Kiipu

Your sword was assembled by Suya under Kokura Army Arsenal control. This is based upon swords in the surrounding serial number range. The final inspection & acceptance was performed by Tōkyō 1st Army Arsenal and that is the 東 that Rob alluded to on the blade.

Could it be a part of the scabbard retention system used by the navy? Launch documentation for the 1937 introduction of the new Navy Gunto, Post #34

Sometimes you are not alone. I initially thought it was a 〇 (zero)!

I think this is 七四七七 as the initial character has an upward swing in the upper left corner. Compare it to the bottom character. What do you think? 七四七七 = 7477.

This is a reproduction and the blade is probably the same as used on the reproduction Type 95s. I would be interested in what @Shamsy thinks of the blade.

Noah, below is a link to a hybrid Japanese/Chinese sword. See picture number 4. Note the sakura with engraved Chinese flags above. Thought you would enjoy seeing something like this. is this a chinese sword (now with blade pictures), Post #46

Thanks Hamish, I stand corrected. My father always said I was hopeless but not helpless.

Obverse 宇都宮中尉 = Utsunomiya chūi = Lieutenant Utsunomiya. 明治廿四年八月 = August 1891. Inventory/Issue No. 4/59. Reverse 小銃兼正 Shōjū Kanemasa = Rifle Kanemasa. The second column seems to start with a variant of 赠 or 贈 which means "gift." ？木内？羽日士官 @BANGBANGSAN & @SteveM

The sword in post #18 is a Chinese Nationalist era sword and the other one in post #23 has a plum blossom and not a cherry blossom. All this information can be found in the reference books that should be read & consulted.

Like you, I remembered it, but apparently did not download an image of it. It took awhile, but below is the link. Help identify writing and info on sword

Hi Tom, as Chris implied, a postwar souvenir sword. There is an article about them that you can see at the link below. All the best and Happy New Year to you and yours. The Mysterious Naval Landing Forces Sword

Welcome to the forum Ryo. I ran across your father's sword over at GBF and have the number down as 5/95 as shown in the list above. The 小銃 is probably referring to the location, in this case the Rifle Factory of Tōkyō Artillery Arsenal. Our Murata Collection so far! Rifles and a rare sword!

The sword is kosher if in the 67,000 range. The mekugi nut looks like it is put on backward though. As for the lack of a visible blade inspection mark, sometimes they are stamped far to the right of the serial number on Tōkyō's.

Looks like Satō san must have owned more than one sword. Please help identify this sword

Not getting off to a get start. 天皇 = Tennō = Emperor. Edit via post below. 佐藤 小太郎 = Satō Kotarō.

Both the fiscal year 1943 and 1944 documents are referring to planned production. The 1943 document does not say; however, the 1944 document states they were forwarded to Tōkyō 1st Army Arsenal. I think the same applies to the 1943 planned production. I think these blades were in a finished state, but unpolished.

The characters 馬嶋信之 read from right to left. This very same tsuba came up recently via @John C. Just a thought, based upon the placement of the characters, it could be the owner's name. Tsuba mei translation

For comparison to the 1944 fiscal year plan, see the table translated by Nick at the post below. Note the same overall quantity of 6,000 for each year, just different amounts of blades to completed swords. Why did the army revive the Samurai sword design in 1934 for officers?, Post #16 I would also like to extend my thanks to Nick & Trystan for helping with the translation of 火造.

Document 極秘　Gokuhi　Top Secret. 昭和一九、一、二五　1944-01-25. 南満陸軍造兵廠　Nan-Man Rikugun Zōheishō　Nan-Man Army Arsenal. Title 附表第二　Fuhyō Dai-Ni　Attached List Number 2. 昭和十八年度兵器整備ニ関スル民間工場利用計画 Shōwa jū hachi-nendo heiki seibi ni seki suru minkan kōjō riyō keikaku Fiscal Year 1943 Private Factory Utilization Plan for Ordnance Maintenance Note: The 1943 fiscal year ran from 1943-04-01 to 1944-03-31. Headers 工場名　kōjō-mei　factory name. 生産品目　seisan hinmoku　production item. 単位　tan’i　unit. 数量　sūryō　quantity. Body 満鉄大連鉄道工場　Mantetsu Dairen Tetsudō Kōjō　SMR Dairen Railway Workshop. Note: Mantetsu 滿鉄 is an abbreviation for Minamimanshū Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha 南満洲鉄道株式会社 [South Manchuria Railway Co., Ltd.]. 軍刀火造刀身　振　四､八〇〇　Military Sword, Heat Tempered Blades 4,800. 軍刀完成品　振　一､二〇〇　Military Sword, Finished Products 1,200. Note: Furi 振 is the counter used for swords.

FYI, old versus new, same meaning. 神 = 神.

Your good, the entire 139,000 range was made by Iijima. There was no logical allocation of serial number ranges for Type 95s. Once Nagoya was dropped and started the 200,000 range, the blocks of serials starting getting larger and hence easier to follow. In some ranges, it will never be determined who was assigned what.

Translation courtesy of Nick Komiya. The document above is dated 1940-07-05.

This sword is coming from the last batch made by Iijima. They start at serial 159031 and end at 161752. The scabbard should be serialized so it is probably either a factory oversight or a field replacement. Another thing is that this is one of the last Iijima swords made with a brass handguard. By serial number 160075, they had switched to steel crossguards. Iijima stopped production in March 1945 because of an unwelcome visit by a U. S. Army Air Corps B-29 Superfortress.

Not sure if this is a Japanese "last ditch" or overseas made sword. Late WW2 Gunto

Some of the wartime radio broadcasts show this shift in production from established locations to new ones. At the end, even the village blacksmiths were getting involved. With an invasion impending in November 1945, every weapon was needed to arm the soldiers, sailors, and home guard. Thankfully, the war ended in August 1945 and now these swords are collectables instead of instruments of death. Wartime Japanese Radio Broadcasts Related To Swords