Kiipu

A similar sword was recently acquired by ribendao and can be seen at the link below. Light weight/Dress Shingunto

Another small detail is I do not see any provision for a scabbard lock on these while Bruce's does have a scabbard lock. The fitting are army all the way through and that rules out use by other government organizations. I think these are pre-1938 manufacture and tend to agree with John above. Bruce's sword seems to be the next step in the evolution of the concept. Make is showy but also make it functionial.

Thanks for the prompt reply. In regards to the mon, post the picture in the thread below. Help Identity Our Mons.

Shortly after this thread started in October 2011, Slough san passed away according to this NMB thread. RIP John Scott Slough, Modern Japanese Swordsmiths 1868-1945

Bruce, can you measure the width of the blade at the junction of the tsuba so as to compare to the one linked below. Note the distinct size difference compared to yours. Light weight/Dress Shingunto

This does indeed appear to be a lightweight army Type 98 dress sword. Note that the fittings are all sized smaller and this would require molds to manufacture. Definitely not a custom sword. Note the pierced crossguard (tsuba). Next time you have the sword disassembled, I would like to see pictures of both sides of the nakago. In the meantime, can you measure the width of the blade were it meets the crossguard. I will ask Bruce to do the same on his and lets see what happens.

Are there any markings on the sword? Also, is the blade chromed and acid etched like a dress sword? Does the blade have an edge to it? What is the weight of the sword in relation to the other sword pictured? Does the scabbard show evidence of a second hanger at one time? This one seems smaller than the one Bruce has. Possibly a different maker and a different purpose in mind. Chromed And Fullered Type 98

Jussi, could it possibly be August 1869, the year of the snake? 明治二年八月日 = A day in August 1869. 巳 = snake. Sexagenary cycle

Thank you for sharing pictures of your sword. Your sword was made by Suya, a well known Japanese sword company, under the supervision of Kokura Arsenal. Below is a link to an article about sword care. At the bottom of the page there is an orange link to download a PDF copy. Japanese Sword Care and Etiquette

Here is a good online source to get started. It will answer most of the basic questions. IJA Type 95 NCO Sword Info These Type 95s are frequently referred to on this forum by patterns. Stegel has posted an info-graphic on this and it can be found at the link below. Questions about "late war", NCO swords, Post #37

Here is a shortcut to the thread. Information

Thanks for the prompt reply BangBangSan. I found some additional pictures of the other one over at another thread. This one could be 277? Post #18 I think these are literally the last swords off of the production line. Some factories just plain stopped inspecting and serializing weapons in late July and August 1945. The goal now was just get something out the door and into the hands of the troops before the invasion came in November 1945.

Thanks Bruce for the followup. So the assembly number is 11 and that is the only marking that shows up. A few more questions to assist in classifying the sword, does the blade have an edge to it and could it be used as a sword if need be? Is the hamon acid etched like on some parade/dress swords from this time frame? What is the weight difference between this and a standard Type 94/98? Considering that there were few swordsmiths around during the 1934 to 1938 time frame, it does not surprise me that so many non-traditional made blades show up in the early Type 94 and 98s. In those early years, there would have been a need for an economy version of the 94/98 and the sword companies stepped up to the plate to supply them. The one pictured above appears to fall into this category.

I am curious about these two unserialized Type 95 swords and I am wondering what are the actual three digit numbers which are located on the scabbard throat mouths? They are kinda hard to read via the pictures. Can you see the numbers more clearly in person? Stegel in post #37 alluded to this variation and mentions some exhibit evidence of a previous serial number on the blade. Does your two swords show any evidence of a blade serial number being removed? Trying placing the flat edge of a ruler on the blade to see if there is any sign of an indentation.

Better late, than never! If the sword is still at hand, I would like to see a picture of this nakago marking. Also, there appears to be some sort of marking on one of the seppa. It looks like a square but the resolution is poor. Are there any other markings on this sword?

The navy had an inspector at Tenshōzan Tanren-Ba 天照山鍛錬場 that used a unique anchor stamp. Below are the occurrences of the anchor stamp by year. For reasons unknown, Tenshōzan seems to have stopped dating blades sometime in 1943 or 1944. 1939: 1. 1940: 0. 1941: 0. 1942: 4. 1943: 4. Undated: 3 (most likely made after 1943).

Can you measure the height of the 関 Seki stamp in the picture above in millimeters? In the picture it is rotated sideways and I need the height and not the width. 関

In the table, you need to separate the non-military stamps from the military stamps. The table should be in the order below. 昭 Shō within/inside a cherry blossom. 関 Seki (5 mm height per link in post #632). 岐 Gi within a cherry blossom. After the non-military stamps, the military inspection marks can be listed. What is the height of the small 関 [Seki] stamp in millimeters?

If I am interpreting Ohmura sensei correctly, the large 関 [Seki] stamp was replaced by another stamp to avoid duplication of stamps with the army. In this case, I think the replacement stamp is probably the 岐 [Gi] within a sakura [cherry blossom]. Do any of the smiths above that used the large Seki stamp now start using the Gi stamp in 1944 and 1945? Stepping aside for a moment, lets look at the use of the Seki stamp on the Type 95 Military Sword. The Nagoya two hundred thousand range starts off with the 名 inspection stamp. The low serial number being 名200437. Not long after, the Seki stamp shows up at serial number 関201505 and continues on up to the high serial number of 関216854. Occasionally, an older 名 stamp will show up, such as serial number 名204877; but, this is more of an exception to the rule. Bruce, are you still following my train of thought in regards to this matter?

I somewhat disagree as there are two sizes of 関 [Seki] stamps and they should be studied by the size of the stamp and not all lumped together. It seems the large Seki stamp is a guild or association stamp and hence the lack of date markings on some, but not all, swords. The smaller Seki stamp that came later is a Nagoya Arsenal inspection mark and since inspected by the army will be dated per regulations. I have inserted the kanji characters for the two different organizations mentioned in the quote below.

I like the picture of the Suya stamp. As to the characters, the white piece of paper pictured above shows what they are. In this case, they are 二代 源良近作之. 二代 = second generation. 源 = Minamoto. 良近 = Yoshichika.

Collectors in the United States back in the 1980s and 1990s used a product from Pecard Leather Care Company. There could be other alternatives though as I have not kept up with all the advances since then. https://pecard.com/

george trotter See posts #615 to #629 below. Any thoughts on this other one? Do you know if the other side had a scabbard release button? Arsenal Stamps.

家紋 = kamon = family crest. 駐爪 = scabbard release button. BangBangSan, I have no idea what it is or what it is for but here is a link to another. Smallest mon?

marsel (Samusamu) You can find pictures of the nakago [tang] and mekugi [peg] locations via the two swords linked below. Hope this helps your friend. Shin gunto(?) for review Identification help