Kiipu

In regards to the oval stamp on the Shigemitsu blade, I have found another blade that seems to have this as part of the inscription. Now I am wondering what this is all about. signature on broken sword Plus another oval stamp that is duplicated below via @george trotter. Naval sword translation Smith Mei

Yep, that's him! I sure hope the Japanese designer is getting royalties. Yosemite Sam

As an aside, the removal of the markings and the fixing up of the sword are more than likely two different events. This stamp and date and/or mei removal has been seen before, sometimes done by the original owner, immediate family, or dealers, after the war.

Bruce, that is the only one I have recorded and it was reported by @Stephen back in 2006. I think this is an earlier Type 97 versus a later Type 97? The blade actually has two naval type markings on it. Obverse: Plain Anchor + mustache? logo + 筑紫末次繁光 [Tsukushi Suetsugu Shigemitsu]. Reverse: 海 = kai = maybe a shortened form of kaigun 海軍 [navy or naval]? Plus two more characters in an oval. Shigemitsu Thank goodness the moderator does not delete old posts! Just look at all the fun or trouble we have with them.

In addition, the reverse side of the tang has a marking removed above the mei. This was either a Seki 関 or Shō 昭 stamp. The paper speculates that the production date was 1941. @Bruce Pennington

1941 昭和辛巳 13th Series: ワ-6 to WA-238. 14th Series: カ-89 to KA-546. 15th Series: ヨ-11 to YO-352. 16th Series: タ-181 to TA-336. 17th Series: レ-6 to RE-476. 18th Series: ソ-66 to SO-654. 19th Series: ツ-198 to TSU-651. 20th Series: ネ-2 to NE-414. 21st Series: ナ-5 to NA-573. Subtotal: 4,200 yearly or 350 monthly. Comment: I arrived at the approximate yearly production by merely adding the high serial number for the 13th to 21st series together. I then divided by 12 to arrive at the monthly production. @Bruce Pennington Feel free to correct and/or update any of the lows or highs.

Thanks for the update and I stand corrected. The entries of interest are to the right of 兼賀 and thus apply to a different swordsmith. Back to square one as to the swordsmith and his era.

Out of curiosity, is the crossguard [tsuba] made of brass? If so, how would they go about darkening it?

It seems there was a gendaitō swordsmith that used the mei 兼賀. An Internet search yielded the following quote that appeared on page 196 from a 1981 book entitled 日本刀銘鑑 [Nihontō meikan], 第3版 [3rd edition], by 本間･薫山 & ‎石井･昌國 [Honma & Ishii]. Does anyone have a copy of this book? Edited the quote to align with the picture provided below.

That one I remember and it was called アルマイト, alumite, or almite. As it fits the theme of this thread, I will post the links below. Type 95 Brass-colored Tsuka - A Discovery! Wikipedia Japanese: アルマイト

Mantetsu Serial Number Ranges 1937 昭和丁丑 None reported. 1938 昭和戊寅 C-17 to C-30. [2 reported] H-14 to H-20. [2 reported] N-1 to N-408. [10 reported] Subtotal: Approximately 480 blades a year or 40 per month. 1939 昭和己卯 N-?? to N-574. [1 reported] V-18 to V-33. [2 reported] W-23 to W-38. [2 reported] 1st Series: イ-376 to I-466. 2nd Series: ロ-75 to RO-270. 3rd Series: ハ-?? to HA-24. 4th Series: ニ-57 to NI-679. 5th Series: ホ-123 to HO-125. Subtotal: 1,800 yearly or 150 monthly. 1940 昭和庚辰 5th Series: ホ-538 to HO-546. 6th Series: ヘ None reported. 7th Series: と-41 to to-729. 8th Series: チ-61 to CHI-356. 9th Series: リ-108 to RI-560. 10th Series: ヌ-182 to NU-608. 11th Series: ル-16 to RU-199. 12th Series: ヲ None reported. Subtotal: 2,400 yearly or 200 monthly.

Some of the early copper-handled Type 95s had brass/gold painted scabbards. See this thread started by @IJASWORDS back in November 2020 for more details. Brass Scabbard NCO Copper Handle Below are two links to another example, serial number 1227, that show remnants of the brass paint. Copper Handle Type 95,low Number 1227 Excellent Condition Coppper Handle Type 95 Nco #1227, Excellent Condition

I think you are correct. The characters then are as below. 雲州住藤原冬廣 = Unshū Jū Fujiwara Fuyuhiro. 雲州 = Izumo Province

I note the machi is slightly offset, possibly because of the design of the habaki?

Mal, I knew you would have the skinny on this hillbilly swordsmtih! Arthur, I found you another Hidetsugu to look at. Other than these two plus yours, I can find no more. Thanks for sharing pictures of a rather hard to find smith. WWII Guntō - My grandfather received this surrendered Japanese sword while serving in WWII.

So what swordsmith is it, Fujiwara Fuyuhiro 藤原冬廣 or Fujiwara Hisahiro 藤原久廣? The second to last character looks like 久 but I do kinda see 冬 as well. @BANGBANGSAN @SteveM

It is a Type 98 Army officer's sword. The tang is marked as 村井秀次作. I think this is a Seki swordsmith and @mecox should be able to confirm if so. 秀次 = Hidetsugu. Cross-reference to another Hidetsugu sword. 2 swords .need help translating

The cloth tag has a date of 昭和拾六年 written on it which in the Gregorian calendar is 1941. Is this sword dated by chance? I would suggest getting this cloth tag translated in full. 拾 = 十

Cross-Reference to a 7th series Mantetsu in Type 97 fittings. Kanji signature characters on the thin edge of nakago 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.

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