Bruce Pennington

More pics

It's probably showato, though I no expert. I'll post pics with the name. The guys at Wehrmacht-awards forum said there were 3 guys going by Sukekuni and thought my kanji looked like Miwa's.

Very beautiful! I hope you set a high limit on the bids!

Wow, that's a beauty! Hope you have a high min-bid on that!

Bruno, I've been told it was Miwa Kazuo of Gifa. Here's the post:

Bruno, I've been told it was Miwa Kazuo of Gifa. Here's the post:

I've had this late war Type 95 that I really enjoy. Originally I thought the arsenal stamp on the blade was Nagoya, but I zoomed in on it tonight, and learned that it's a Seki stamp (which is still technically a Nagoya Arsenal factory). But what was really interesting, is I noticed TINY marks on the top edge of the nakago. Zooming in, they look like 6 (roku) multiple times. Never seen assembly stamps on NCO swords! I've learned on another site that they are really "large" kanji, not number 6:

Just in case anyone is looking for a moderately decent Navy Gunto, I've found one on Craigslist. I'd buy it myself, but my fun-money budget is busted for a couple more months! It's a 1942, with Seki stamp. Pic of mei attached. http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/clt/5456101702.html

All, another good lesson on online communication! Rule of thumb - be thick-skinned, assume the sender didn't mean what it looks like to you! In my days as a squadron commander of a Civil Air Patrol sqdn, I learned the hard way! Text cannot convey facial expressions and body language. Personalities are different, and that doesn't show up well in text. Case in point, Adrew admits to being an engineer and we all know how THEY speak! :0

Kimmo, I'm new at this, but isn't the date Showa 2 10 year 6 month - meaning June 1945? I'm not a smith guy, but I'm sure the experts here can tell you!

Daniel, That is possible, that it means "up". I recently saw a character that means "down", and it is the mirror image of it! On the subject of your apple/pear stamp, I know I have seen a discussion of it somewhere, but I can't find it. I'll keep looking, or maybe someone will step up that already knows.

I'm reading my newly acquired Fuller & Gregory, and they thought that the pierced tsuba was reserved for more senior officers. I've never seen nor heard that anywhere else, but that's what they thought. I picked a nice one up to put on my dad's Mantetsu Koa Issin blade that was missing a tsuba. I put a company grade tassel on it, though, becuase I couldn't afford the $500 for a field grade tassel!

I have an unusual mark on the seppa of a Kai-gunto, that no one recognizes. I have seen the same stamp on the inside of someone else's removable ashi. It comes with a Koto era blade, "Fuji" mon, in sharksin saya. Seems to be a custom job for someone from a well-to-do family.

I love the special order rising sun seppa! Some day one will be mine!!!!

Hamish, the mon on this sword is "Fuji." I have one just like it on a Kaigunto! I recently saw one somewhere else, too. Probably was a lot of Fujis in the war!

Thanks guys! David, I'm not very read-up on the Kai-guntos, so I never caught the fact that the anchor stamps only were found on the stainless blades. Thanks for the info! Any thoughts on the chopped nakago? Blade length: Tip to mune - 24 1/4in; full length - 32 1/2in; in koshirae - 38in.

Just got this gorgeous Kai-gunto. I can read the date: 1943, but need help with the mei. Has a Seki stamp, but no Arsenal stamp. Is that normal? I'm also puzzled by the back end of the nakago, as it seems crudely chopped off. Also the sarute seems too skinny, it's the right color and seems to have wear where the tassel would have been, but it's skinnier than my army sarute. Lots of pics here: http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp189/Bruce_Pennington/1943%20Kai-gunto/image_zpsr3xbvg6s.jpeg, but I'll post a couple too!

David, sorry, I'm thinking of the stainless blades. Seems like they are often not sighned. I certainly have seen signed naval guntos that were not stainless. In fact, I just picked one up! I need to post some pics, here, to get a translation, in fact!

Naval swords weren't usually signed, but there should be a naval arsenal stamp, looks like an anchor.

Hamish - I'm lovin' this! Thanks for starting the thread! Martin - Have you gotten the Ka-mon translated? I found the bottom character is "Murakami", a Samuri name from old, but I don't know the top 2 characters.

Here is a link where Ohmura shows a brown/green tassle and says that it is simply faded:http://ohmura-study.net/754.html. I'm looking for a reference about the all red(brown) tassle in your pic. I have a memory of reading somewhere that late-war army tassles went to all brown, but the shade was different than the all brown navy tassle. I'll post if I can find it.

the year is "Showa 17 year" so 1942. The stamp appears to be a Seki stamp, but I've never seen one on the blade before.

Mine aren't "mint" either, but I love my collection, so far: Dad's Spring, 1941, Mantetsu Koa Isshin NCO Guntos: Copper handle #2643; Alluminum tsuka #92605, and Wooden tsuka #211894 Navy Takayama-to in combat saya Sukekuni April 1945 Type 3 Fuji Family Mon, unsigned Koto blade in Navy sharksin saya 1918 Otsu Cavalry Sword

Thanks Grey and Franco! Very interesting! I enjoy good craftsmanship of any kind, but I really enjoy knowing HOW it's done!

Anyone know how the bo-hi was made? I've seen very old (in other words - pre-macines and presses) blades with bo-hi, and very precise.