top of the nakago (tang) that is the small 3mm Seki stamp - Could I get a good photo of it? It was used by inspectors of the Nagoya Army Arsenal, and is seen on non-traditionally made blade. I don't like the 'machine made' label, as all blades made during the war, regardless of tools/machines/quenching methods, were made by hand, by people. You can read about these at the following sites: Ohmura's Type 3 pages History of the Type 3 by Nick Komiya Unveiling the Rinji Seishiki in 1940

Nice thread, Neil, looking forward to more examples!

Came across another Gunma blade. A Sep 1943, star-stamped Kanetsugu - ク162 Star. In RS fittings. Found HERE on Wehrmacht-Awards. 1943, Sep Gunma Kanetsugu (RJT) ク162 Star Jumper, W-A RS 1944, Jan Gunma Kanetsugu (RJT) ク306 Edward Mahle, NMB 1945, Feb Gunma Kanetsugu (RJT) 938 Antiqueimperialarts 1944, Jul Gunma Tsugunobu (RJT) ク70-5 Star OhmuraBook pg 167 RS

A star-stamped 1943 Kanetsugu in black saya and fittings. Found HERE.

@PNSSHOGUN - John - Big apologies! I'm brain-dead from 3 straight days of almost no sleep (wife in hospital. All is well and back home now). I thought I was on the Late war gunto discussion thread.

John, I feel your view is coming from a guy that valued High Quality Gendaito and their appropriate fittings. "Value", as all of us know in Sword-Collecting-World, is set by the tastes of the group that are interested in each item. I think $650 for a 1963 Spiderman comic book is ludicrous, but I don't have any interest in comic books. I would also never spend $10,000 on a nihonto - I could get 5 great WWII gunto for that!!! You know that some of us enjoy the late-war stuff. You also know, because we at NMB have had this discussion multiple times, the point I'm making about taste. So, what I don't know, is why you're, to all appearances, acting like you don't know all this. ??? Love you, dude, but this is not why we are here. I don't look down on your interests.

It starts at post #17 on this page: https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/nlf-gunto-discussion-672281-2/#post2030534

I appreciate the effort. I find these items interesting as well. There is a larger thread about these, if I get a chance I will link it here. Nick Komiya, Warrelics, Posted a translation of a document in the last year of the war which showed that Allied bombing had essentially destroyed sword making on the mainland in that final year. They change the military specifications orders to allow anything that “shoots for stabs” to be produced regardless of Quality. He also showed a navy regulation downgrading the requirements for the metal fittings to allow one belt hanger black and fittings and essentially lower quality everything.

The handle is a classic style from the old days.

It’s a classic zoheito. They were being made just before WWII, hence the early Type 94 fittings.

The thick tsuba is typical for Type 94s.

Wow. The value of my Type 95 collection just went up considerably.

IMHO (first time I've used that acronym!) It's zoheito. Nakago is too long for kyu; long enough for 95 but wrong shape and only 1 hole; bohi goes too deeply into the kissaki for a 95. Pluse the "to" stamp is classic for a zoheito.

With a set like that, Gareth, a guy could comfortably retire from collecting. Wow, how beautiful! @Kiipu - I see the point of your question of the 2 ana. This blade seems to have been made with the Rinji Seishiki fittings in mind. With a 1939 date, it would have been going into the earliest of productions for the version. I wonder if the owner changed his mind, or maybe the manufacturers had not gotten the production going in time and the owner opted for the standard Type 98? Of course, another idea is that after seeing the original 'standard' RS, the owner decided it wasn't as high quality as he had desired for his custom blade? I don't think the high-quality styled RS fittings really showed up until later in the war.

NIce war sword, it's got personality! And I would caveat about how it was made. The large Seki stamps are found on some pretty well-made blades. Often quite beautiful. It could have been made by hand, in many ways traditional, but oil quenched. So don't be surprised to find something quite nice when you see it.

Since this summer, and John @PNSSHOGUN's white ray skin saya, I've seen more Army rayskin saya than I've seen in the last 7 years on this board! They're coming out of the woodwork! Truly gorgeous Gareth!

They are not the only ones that mess up the description. Rock Island, right now, as a couple of Rinji gunto listed as NCO swords. Another of there lots, with 3 blades, looks like the description was copied and pasted from another lot because all 3 descriptions are wrong.

Here's one on a 1940 Type 98, found on auction site.

Just found this one on a Type 98 with a Showa-stamped 1940 Yasutsuna blade. At an auction.