Bruce Pennington

More info from Nick Komiya at Warrelics: "They were a company based in 新京, the capital of Manchuria and even ran a private train service to Dalian. Late in the war there was also a plan for them to open a plant in Akita Prefecture, Japan. President of the company was a Japanese by the name of Ueshima, who after graduating from school in Tokyo, studied in Germany after which he settled in Manchuria." Still trying to find anything documenting their sword production.

Thomas, That reference to an anchor stamp is a mystery to me too. The only ones I know of are referenced in Fuller & Gregory's book, and can be seen in his chart:

Guy, at Wehrmacht-Awards found this document that has something about the company: http://redirect.viglink.com/?format=go&jsonp=vglnk_157075997924715&key=371030782602e51f9316b570f87aa6a3&libId=k1lhwhus010009p9000MA1dc7j98y&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.warrelics.eu%2Fforum%2Fshowpost.php&v=1&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.warrelics.eu%2Fforum%2Fnewthread.php%3Fdo%3Dnewthread%26f%3D216&opt=true&out=https%3A%2F%2Frnavi.ndl.go.jp%2Fkensei%2Ftmp%2Findex_kashiwabarahyoutarou.pdf&title=Anyone%20heard%20of%20this%20Ore%20Company%3F&txt=https%3A%2F%2Frnavi.ndl.go.jp%2Fkensei%2Ftmp%2Fi...ahyoutarou.pdf

Maybe Thomas can find a reference to them in the war documents he has access to. Very interesting Kevin!

John, I see what you're getting at. I can't think of any other stamp that is found more than once on a blade (except those that have extra stamping on the nakago mune). So why multiples of the W? Are you investigating the possibility that these are put on by the fitters?

Indeed! Quite stabby, Bryce! Good show!

Here's a mon on a civilian tsuba and saya:

After scanning this whole thread, I don't see the chart I had just mentioned. Thomas found this in Rikugunshō 陸軍省 [War Ministry]. Rikugun Heiki Gyōsei Honbu 陸軍兵器行政本部 [Army Ordnance Administration Headquarters]. Ken’in oyobi hyōshiki kitei 檢印及標識規定 [Regulations for Inspection Marks and Signs]. After discussing it with Nick Komiya, Warrelics http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/mysterious-w-stamp-636794-3/, it seems fairly certain the W stamp is a "midway/halfway" inspection mark. As you can see in the chart, though, it should be an M, as yamagata means "mountain shape", and is called a "chevron." Nick even has a shovel with the W stamp, and he believes after reading this chart, that this is what we are seeing. It would fit the unfinished Mantetsu blades sent to the Tokyo arsenal (and likely some sent to Mukden) as these could have had midway inspections before leaving the factory. I don't see why private smiths, like Takehisa, would have midway inspections on their work before finishing, though. Yet, since I have almost NO IDEA of the process these blades went through, I admit it was possible. In a similar vein, I admit there might have been a reason for stamping them upside-down too. Maybe we'll find out some day!

John, It's out there. When you find them on Mantetsu, there are often 2 W's. The one's with 3 seem to be on named smiths. Here's a Takehisa with 3. No idea why. I'm still puzzled by the idea that these are "midway/halfway" inspection stamps. From the chart, these should be chevron-up, like mountain peaks "M", but predominantly they are chevron-down like "W". Ran this by Richard Fuller and he's not convinced it is the stamp referenced in the chart Thomas found.

Dang Neil!!! I wish I had met you before I bought my kai (at $2,400)!!!

Yes, Geraint. The guy said it was a bring-back by his grandfather. But that doesn't mean it was carried in the war. It could have been, I suppose, but there were many privately owned swords that were confiscated at war's end. It doesn't appear to have been re-fitted at all.

That is interesting Dave, I had never noticed that. Plenty in combat saya, of course, but in standard metal saya? Do you know about the blades in these? Were they older? Were they shingunto?

There were two anchors - Toyokawa and Tenshozan. Toyokawa was the arsenal and had a simple anchor. Tenshozan was a company and had a more elaborate anchor: Toyokawa Tenshozan

Unusual signature on the first one, I'd be interested to see what it says. Second one has the Tenshozan factory stamp. Both are nice, but I'd go for the second, unless the smith on the first is someone special.

Moriyama (Nobody) over on Translation Assistance said the same thing! I humble myself before you and expose my neck for your blade!!!

Ha! He nothing but a young grasshoppah! (Or WAS) His initials weren’t TD we’re they!?!? I did manage to shoot the head off a butterfly with my BB gun once. I was quite shocked as I was aiming mid-thorax..

Nicely displayed Marzio!

That's a good one Ted! Seems to be by the same smith or factory. Might even be the guys George Trotter has been following.

Sorry Kinnza, I mistook your title and was thinking "tsukas"! Here's an interesting one posted on Warrelics, http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/Japanese-sword-translation-needed-746608/. Note the kamon imprinted on the tsuba.

I was told it was a vet-bring-back from Patton's invasion of Sicily!

Interesting topic Neil, thanks! I just collect WWII Gunto, though, I do have some pre-WWII Type 32s. Like Chris, I began with rocks and coins. I still have two shadow-boxes of butterflies I caught and dried for display.

Yes agree on the pop-ups! Here’s the rest of the pics.

Just thought this was an interesting one. Found on a civilian sword re-fitted for the Navy during the war. Navy fuchi and kabutogane, but they left the original same' in white. Don't see too many re-fitted swords for the Navy, so I don't know if leaving the white same' was normal practice. Might also explain some war pictures of Naval officers wearing what appears to be gunto with army tsukas (white same'). Found over on Gunboards:https://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?1114013-Recent-Sword-Find&p=9919627#post9919627

Thanks Bruce, The other stamps are Gifu stamps. The one you are thinking is a W is tough to make out. Maybe it's more obvious in person. I can see it might be poorly struck and is the left half of a W, but it could be a poorly struck Seki as well. Trystan, you are WAY better at reading smith names than I will ever be, but would the kanji "直" be written with 4 vertical lines? I don't know what it could be but that seem odd. Bruce you might run it by the Translation Assistance forum: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/forum/15-translation-assistance/