Bruce Pennington

The emblem at the top of the tsuba is of the Suya Shoten Co, a quality company that had a long history, good article on them HERE. I don't follow the 4 versions of the late-war Type 95, but I believe the prices have recovered from the COVID slump, and those were going for over $1,400 at the time.

That's cool, Trystan! Seeing the pics on Fuller's book, I had just assumed the leather was full length. Nice to see real examples.

Thanks Steve, that's the whole reason for listing the "unknowns"! A few of us had worked that one over a while back with no success. It looks like two wavy, parallel lines. But now that you point out the Nagoya imagery, I can see what you're saying. I'll make the chage (7.3 here we come!). This one, right?

Well, thanks to Thomas, Version 7.2 is posted. It includes a beefed up section on the Unknowns, plus a section on the multiple hotstamps found on Amahide blades (thanks to Mal Cox and Neil Freeland for the multiple articles. Excellent research and great pics!) and other smiths' blades with the Amahide stamp. I also realized I'd never listed a "Sources" section, so that's been added. Please let me know if I've left any sources out. If I ever get around to a "Thanks to..." page, there's a number of people here at NMB that will be included in that! Other minor rearrangements, and edits. Link to Stamps Doc in Member Articles section

Since we're all speculating wildly, what would it look like if the bracket were used to hook up tight on the sword belt, buypassing the usual cord? Another idea - since, as JP pointed out, the "tassel" was originally a lanyard to be snugged around one's writs (that's what the slider was for), maybe this loop would bring the wrist-end of the lanyard down tight, closer to the tsuba when installed over the owner's hand. Neil, if you plan to install a tassel through it, fold the end back toward the grip after installed, and see if the hand would fit in nicely.

Nick Komiya has just posted his findings on the history of the Type 25 Cavalry sword on THIS TREAD. Predecessor to the Type 32.

Nice one Hale! I've added your Takehisa to my files of "W" stamped blades. I now have 3 Takehisa with the stamp, all Autumn of '43, all with the same black painted numbers (107, 155, and 608). 155 has similar Type 98 fittings with the thin tsuba. 608 is in Rinji-seishiki fittings. The "W" is stamped as "M" on 155, but as "W" on the other 2. Is your sarute the clasped-hands?

I know we had a thread going where we were discussing, and comparing examples, of these stamped kabutogane, but I can't find it. The single one on the second pic is the "東" of the Tokyo 1st Army Arsenal inspectors. The center star on the first pic is the emblem of the same Arsenal. The image to the right of the star is definitely an unknown and can be seen better on this one: But I can't make out the one on the left of your star. That's got to be a record for the most stamps on a kabutogane!

Steve, After seeing your "blued" sayas, it made me think about one of my 95s. It's the one with the mottled green paint that I assumed was a bad Bubba post-war job. I had stripped the greens and what remained was a darkened "blue" finish to the steel. After seeing your 32s with that same finish, I'm starting to think this was a regular finish done, for some reason, on some saya. Apparently it wasn't done to all saya, so why just to some? Maybe it was needed for a particular type of top-coat paint that in use for the moment? (I still regret stripping that green paint!) Dave, sorry for taking your thread off-topic!

Good one, Thomas! Didn't have that one. I have a Katsumasa - 168, No Date - but now I have 2! I don't see Katsumasa on the RJT listing of the Japaneseswordindex. But the massive majority of these numbered blades are RJT. Does anyone have another source listing of RJT smiths? If so, is he on it?

Thomas, Excellent idea posting digital images of the stamps in the Gallery. That way we can copy and paste them in the middle of discussions!

Really gorgeous, Edward! Good luck on the sale!

It sold before I could even get on and say "Dang! What a gorgeous Kai!!!"

Same here, and I have a Google account. All I could do was click "request entry" or some such wording. Posting the pics is always the best route. 4 years from now when someone is searching for items like you're talking about, the links are often dead. Posted pics are here for posterity.

There are 2 Kanetsugu listed in the Japaneseswordindex.com/oshigata but the "tsugu" is different on both.

After checking Fuller's chart, the kakihan on the right is the one for the WWII smith. The one on the kogatana looks much older, so it's likely another Morimichi of another era.

That one definitely looks period legit. I don't really follow the 32s and earlier, so I don't have a feel for them. We have discussed black painted 95s quite a bit. Here's a long one: Type 95 Black Saya I think the paint is WWII period on most of these, but like Shamsy says, it's hard to say if it is original or a repaint.

Ha! Me too! Thanks Brother!

Wish I had some! Yes, it's time to beef up the "Unknowns" section of the Stamps Doc. I PM'd the owner (inactive since 2017), hopefully I can get a pic without the red lines. Thanks Thomas for tormenting me! Ha! I reminds me of this one, but there's differences

Stephen, Any date on this?

Ask him what he thinks about chem-trails,

Date is April 1 1945. someone else will have to translate the rest.

This is better:

Barry, Here are the 3 examples I have:

After finding the fabulous anti-rust blade for sale, by Ray Singer, with a kakihan, made by "Morimichi" I checked my files and found this Morimichi with kakihan on a kogatana (if I've used the correct term), but they're different kakihan. Are they the same mei? Ray's blade is HERE.