Bruce Pennington

Improved the pics a bit. Just got to my computer, and you are right about it being a Showa stamp. When you get the sword, check the other side for a date, if there is one. I'd appreciate it.

"Wayben" selling this on fleabay. Just had to share. The hada looks like wood-grain at the kissaki. Pretty cool! A Yoshifhiro (kao added to Stamps doc!) Not involved in the sale, but if anyone is interested it is HERE.

Your tanto now has a happy place to live! Looks good.

Jim, i’m usually wrong on the Sword Smith names, but here’s what I think: 正道 (Masamichi) We will see who it really is when the real translator show up!

Looks to me like Showa 19, so 1944.

Marsel, I have noticed a lot of blades collected in Southeast Asia have suffered quite a bit from years of heat and humidity. Such massive corrosion makes it difficult to say much. I'm puzzled by the area I've enlarged here. Is it just corrosion that has been smoothed over? The whole thing seem really poorly made, and maybe even not finished, like Uwe mentioned about the habaki. The saya is made to be leather covered, but the covers often are missing. My first gut feel makes me think of an article someone posted about POWs being forced to make swords. It looks Japanese, but, to me looks crudely made and unfinished. Here's the story:

Bamboo, found HERE.

Thanks for that tip/reminder Steve. Ohmura states that a navy official resided at the workshop to do the inspections! Interesting bit of behind-the-scenes info!

The date is August, 1943. Someone else will help you with the Smith name.

The date is February, 1942. Someone else will have to look at the Smith name for you.

Thanks Thomas! I've added the additional photos. Seems these are showing up often on Masafusa blades. What do you think of Morita-san's explanation: "It is formal that 眞金(shin-gane) pronounces as "Ma-gane"."? "

No signs of fakery here. Like Geraint said, big piece of information is the nakago.

I have to amend what I said about Fuller. He has 3 pictures of a senior naval officer carrying a Type 94 shingunto. It was Dawson, page 433, showing a senior NLF commander with a gunto in leather combat saya, 2 haikan (ashi), but with white same'. Dawson doesn't comment on it, but it's either an army tsuka on naval blade/saya or a civil sword re-fitted for war. IF it was done, it seems to be tied to Naval forces who fought on land, commonly called Naval Landing Forces.

Ah, yes, I forgot about that. I don't follow these, so unfamiliar with going rates. Mine is army, so it would have been cheaper, though.

New angle for sales from Komonjo. Nice blades with similarly corroded nakago, in hastily made saya and tsuka. Granted, he clearly states in both ads "...but gimei for sure. Bid on the steel, not the name." Hisamichi Kuniyasu

Just came across this Kyu with a Naohiro blade in it. Fittings are a tad prettier than mine, but my blade is nicer. Price is unbelievable for a murata-to by Naohiro. Glad I got mine elsewhere! For sale HERE Pictures of mine are on My Christmas Present finally came in.

YO! Good catch John! Curious to hear, Jim, about John's question of fit and feel. I will have to add, though, that F & G has some pics of what Fuller believes is Naval Officers with gunto having mixed fittings like this - naval saya, but army tsuka. So, this could be one of those, or it could be a post-war add-on. Jim, The drag on the end of your saya is a patent number. Fuller explains it here:

Oooo ... but now I have a much better one! Thanks Neil! My other pictures of this made the label look like it had 5 points, whereas the silver label had 3 with rounded "cheeks." But now I can see they are the same. Why some are gold and others are silver ... ? The silver one's I've seen are so worn and unreadable, maybe the "gold" is simply worn off. I've swapped the photos in the Stamps doc, thanks! Getting little odds and ends like this for 7.3, but not enough to warrant a re-publish.

Dave, In case you haven't already ID'd it, this is an 1886 model Company grade Cavalry Officer's sword Fuller and Gregory, pgs 50,51 Nice save! I appreciate your heart on this direction of collecting. I feel that way about them too. Maybe I'll try doing some hunting around town.

Ok, thanks for checking!

Dave, At first I thought you said that in jest, but the more I think about it after reading the legend and it’s meaning the more I wonder if the soldier actually was given that string by his loved one before leaving for the war, and he tied it around his saya! Makes for a nice story though doesn’t it?

Tiger, signed. Found HERE.

Sorry, not the "sides" of the nakago, but the back edge. Many (not all) Nagamitsu have stamps and serial numbers on them. Here's an example:

Ah, ok. The darkness of the first shot made it look odd, but now I see. It's standard style for WWII leather covers. Clearly has a story to tell, too bad we'll never know it! Great gunto.

I honestly don't know why I love the blades, but what I love most is the STORY. I love to hear and read the stories of the smiths, of the carry-ers of the blades, of the times surrounding the making and the using. My almost compulsive focus on stamps is not about the stamps, but really about the WHY, which always leads to stories of the times, people making decisions, etc. History.