Kiipu

Possibly so as Ohmura san states the information is coming from the City of Seki. (資料ご提供: 関市役所商工観光課桜田様)

There is a lot of useful information on that webpage of which some is not yet translated. I used this webpage as a guide for breaking down the non-military stamps which was discussed in the "Arsenal Stamps." thread. I agree that there is some confusion in regards to the chronology of the stamps and that the 桜に昭 predates the 関. As you are aware, NIck is currently looking into this matter.

Ohmura san has a write-up about the establishment of the Seki hamono kōgyō kumiai 関刃物工業組合. He states it was established on 1931-06-15. The discussion is at the top of the page under the heading of 関刃物工業組合. No English translation is provided though. 関・軍用日本刀 Syōwa-tō of Seki

Thanks Dave. It normally requires three or four examples before one can figure these labels out. We will just have to sit tight until further examples show up.

The kanji characters on the gold label are the same as the blue label with the addition of one more character. It also reads from right to left and consists of three rows of characters. The kanji characters displayed below are as they appear on the label, and should be read from right to left. Same as the blue label, they are frequently overstamped and in some cases dated. At least one label is entirely silver from the gold coloring being rubbed or cleaned off. In my opinion, and it is no more than that, the gold label succeeded the blue one. 票證査檢 = kensa shōhyō = inspection voucher. 合組業工物刃関 = Seki hamono kōgyō kumiai. 町関縣阜岐 = Gifu-ken Seki-chō.

Here is a link to an older blade. 刀　東京偕行社 (指揮刀型軍刀 兼用刀) 懸賞論文優等賞 Link to a sword care box with hanger. 旧日本軍　軍刀の部分と刀手入用具　陸軍偕行社軍需部

I would also suggest including the nakago version, either 94/98 or 100, and if any inspection marks make an appearance.

With the help of BangBangSan, I have transcribed the kanji characters that appear on the blue label. On the label, the characters are written from right to left. However, below I have reversed the order to left to right. I have used the translations that appear on the blue label. The characters 檢査證 translates as "inspection certificate" while the label uses "Passed." There are minor differences in the appearance of the characters between the various blue labels indicating different printings. Keep in mind that these labels are frequently overstamped or written upon by the various inspectors. 関刃物工業組合 = Seki hamono kōgyō kumiai = The Seki Cutlery Manufacturers’ Society. 岐阜縣関町 = Gifu-ken Seki-chō = Seki, Gifuken, Japan. 檢査證 = kensa-shō = Passed. Old to new character conversions. 縣 = 県. 檢 = 検. 證 = 証.

At least two that I am aware of. The Kaikōsha had a store, sometimes called a counter, where pistols and swords could be purchased. Officer Swords & Enlisted Men, Post #4 Please Help With Mei Translation

Does anyone have any other examples of this silver label? The shape is distinctly different from the Seki blue and gold labels which I am currently translating. Dave R, does the label wrap all around the saya or is only on one side?

The caption above is 無垢(丸鍛え). 無垢 = muku. 丸鍛え = maru-gitae. See Kitae - Blade Construction in Japanese Swords . The title at the bottom of the illustration is Nihontō no kumiawase kōzō 日本刀の組み合わせ構造.

I located the pictures of the 宗利 with the タ2353 marking and will post a link below. It was an interesting website and I located several articles of interest and downloaded them. I am sure others will like browsing the site too. Katana - Munetoshi

Is there by chance a number stamped into the nakago [tang] near the bottom?

Not much to work with; but, here is another one タ1399. Arsenal Stamps., Post #160 That makes three so far; タ1246, タ1399, and タ2353.

George, I sent you a private message and it bounced. The message states: george trotter cannot receive messages. Is your mailbox full by chance?

A Type 100 by Akimitsu that is pictured on pages 74 and 75 of Modern Japanese Swords: The Beginning of the Gendaito Era by Kapp & Monson. Nakago Reverse ☆　鉄収子昭光作之　タ1246 Nakago Obverse 昭和十八年八月日

They could indeed be from the same shop or even from two different shops. I think different sword companies used different methods for keeping parts together. With over 50 sword companies assembling swords, one has over 50 different ways of going about it. Final inspection marks are usually kanji while factory inspection marks are usually katakana. Factory inspection marks will usually be found on parts that have passed inspection while the final inspection mark will appear on the major components, such as the blade and scabbard. You would need to check with Bruce on that one. How often does the marking occur and on what blades. Do the numbers increase by date? If so, it could be a production number like what appears on the encircled 松 blades. This is not my area of expertise so all I can do is suggest possibilities. Remember, you have far more hands on experience with these Type 100s than I do.

The page is question is coming from a 1943 manual. The manual was reprinted in Japan back in 1998. Japan. Rikugunshō 陸軍省 (War Ministry). Rikugun Heiki Gyōsei Honbu 陸軍兵器行政本部 (Army Ordnance Administration Headquarters). Ken’in oyobi hyōshiki kitei 檢印及標識規定 (Regulations for Inspection Marks and Signs). General Order 2389. 19 October 1943. The 板橋製造所 was an ammunition factory, specifically the production of smokeless powder. In this case, no. It is just one of several different methods for matching parts during manufacture. In my opinion, the above marking is a civilian production number. Possibly to keep track of production and orders, either by a smith, a shop, or a guild.

硬 = hard. 中軟 = medium soft. 軟 = soft.

I would think this system would have been used by several workshops. It is just a subassembly number after all. One last comment, these subassembly numbers should be showing up on more than one part, If not, one may be looking at something else. The markings that Morita san illustrates are inspection marks and they are coming from a 1943 manual that was reprinted back in the 1990s. Below is a brief explanation of the inspection procedure. Short Development History of Type 95 Gunto, Post #144 Gotta run as it is late over here.

The Japanese army arsenals used the iroha (いろは) poem ordering system and not the gojūon system for subassembly numbers. They would start with イ1 and go up to イ999. After that, they would start with ロ1 and then go up to ロ999. After using up all the katakana characters in the iroha poem, they would then switch over to hiragana characters and start all over again. This back and forth between katakana and hiragana would continue until production ended. In the 1930s, the army started using the last three digits of the serial number as the subassembly number. Alas, officer swords were not serialized, hence the continued use of the iroha subassembly numbers. This practice should not be confused with the iroha serial number prefixes as used by the army and Mantetsu, commonly called series marks in the States. So one must carefully examine the object in question to determine if it is a serial number prefix or a subassembly number prefix.

Bruce, I have 名10506 down as having a black scabbard. Is the black paint original to the sword? Also, is there any signs of an undercoat? What are your thoughts about this one?

I tracked the sword down to an October 2013 thread over at WRF. I do not think it falls into the same category as the OP. The WRF sword could have been made outside of Japan during the war? Samurai swords

The blue and gold labels both have the same logo and name on them. Both labels have the name spelled from right to left. The labels can show up on either a scabbard or a scabbard cover. Both labels are overwritten or overstamped, either with a person's name or date stamp. 関 = Seki. 刃物 =Hamono = Cutlery. 工業 = Kōgyō = Manufacturers'. 組合 = Kumiai = Society. As far as I know, the association was established in 1931. 岐阜県関市における刃物産業の歴史的な発展過程

Link to another gold label. https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w443641699