george trotter

Also George, the term "Pocket Monster", has an entirely different meaning in certain parts of the fair Georgian City of Bath. Ah, Malcolm, I remember Bath...I remember Pocket Monsters too, in fact I had a discussion about them with a maiden named Jane...Jane Austen she said...could she have been fibbing? (my revered ancestors came from Beckington, just over the Somerset line to the south). Regards, PS, do you think we've led this OP astray?

Argh!!! I often leave out the macrons when writing Japanese in English...even on this board (go-men kudasai Guido Dono). The reason of course is I don't know how to do them on the keyboard. About abbreviations in Japanese...members might like to know that the Japanese abbreviate just about everything...e.g.Genshi Bakudan (Atomic Bomb) is usually GenBaku. Even English words used there, such as Poket Monster "Poketo Monstar" became PokeMon (the board game). Lots of fun...

A friend has a WWII gendai of this type signed TOTO JU USHOSHIN. It is by Yanagawa Ushoshin of Tokyo. I think he worked with his brother in WWII making gendaito. He is listed as Betseki in the 1943 published gendai swordsmith rankings list on Japanese Sword Index. Good sword...only one I've had in hand. Regards,

Yes, I have seen one only. About 30 years ago in a local auction there was a WWII gunto with (not too exciting) gendai blade (not well known smith. I forget the maker)... it was dated 1940-1945 period. Only one I have ever seen/had in hand...so, they are out there. Regards,

Hi Brian, Sent a little something to help on this well deserved project...(wish I could have doubled it). Warm regards,

Hi Phil, your sword is signed HiZen Kuni Ju Omi DaiJo FujiWara TadaHiro Tadahiro of the Fujiwara clan, resident of Hizen Province and sub-lord of Omi Province (made this). Shinto period 1600-1780 most likely, You'll have to look up the various smiths of this name and see if any signature matches. Regards,

This may be way out of line, but may I say this sword (with reservations) may be a Yasukunito by Yasuyoshi. Points in favour...Yasukunitosho always signed above the mekugi ana. Yasukunito I have seen are always badly rusted (maybe the iron is more susceptible to SW Pacific humidity than showato?) .2 character signature...same as Yasukunito. General shape/hamon/length (what I can see) fits with Yasukunito. Yasuyoshi nakago jiri was rounded (can't see exactly in pic,) but this too seems rounded. Points against.... Yasukunito usually had kiri yasutimei but this one is taka no ha. I'm mostly guessing. I'm no expert on Yasuyoshi / Yasukunito but their work came immediately to mind when I saw the pics. Anyway, hope this helps the discussion a bit (read: doesn't get me into too much trouble). Regards,

The kanji Bruce gives here is for Watanabe Manjiro Kanenaga. He was head of a forging enterprise in Seki during the war and had 18 pupils. Another Kanenaga using these kanji is Taro Kanenaga. (Kawamura Eijiro). He had a son working in Seki also who signed Nara Taro Kanenaga (Hiroshi). The mei looks cut by a Na-kiri-shi so may be showato although the form and construction looks good, What I mean is...you need to type in the name and do some research on WWII period Kanenaga smiths/styles/signatures and see which one it is and whether it is gendaito. Hope this helps,

Hi Kenny, Nice find. As has been said, it is a star stamped RJT blade (trad. made) and in upper quality Rinji mounts. The maker is Akihisa Yamagami (personal name Shigetsugu) of Niigata Prefecture. He was born 15 Feb 1910. He and his elder brother Munetoshi Yamagami (Wakakichi) worked together in their forge in Karimagun, Nishiyamamachi, Oazawada in WW2 and made good quality gendai gunto. Later, both became RJT smiths for the army. Both worked after the war. I have two swords by the brother Munetoshi (one Type 98 no star, the other Rinji mounts with star and matsu stamp). I have seen a Akihisa locally (also in Rinji mounts). but haven't managed to get my mitts on it so far. Both brothers studied under Kasama Shigetsugu in Tokyo. Regards, Edit to add....I notice your Akihisa blade is "shortish and straightish". I say this as my Munetoshi in Type 98 mounts (pre RJT) is "long and elegantly curved with medium/long kissaki...but my Rinji mounted RJT Munetoshi is like your blade, "shorter and straighter with much shorter kissaki". I wonder if this "change" in style was their decision or there were RJT orders given about shortening and "thickening" of blades as dictated by battlefield experience? (seems to ring a bell...Bruce?). Just wondering.

Yes, I wondered that also...be good if the OP got back in touch/

Yes you are right Ray...maybe we should call this smith "hidari Kiyomitsu"?

It might be HARUMITSU (Haru = spring). Hard to tell as the pic is so enlarged and kanji are both damaged by a 'gash' or something...

Speaking of no polish is better than a bad polish...I know times and tastes change, but not for me (yes I know, I am Piltdown Man), but I genuinely have a strong dislike of the current hadori style of polish. I feel something is "wrong" when swords are adverised for sale with 50 slanted pics in a strong beam of light because we can't see the true hamon from the side-on in ordinary light. The ordinary side-on view showing the true hamon can now be only achieved by publishing the the blade's oshigata. Because of this I have consciously refrained from having several of my WWII gendaito polished as I would rather see the original WWII polish (usually sashikomi) even with scratches and smudges than have all that beauty erased by the modern hadori style polish. So may I ask a question...is it possible to get the pre-1945 style sashikomi polish done today? I am not intending to offend...this is just an old geezer's opinion. Regards,

Hi Chris, thanks for that mention, but no, not a canvas sword bag, I am looking for a canvas scabbard cover to put on my Rinji mounted RJT blade...see pics. Regards,

Me too Chris. I met my two spirits during my 2 years on Bougainville Island in the Solomons, SW Pacific. In fact I brought them home to Western Australia with me. Now, week about, I spend an hour or so with each of them on the verandah at sun-down.. One is called Hankey Bannister...he is a nice mild guy (from Britain) who lives in a bottle in my Liquor cabinet. His friend Bundaberg Rum lives in the bottle next to him and I also spend an hour or so with Bundy on the verandah on Friday evenings. I know some folks will turn up their nose, but Bundy and Hankey and I always share a coke when we get together...ah, those are good relaxed times. Although we often think about the sunsets we shared on the beach at nearby Guadalcanal back in the day, we never think about the spirits that "live" in blades. Regards from me, Bundey and Hankey.

I know the blade is ruined, but you might like to have some info on the smith. He was an army swordsmith (star stamp) and is from Kochi prefecture, Tosa City. He was born in Meiji 33 (3 April 1900) and was still making swords in 1977. Here is a page from the "Gendai Toko Meikan" by ONO 1971 p.110. Regards,

Just for info to the non-Japanese speakers...mukashi-mukashi means basically "long, long ago"...good name for a book of old photographs. Very interesting. Regards,

Thanks for the feedback guys. I think those "mon bearing" showato were indeed the pride of their owners. When a showato cost about 70-80 yen (about a month's salary?) and the owner had it mounted in pierced tsuba and say 6 seppa with mon (another 50 yen?), it is fair to say that they loved their sword. Of course the "better off" class could afford an RJT of other gendaito (maybe double the cost?) and then of course there were those who could afford a Yasukuni sword, blade only was about 180 yen. So, while there are those among we collectors who only collect gendai gunto, it does not mean showato are held in contempt by us...we just collect what we collect. Even ME...I still regret selling a showato (seki stamped blade by Okada Kanesada) with a fantastic large hako-midare hamon that went from the habaki up to midway on the blade and then changed to chu-suguba for the rest (like koto Tomonari). Yes a seki showato, but I should have kept it. About showato with mon having pierced tsuba, I can't answer that, that is for the showato owners to reply to. So, there is no doubt showato have mon...now for RJT (I think yes) and Rinji Seishiki mounts (don't know). Regards,

Thanks Ian. I think your findings and some others here lean us towards showato having mon (not that common maybe) but good info. I agree with you...as a gunto collector I would be "less happy" to pull out a blade on a mon fitted gunto koshirae and find a showato inside....much prefer it to be on a gendaito. Maybe I have seen mon on some showato over the last 50 years but the shock has shut down my memory banks (just kidding). Now of course we need examples on RJT and Rinji Seishiki too. Regards,

It looks like a WWII period gendaito signed FUJIWARA RAI KUNIFUSA. Does it have writing on the opposite side? If so, it will probably be a slogan, such as Flying Dragon or some such. I don't know much about him but he has (if I am correct) been discussed on NMB before. Type in his name in the search box. Regards,

Austus san, I am glad this has been of interest. About your Kanezane. It is a showato IMHO as it is made from yasuki steel (not tamahagane). There is also the sho stamp. I think there is mention of him in various books and sites? Try pp.111-112 of Fuller & Gregory "Military Swords of Japan 1868-1945" Arm & Armour Press 1986. There may be other references/photos around. Regards,

Just typed in "WW2 Japanese sword with star" on google search and looked through about 60 swords with stars. About 40% Type 98 and the rest Rinji Seishiki. None had a mon.

Wow, now 3 showato with mon. So, it looks like it did happen, maybe the floodgates will open Bruce and we'll wonder how come we never saw them ourselves over all these years. Well, great to get the beginning of the answer...maybe just a few showato had mon...maybe a lot? Now, about those Rinji Seishiki mounted blades - no mon, ever?... and those star stamped blades? I have not seen one with a mon. Thanks for looking guys...need more examples to get a clearer picture. Regards,

Hi Bruce...I've got a bit of news, I just spent an hour looking through the web for showato with mon. I must have pulled up 25-30 swords with mon and all were in Type 98 mounts with either pre-showa blades or showa period gendaito. None were RJT stamped or in Rinji Seishiki mounts. BUT, I did find one Seki stamped blade in Type 98 mounts with a mon (removed). Blade by Kaneshige. You can see a description of sword and maker and removed mon and a (poor) overall pic if you type in AWM REL 36469 (this is the Australian War Museum site with object number). Sooo...one showato with mon found! There must be more...just not as common as on "good" swords. No Rinji mounts with mon and no RJT blade mounts with mon were seen. BTW while searching I noticed there is someone advertising/selling silver mon that "are ideal" for attaching to a Japanese sword (saw two different types...one is "that" anchor!)...I don't want to be negative, but I have a sneaking feeling that maybe that Rinji sword we have all seen with the anchor mon is...well...maybe...not quite right? If so, we are back to Rinji mounts having no mon. Must keep looking! Regards,

I think the responses/links so far are a bit uncertain...I sorta knew there were many possibilities for mon use, but so far no definite answer... let's keep looking. So far, one answer seems to show a mon on a showato..I assume that that Kanenori shown is a showato, but maybe it is a gendaito? (looks like showato seki mei to me). That Rinji shown is the only one known with a mon (none of mine have mon) so it would be good to find another one. I sort of expected I would be shown a dozen RJT blades with mon but so far not...so keep checking. You'd think that this board with its huge number of showato/Rinji//RJT etc owned by members would easily have produced a mon in each category by now, but since we haven't, it seems to show that this is not an easy question to answer, Maybe there are 'barren' areas in mon use? (hard to believe). Keep trying guys, if I find any examples I'll post them. Regards,