Kiipu

Paul, once again, many thanks for the additional pictures. The subassembly method of your sword is similar to another Shinbu-Tō that is linked to below. One obvious difference that I can see is that the reverse tang on yours is marked 振武 while the other sword is marked 振武刀. Unfortunately, the nakago mune markings on this second sword do not appear to be noted or pictured. It is thus not possible to determine which marking precedes the other at this time. For your information and that of others, this is the same sword that is illustrated over at Ohmura's website. Hefty WW II Era Katana with High End Mounts Nakago Reverse: 振武刀 = shinbu-tō Nakago Obverse: 東洋刃物株式会社作 = Tōyō Hamono Kabushiki Kaisha saku = Made by Tōyō Knife Company., Limited. As an aside, 振武 is spelled as shinbu but should be pronounced as shimbu. N (kana)

Thanks Paul for the nakago mune picture. Cross-reference to more pictures of 510. Celluloid Same of WWII...and Type 3 mon., Post #37

Paul, if you still own this sword, what is the serial number on the nakago mune? Does anyone know if this is normal for these to be serialized like this? The markings on the nakago are as follows. Nakago Reverse 振武 = shinbu Nakago Obverse 東洋刃物株式会社作 = Tōyō Hamono Kabushiki Kaisha saku = Made by Tōyō Knife Co., Ltd.

In Japan, this is as close as you get to owning a Type 95, unless you do not mind having the blade cut into pieces. Shamsy, it has a Suya scabbard, serial number 9563, that is painted black. It is awaiting your expert analysis!

The document that you inquired about can be found over at JACAR. Go to https://www.jacar.go.jp/english/ and cut and paste the following letter and eleven digits C15010630300 or the following kanji characters 歩兵第１６３連隊残留隊　私物移譲兵器連名簿綴 into the search box. If all went to plan, you should be looking at the document that BangBangSan posted above.

BangBangSan never ceases to amaze. He can spot a kanji character a mile away. No details on the Mantetsu other than the name and rank of the owner as stated by BangBangSan in post #10. The information can be found in the fourth column from the right, the preceding columns being related to the table header. The kanji characters can be seen below.

For a change of pace, lets look at the 1917 Tsingtao uniform regulations. 青島守備軍民政部職員服制ヲ定ム 青島 = Chintao = Tsingtao = Qingdao.

There was indeed a gendaitō 現代刀 swordsmith with the name of 西山･勝進 [Nishiyama Katsuyuki] who signed his blades with 肥前國西光 [Hizen no kuni Saikō]. He lived in 長崎県北高来郡森山村 [Nagasaki-ken Kitatakaki-gun Moriyama-mura] as of 1937. Many thanks for sharing pictures of your sword.

On my end, the source for the characters 陸軍受命刀匠名簿 seems to be 日本刀銘鑑 [Nihontō meikan]. The English language source for "Rikugun Jumei Tosho Meibo" seems to backtrack to Jinsoo Kim's website at www.jp-sword.com.

Mal & Co., Ltd, have published a series of monographs on various gendaitō 現代刀 swordsmiths. The monographs focus on a specific swordsmith and his apprentices. I have found these monographs to be well researched and thorough. They make a great supplement to the books that cover gendaitō. Most, if not all, can be downloaded in the "Downloads" section of this forum. Below is a listing of the monographs that came out in 2020. Any mistakes in transcribing are mine and not that of the author(s). Cox, Malcolm E. Ichimonji Minamoto Amahide 一文字 源 天秀 and Seki Nihonto Tanren Jo 関日本刀鍛錬所; Fukumoto Koichi Kanemune (福本小市兼宗), Ido Toshimi Hidetoshi (井戸俊X三秀俊), Mouri Kazuo Kunimoto (毛利 一男圀元). 2020. 42 pages. Cox, Malcolm E., and Neil G. Freeland. Kojima Tokijiro Kanemichi 小島 時次郎 兼道 and Kojima Tosho Family; Kanetoki 兼時, Kanenori 兼則, Katsumasa 勝正: Seki, Japan. 2020. 75 pages. Cox, Malcolm E., and Kunihiko Toki. Seki Toki Swordsmiths: Toki Zenpei Kanemasa 土岐 兼平 兼正 and Toki Yuichi Sukenobu 土岐 雄一 亮信. 2020. 46 pages. Cox, Malcolm E. Taguchi Kiichi (田口喜一) Masatsugu (正次) and Hakuryushi Tadataka (白竜子 忠孝): Hizen Swordsmiths. 2020. 46 pages.

"reeder" posted a picture of one back in February of last year in this thread. Arsenal Stamps., Post #490 The logo consists of the outline of the character 兵 with a star centered in the middle.

A hot stamp for Seki swordsmith 兼清 [Kanekiyo] can be seen at the link below. His full name is 長村 清三郎. The nakago is marked as 長村兼清作 [Nagamura Kanekiyo saku]. A puzzler Cross Reference Same sword but missing the host stamp picture. Arsenal Stamps., Post #175

Thank you for the answer. As you surmised, I was looking for the actual wartime document and not the list compiled from observed blades. I am attempting to discover the actual sources used versus what has been repeated on the Internet.

& Is this document, 陸軍受命刀匠名簿 [Rikugun jumei tōshō meibo], by chance reprinted in 日本刀銘鑑 [Nihontō meikan] by 本間薫山 & 石井昌國 編著 [Honma & Ishii]? If anyone has this volume, can they look and see if this is the case. 日本刀銘鑑

I was wondering how long it would take you to find that drawing and post it!

In regards to the different meanings of the large versus small Seki stamp, I rediscovered the following quote.

I fixed the broken link for those concerned. Japanese Naval Field Caps: Depot or Makers marks

BangBangSan, my copy arrived a few days ago and exceeded my expectations. I was pleasantly surprised at how many illustrations the book had. All in all, I thought the book was well done. Softcover, black & white, size 6 x 8.25 inches. For those in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the book can be ordered at Kinokuniya USA. Just cut and paste the title 真説戦う日本刀 into the search box at the top of the webpage. Home page: https://united-states.kinokuniya.com/ Direct link: https://united-states.kinokuniya.com/bw/9784814202577

While I was aware the Type 100 was inspected from the beginning in 1941, I was puzzled why some 1940 to 1941 dated Type 98s also existed that had army inspections marks. The answer as to why could be in an old translation done by George Trotter back in 2010. In his translation, a reference is made to a trail beginning in "Sho 15" [1940], prior to the advent of the 1942 RJT program. The link that George Trotter provided in his original post has since changed and below is an updated link along with some text. A link to the Type 100s being inspected from the get-go. Arsenal Mark on RJT sword Fittings, Post #71

Here are some corrections for the book entry 昭和刀剣名物帳 [Shōwa tōken meibutsu chō]. The author's first name is Takasuke and not Kōsuke. There are various rōmaji titles given for this book and I have used the one that the National Diet Library provides, namely ショウワ トウケン メイブツチョウ. Below are some links to English language descriptions of this book. Japanese Sword Books and Tsuba B512. Showa Token Meimono Chiyo by Murakami

Maxein, Otto. Samuraischwerter für die Materialschlacht: Gendaito der Taisho- und frühen Showa-Periode (1912 - 1945). 2021. ISBN: 3753454265. 224 pages. German language. Maxein, Otto. Samurai Swords for the Material Battle: Gendaito of the Taisho and Early Showa Period (1912 - 1945). 2021. ISBN: 3753471410. 212 pages. English language. BIG has located the above books, available in either German or English, and has opened a thread about them. Book recommendation: Samurai swords for the material battle

Kolekt-To: Here is a link to help you with your research. NLF Gunto Discussion, Post #17

I ran across this letter yesterday and I will quote the exact text below. Note that part of the name of the company includes "Japanese Naval" and this would seem to indicate the type of sword the company was manufacturing.

I do not know if it is prewar, wartime, or postwar. The characters on the cartridge case are 錦城會. However, if you plan on researching this item I would suggest using these characters 錦城会 instead.

The characters that were cut out were 記念. 記念 = kinen = memorial.