Jim R

Thanks Joe I'll check out that thread and will pick up some books. I hardly know where to start, so I'll follow the recommendations. I'm so glad I found this forum. Cheers Jim

Hi Ray Thanks for the info on the To-Ken Group. I'll check this out on facebook and hopefully get along to the meetings. I think I might be catching the bug - a good nihonto would be very nice! Cheers Jim

Cheers Paul I feel really lucky to have this heirloom. I don't know why I've never looked into it before, but now that I've started,I've got a feeling this will become a lifelong interest. Jim

Hi Steve That's an interesting read. The saya sticker looks identical to the one IJASwords posted, although mine is completely unreadable. And I'm absolutely with you - although these are beautiful items in their own right, the real value for me is that it belonged to my father. Jim

Here are another two photos of the date. I've had to take two photos to get a good close up, with the first 4 characters from top to bottom in the first close up, and the three bottom characters in the second photo. Thanks again for all your help everyone. Cheers

Hi again all, and thanks Steve I've taken another photo of the date and the signature (this time hopefully the photo has attached the right way up). It's still difficult to make out from the photo but looking at the nakago up close, I think you're absolutely right Cheers Jim

Hi Steve Thanks for the info - from what you say, and the research I've done (admittedly not a huge amount), I reckon you must be pretty much spot on. The leather cover is not in great condition and the saya underneath is painted black, and that's flaking off and splitting a bit. And there is also some kind of sticker. It's a sliver covered, roughly star-shaped sticker on the saya. It's located near the top of the saya, just where the button fastener (excuse my lack of knowledge of the proper terminology here) was. I say "was" because the fastener has disappeared along with half of the thumb strap that would have secured the saya. I'm absolutely cool about the appraisal of the mountings, and the whole sword. I reckoned it was not a traditionally made nihonto or gendaito and the mountings, and probably the blade itself, were likely to be of the lower cost and more factory-made variety, so I really appreciate what you're saying. I'm more interested in its history. I'm not sure if "sentimental" is the right word to use here, but I've certainly got a real attachment to it, given that I got it from my dad who was still a young guy at the end of the war and brought it back to a small town near Glasgow in Scotland from Malaya (I've still got the chit that his C/O gave him to make sure he got it home safely). That said, it's still a pretty awesome looking object and I can only say I treat it with complete respect. Cheers Jim

Hi Paul That's excellent. I'm regularly in or near Cumbria and Northumberland too. I'll try to send you a PM now. Cheers Jim

Hi Joe Thank you very much for this too. This is really appreciated. I've read that hundreds of thousands, or probably even millions, of these swords were produced during the war so I really never thought I'd be able to find out where or when the sword was made, let alone the name of the smith who made it. It's amazing to be able to start to discover the back-story to this sword after its journey from Japan through to Burma, and ending up here in Scotland. Thanks again and all the best. Jim

Hi Bruce Thank you so much for having a look at this. I reckoned it was a war time manufactured gunto - I'd no idea about the date though, so that's much appreciated. Hope you're having a good trip in the mountains. Cheers Jim

Hi all I've just found this forum and it's excellent, so I thought I'd just introduce myself and say hello from Scotland, the actual place where the sun don't shine. I'm a middle aged guy from Glasgow with a general interest in history and culture - visiting Japan for the first time later this year, which has been a long held ambition of mine. A few years ago, I inherited a Japanese military sword from my late father who served in India, Burma and Malaya during WW2. It has been kept in various cupboards for pretty much the last 70 years and I thought it was about high time that I started to do some research on it. From the research I've been doing online, it looks every inch to be a shin gunto, but I was just wondering if anyone would be able to tell how and maybe even where it was made, e.g. machine made, or partially hand forged, etc. It's got a hamon, but not much evidence of hada and stamps on each side of the tang, although they're pretty difficult to make out. I've posted a few pics here (sorry about the quality). If anyone would be happy to take a look, that would be brilliant. Thanks and all the best Jim