Bruce Pennington

Link to Mark's thread HERE. I recall seeing pictures of Samurai wearing their swords hung from a ring rather than stuffed in their belts. Anyone have those pics? Could these be original ashi from back then? Seems like it was photos from around the early 1800s.

Using the Dimension Dark, like it! Thanks for all your work Brian.

Seki update: 61 smiths - 124 blades (large Seki) Awaiting request for prefectures on several smiths, but what shocked me was I already have 9 smiths from prefectures outside the Seki/Gifu authority: Kanetsugu - Gunma Kazunori - Aichi Masatsune - Chiba Masayuki - Yamanashi Nobumitsu - Fukuoka Sadakatsu - Osaka Yoshichika - Tokyo Yoshikane - Tottori Yoshitada - Saga I will update if any of the unknowns turn out to be from someplace other than Gifu. Why would blades made outside Gifu be inspected by the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Association?

Thanks Steve! File annotated!

Ok @Itomagoi, ready to work your magic on another list? I've been through my Seki-stamped blades - 61 smtihs, 124 blades - and need the prefectures of the following: Kanehide Kanetake Kanetsuna Munechika Naotane Suketsugu Tadakatsu Tadayuki Toshiharu Yoshifusa Yoshiharo Yoshimichi Yoshishige Yoshisada Yoshimitsu Yoshitada Thanks in advance!

Had this filed in my Seki-stamped files. Don't know who's it is, but I could use a translation, please!

Sorry Steve, I couldn't read my own writing. It's "Yukihira" and after looking him up, seems he's from Nagano. So the precentages don't change.

Good catch George! Now we're back to "unknown location" on Kanesada.

Hard to tell on my phone, but it looks like the scabbard is custom fitted with some thing like raised skin or your skin? Mine is the same way, and the adjoining slide. I’ve always wondered why the Navy didn’t secure their fittings with screws like the army does.

While we wait for updates from @Brandon_Lane, I'll post a survey I completed on my Showa-stamped blades. I have 118 blades on file with the Showa stamp, from 45 smiths. 118 blades 45 smiths _____________ 33 from Gifu/Seki 11 from other prefectures (Fukushima, Gunma, Aomori, Chiba (2), Yamanashi, Fukuoka, Omi or Shiga, Tofuji, Miyazaki or Hyugo, Tottori) So 24% of the blades are NOT from Gifu/Seki. This raises the question about the Showa stamp being the one used by the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Assoc., as I've noted in the Stamps Document. I'll have to dig out my source, I think it was Chris Bowen's interview with a swordsmith, that claimed the Showa stamp was being put on blades by the Army. This new survey data would support that. As we know, Seki produced approx. 70% of all WWII blades. The Showa-stamped blades in this survey from Seki/Gifu is 76% with 24% from other prefectures. If the Seki Cutlery Man. Assoc. was applying the Showa stamp, why would it be appearing on non-Seki/Gifu blades? It is more logical, though, if the stamp were an Army stamp who would be inspecting blades from all over Japan. I will next survey my files of Seki-stamped (large) blades. They should all be from Seki/Gifu if this is going in that direction. Edit: the source was a letter from polisher Sugiyama to Ron Gregory in my post at the top of this page,

Peter, excellent detective work, thank you! (small typo on "Fukushima"). I found 2 Yukiharu smiths in the Nihonto Club database, one from Miyaki and one from Hyugo, so unless this one is a third, he's not from Gifu. Thanks guys! I'll post the Showa survey results on the Arsenal Stamps thread.

Do you have a source? The odds are good that all of them are from Gifu. But I have found nine smiths with Showa stamps in my files that are from other prefectures. So I need to be sure on these if possible.

I like @IanB’s article Reading Signatures in the Member Downloads.

While running through my files on Showa-stamped blades, I have 10 smiths that I cannot find prefectures for. Any help?!?! They are all WWII era smiths. Jumyo Kanekado Kanematsu Kanemichi Kanesada Kanetada Ujifusa Ujinaga Yasutsuna Yukiharu

Neil, I'm just doing some wild speculation. The cutting style of the mei is crude compared to the majority of blades we see, and the nakago is strange in that the majority of them have angled lines all the way down the tang, not just at the top. I'm not saying it's a bad sword. It's just a bit of a puzzle. Something not mentioned yet, is that the blade may have been originally unsigned (mumei) and someone has added this later "faking" a mei. This has been done to many legitimate blades, both during the war and after, by sellers wanting to enhance the value.

@Brandon_Lane, welcome to NMB! We'll help for a price ...... we'll need to see pics of the full sword, closeups of the hamon (temper line) and blade tip, and some good shots of the fittings! Ha! We don't work cheap! Seriously, (ok I'm serious about the added photos!), the date is May 1943, and someone will help with the smith name. I don't see the "Na" stamp. Can you give us a clear shot of that? Also, is that a small star above the smith's name, to the left of the hole? I appreciate your posting the tsuba (handguard) as it has that small star. We don't know it's meaning but suspect it's a fittings shop logo. We have a couple like this on file, but no leads to who used it.

Well, the tsuka looks legit, with real age and wear. Admittedly, these can be pieced together, but if the fit is good, it's probably original. Seems odd the leather saya cover is so new looking with a heavily worn tsuka, though. Strange piece. I agree, I was bothered by the look of the cut in the mei, too. But I have seen some mei that looked so terrible on other blades that I would have sworn was fake, but confirmed by the Translation Assistance guys to be legit. So, who knows. There were over 300 smiths working during the war, many of whom we have no records on. Also, the date "1938" puts this right in the timeframe mentioned on the Seki website where "bad showato" were being made, requiring them to establish an inspection protocol, creating the stamping practice. This could very well have been one of the bothersome pieces.

I can see why you want it. Love the hamon pattern!

Wow John, you rank right up there with Kiipu as a Search Engine Wizard! I agree. The original fittings with matching numbers are now lost to history. I admit there is the feeling among collectors that blades, especially the older ones, went through several sets of fittings over their lifespans, but to intentionally change a war piece for "sprucing it up" value for upping the resale value.... harumph!

How about some pics of the metal fittings on the tsuba (handle). Is that a military kabutogane (end cap)?

The ones Shamsy mentioned are what we believe to be swords made in occupied China for Japanese forces. Could this simply be a Type 95 used/issued over there? Who knows. I wish, truly, that I had a good memory. On this NMB site there is a discussion, or a document in the records, discussing the Japanese officials that were in charge of inspecting and sorting confiscated swords, looking for the nihonto/gendaito that could be saved. In the report, it stated that the inspector put a number on the item. That particular discussion came on the heels of painted numbered blade, so I don't know that this one is the same as that. But considering your story, it very well could fit the practice, although after reading what I just wrote, a Type 95 would not qualify for a "National Treasure" nihonto. Just brain-storming ideas.

Pics righted

Date is June 1938. Someone else will help with the mei. Very unique diagonals at the top of the nakago. Yasurime? but bare nakago below the lines. Hmm.

Mark, Dan answered the "mumei" question. @PNSSHOGUN (John) would be a good guy to comment on the ashi, but personally, I think it's a WWII ashi - the swivel makes it stand out as such - so I think this old sword was fitted for the war with the ashi, likely had a leather cover that's been lost over time. I agree it's unusual to see one fitted cutting edge up, but with the world of WWII swords nothing surprises me. It was likely a private fitting job and the owner might have simply wanted it that way. All speculation though.

Great research Bryce! I don't have one, but I'm just glad to see another researcher adding knowledge to our collecting world. Press on!