Kiipu

Thanks for the update. I agree with Bruce. This is the first reported Mantetsu that is fitted out as a Type 97. The Mantetsu blade was a commercial product so one was bound to make an appearance sooner or later. That string is part of the sword and is depicted in a 1937 book. Please look after it as they are not common. See link below. Launch documentation for the 1937 introduction of the new Navy Gunto, Post #34 When you have a few hours, the thread below is worth a read in regards to Mantetsu and the swords made by them. Attention Mantetsu Owners: A Survey And finally, you seem to have a knack for locating unusual items!

Your sword was made by the South Manchuria Railway Company (SMR) and it is from the 7th series. It is a commercial pattern that was made in the spring of 1940. This is the seventh 7th series reported so far and the current serial number range is と41 to と729. When time permits, can you post a picture of the overall view of the sword with the scabbard placed below the blade? Tang top: と 五六二 = to-562. Obverse: 昭和庚辰春 = 1940 Spring. Reverse: 興亜一心　満鐵作之 = Kōa Isshin　Mantetsu saku kore.

All I can say is be patient. There are some series that have only one blade reported. It is important to have clear pictures of the serial numbers just for the reason you give. Many of the katakana can be confused with other katakana characters. While by no means a complete list, below are some examples that can be confused one with another. ホネ チテ ヌスヲラ ワウフ タクケ ノソツシ コユ エヱ And finally, it is that time of year to give a big "Thank You" to all that have contributed a Mantetsu or two to the database. Without you, there would be nothing to work with. A special thanks to Bruce for putting it all together for all to enjoy!

No trick of the light. The drawing posted by Trystan above shows the same thing.

The company name is 凌霜堂軍刀店. They are listed in 大日本刀剣商工名鑑 on page 199 and located in Tōkyō 東京. Does anyone have a copy of the page in question? I am pretty certain 凌霜 is a last name but I am not sure whether to translate 堂 into English or not. I would like @SteveM to double-check the rōmaji and English translation first before settling upon it. 凌霜堂軍刀店 = Ryōsō-dō Guntō-Ten = Ryōsō-dō Military Sword Shop. This is the first time I have run across a sword from this shop and I would like to see more pictures of the fittings if possible. In addition, this is the first time I have seen a shop tag affixed to the outside of a scabbard. In my opinion, this is far more interesting than a surrender tag. Thank you for posting this picture as it has been educational to say the least.

Below is a link to a gentleman that worked at the 凌霜堂軍刀店 that fitted your sword out. He was 99 years old as of 2015! http://www.kenoh.com/2015/09/05_chasing.html

For your information, this is not a surrender tag. The bottom of the tag has the name of the store/shop that the sword or scabbard cover was ordered from. A picture of the left side of the tag would help.

Thanks SteveM and BangBangSan for the bailout. I just do not like this smith's penmanship. He must have been one of those former blacksmiths! And congrats to Detective Bruce for tracking him down and verifying such a smith existed.

Reverse: 昭和十八年一月 = January 1943. I do not recognize the swordsmith's signature so someone else will need to look at it. If it is a Seki smith, than maybe @mecox will know some history. @SteveM @BANGBANGSAN

Cross-Reference Early sword in resting scabbard

A pretty straight forward Suya dating toward the end of the war. This is the second to last variation made by them. The last variation is the same as yours except the blade fuller was discontinued starting at about serial number 154529. The scabbard is also made by Suya except it is for an earlier sword. I would not worry too much about the mismatched scabbard though. It is a good sword and will display nicely.

Your sword is a 15th series Mantetsu made by the South Manchuria Railway Company (SMR). It is a commercial pattern and is dated Spring 1941. This is the sixth 15 series Mantetsu recorded so far and the serial number range is ヨ11 to ヨ352. Tang top: ヨ 五七 = YO-57. Obverse: 昭和辛巳春 = 1941 Spring. Reverse: 興亜一心　満鐵作之 = Kōa Isshin　Mantetsu saku kore. 満鐵 is an abbreviation for SMR so 満鐵作之 simply means "SMR made this" or "made by SMR." If possible, can you post a picture of the overall view with the scabbard placed below the blade. And finally, a picture showing the entire tang, either side will do. This is so that yours truly can count the holes in the tang!

I see nothing wrong with your bayonet other than it needs a good cleaning. The bayonet is a JB-59 made by Matsushita Metal Co., Ltd., 松下金属株式會社. It would have been made sometime between 1939 and 1944. There are two books on the topic of Japanese bayonets and they are both listed on the bibliography page. Bibliography of Japanese Modern Edged Weapons, 1868-1945

Beat you to it. Attention Mantetsu Owners: A Survey, Page 17

Pictures of the serial number posted in a new thread. Late war gunto stamps follow-up

Source: Allan, Francis C., and Carl J. Goddard. The Japanese Naval Special Type 99 Rifles and Carbines. Anchorage, Alaska: AK Enterprises, 1999. Page 36. @Shamsy & @Stegel I thought you two might enjoy this passage about paint in regards to naval manufactured rifles. I know Stegel has mentioned the use of both gloss and matte black paint and I found it interesting that both were noted on the rifles. Hope this helps in your scholarly endeavors.

For those wondering what Shamsy is referring to, a picture of one can be seen at the link below. The plug at the bottom of the scabbard is U-shaped; hence, horseshoe. Type 95 Nco Copper Hilt

It is atypical for a sword in this serial number range to have a 東 inspection mark after the serial number. However, @Stegel might override me on this factoid.

Cross-Reference QUESTION RE "DAI NIPPON" NEWSLETTER LATE '60s, EARLY '70s Attention @Bazza

“News of the Day.” The Age. 1893-01-27. Pages 4-5. See specifically page 5, column 1. Kobayashi, Ushisaburo. Military Industries of Japan. New York: Oxford University Press, 1922. Page 45.

I do not recall there being a Japanese newsletter by the name of "Dai Nippon" during this time frame that was devoted to militaria collecting. However, the Australian swords were marked in kanji with 大日本製 [Dai Nippon-sei]. I am wondering if they are getting the sword markings mixed up with a newsletter's name?

The WAF is off-limits to nonmembers. So, this leads to the following questions. What type of sword is this, army, navy, civilian? Do you have pictures of both sides of the tang? Are there any other inspection type marks on the tang? The kanji character that is depicted is 撿 which can mean several things. https://nihongomaster.com/Japanese/dictionary/kanji/7953/撿

Hi Tony, nice gendaito! Does your blade by chance have any markings on the top of the tang (nakago mune) by the habaki? These are the three ク I have so far. Bruce may have more though. I think this was a numbering system used by Tōkyō 1st Army Arsenal for "Star" stamped blades made during the 1943 to 1944 timeframe. ク0122 = See above. ク0306 = Obverse 昭和十九年一月吉日; Reverse ☆　上州住今井兼継作 [Kanetsugu]. Source: Slough, page 71. ク0705 = Obverse ☆　継延作 [Tsugunobu]; Reverse 昭和十九年七月日. Source: Ohmura, both his book and website. He has the number incorrectly listed though as 70-5. "Mumei", "Tsugunobu" & "Ikeda Kunitada"

The クprefix is thought to be for Gunma Prefecture 群馬縣. This is the earliest KU prefix recorded so far. Obverse: 昭和十八年八月日 = A day in August 1943. Reverse: ☆　継義作　ク122 = ☆　Tsuguyoshi saku　KU122. @Bruce Pennington

This is one of only a handful of swordsmiths that stamped their signature rather than carve it. His name is Naohiro 直弘. There are several references to him but below is a link to just one of them. Read on for few posts as the discussion goes on for a bit. Thanks for the additional pictures. Arsenal Stamps., Page 14