jeep44

Here's an article from the August 1955 "Leatherneck" (magazine of the Marines). It tells of how Marines are getting NCO swords made at the Japan Sword Company, with lots of photos of the processes used in making them. The second photo is the Japan Sword Company shop of Mr Hakusui Inami, at the corner of 12th and B street in Tokyo. They were forging blades at this time.

I have a "Leatherneck" magazine from the postwar period (late '40s) with a long article about a Japanese swordsmith making USMC Officers swords, hammering out the blades in the traditional way. I would think one of these would be a very interesting addition to a collection.

Maybe these photos will help?

I posted this in the wrong forum before, but here is the surrender tag on a sword I picked up today.Any help would be greatly appreciated!

The verdigris around the scabbard rivets tells me this was done a long time ago-maybe some creative Seabee or a soldier with access to a machine shop? It was probably just a fragment of an NCO sword to begin with.

A couple more photos of the fittings. The rubber band is there on the blade to hold all the bits from falling off and getting lost.

I just picked up this nice Naginata-I've never seen one "in the wild" before (although I do have a Wakazashi with a probable cut-down naginata blade), and this one is a nice, complete example.

I'm sure the seller is happy, though. This is a rare sword, in very good condition. Maybe he paid a bit too much now, but in the future, even poor examples may go for more.

Study the close-ups of Type 95's in this album, and compare them to this fake: https://www.flickr.com/photos/58451159@N00/albums/72157634646684020

I saw the thread about the Samurai knives, and thought this might be of interest. I found this knife in an antique shop. It was stamped as being made by Sakai Kaneyoshi. I wonder if he were perhaps a swordmaker who turned to knives after WW2?

I'd need a lot more than one blurry photo before I'd send off $4000......

There's really not much to see with the blade-it's in pretty good condition. Isn't this an "otsu" by virtue of its serial number?

I just picked up this type 32 today. It seems to be a very late one, with a serial number of 129763. It has a blackened finish, including the Saya. By the sharpness of the cross-hatching of the handle, it seems to have seen very little use.

I was at an Antique Arms show today, and spotted another one of these swords, and took a few photos of it. I don't know if it will add anything to the discussion, but I guess it's apparent that this pattern of sword is not rare. The only real point of interest on this sword was the Tsuba-not the usual plain iron one.

You can see the worn effect pretty clearly in the second photo of post # 7-whatever this coating is, it's very thin. I used the term "paint", but I really don't know.

One last photo

Here's a couple of close-ups. I notice that the sword you posted a photo of has Army menuki. My blade has the anchor stamp, and it has Naval menuki. I suppose we will never know, but this pattern of sword sure seems to be made too well and too consistently to be merely a souvenir intended for customers who knew nothing about Japanese swords.

This is my sword. My question is... was there another military sword that had a fuchi with an integral seppa? I've never seen one, so I doubt these would be "left-over" parts-they were made specifically for this pattern of sword. As for gilding, I have my sword here, but I really don't know how to tell-it has seen a fair amount of handling, and to me, the parts look to be made of brass, with the gold paint wearing off. I'll post a couple of close-ups.

My copy came today from Mr. Doffin.

Nothing that I have read firmly establishes WHEN these were assembled-just that they were sold as souvenirs postwar.

I don't know-were they wartime-assembled swords that were in storage when the war ended, and then acquired by this "Japan Sword Co.", or assembled post-war? They weren't assembled haphazardly-they are very consistent in their specifications, and made with care and skill. Who knows? Anyway, I don't mind having an example of one of these.

Here is the thread I referenced at Wehrmacht-Awards: http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=907917

A couple more photos:

I was just over at Wehrmacht-Awards, and read a thread about these swords. Bob Coleman described this sword to a "T", and made some very interesting statements about it. The sword in question had some subtle differences from mine-Army-style menuki, and no anchor stamp, while mine has Naval menuki, and the stamp. Mine has the "snapped-off" tang, and a black lacquer saya, as described. Here's some pics of my recently acquired sword:

I bought all my NCOs back when they could be found at just about any gun show or militaria show for about $200. I really can't recall the last time I saw one at a show for any price. In my area it would be tough for someone just starting out to gather a good collection of these any more, and the prices I see on ebay just leave me shaking my head. As for the machine-made aspect of them, they were still carried into combat by Japanese soldiers, and as such, deserve respect. I value mine as much as any other Japanese sword I have, manufactured or Traditionally made.