Karate Sensei

Hi John and Brian, There is no other markings on the tang or other areas of the blade. There is no serial numbers or marks on the Habaki, Saya, Fuchi, Seppa, Tsuba, Menuki, or any other parts that I can find. The sword has been intact in our family's possession since 1945 so I know it is period correct. I thought it would be worth about $500, I agree it could be as much at $800 since it is very clean and has not been abused by idiots trying to be Ninjas at a backyard BBQ. My Dad and myself have great respect for military and historical items, I can only remember my Dad talking about it as a kid, I saw it maybe 3 times. He gave it to me before he passed. I would not try and straighten it myself besides it is not a "left to right" bend it is more of a distortion from Mune to Ha (hard to describe). It still moves freely in and out of the Saya, it is just a subtle distortion possibly form battle use. Thanks for all the info! Craig

Hi John, Thanks very much for your fast response. I thought that I had a 7 character signature and expected to see a date when translated, apparently not! I am very impressed with the fit of the components/hardware for the age of this blade. The fit between the Saya and the Habaki is still good, the Tsuka and Tsuba are tight. The blade is sharp, no rust, I do not see an obvious Hamon or pattern in the blade. The blade does have a minor distortion (very slight compound bend) in it. I had read that military blades were required to be able to handle a 60 degree bend without failure. That makes me think these military blades could be straightened. It has great family history for me, my Dad got it Island hoping in the Pacific in the Marianas clearing Japanese forces. He had two swords, he traded one for a 7.7 mm Japanese sniper rifle, I sold the rifle 30 years ago, it was a piece of junk. Thanks again. Craig

Hi all, I am trying to get more information on a Gunto blade my Dad brought back from WWII. I had a Japanese speaking friend look at it and he gave me some back ground on what he thought. I put the image of the tang on my Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7zWZRs1ih0dVTdwZkFDZ3lsOVk I think the first two characters (reading top to bottom) indicate the area of Mino (though with the old name for it). It is in central Japan, not far from Gifu City. The third character is read “Seki”; it is the city of Seki, famous for cutlery and once the center of sword making culture. The next four characters are probably pronounced “Maekawa Kanetsugu” (or perhaps Maegawa) and that would be the name of the sword maker. Maekawa is the family name. The last two characters mean, essentially, “made this.” So I believe, all told, it says, “Maekawa (or Maegawa) Kanetsugu of the city of Seki in the province of Mino made this.” I am sure it is a Showa (1926 or later) period, not older, probably early 1940? There are no armory marks. I am thinking this swordsmith was commissioned by the military to make blades. It does seem to be a quality blade, still sharp no rust. Any thoughts, ideas or value? I would never sell it it is a family collectible now. Thanks for any help, Craig