John C

Multiple numbers would seem to support the "subassembly" hypothesis. But what do the numbers actually pertain to? Do they refer to bin numbers on an assembly line or some other measurement? If they are used to match blade to fittings so they do not get mixed up (as Omhura-san suggests), wouldn't multiple numbers be a problem? Just curious if there is more to it... John C.

Could just be camera angle, however in two pics the top loops on the Tokyo mark look to be different sizes. John C.

If Toyosuke does have a strong Brazilian connection, you may find this article of interest. It talks about 3 well-known swordsmiths who lived in Brazil. https://to-ken.uk/onewebmedia/Japanese in Brazil Nihonto 01 02 2017 v1.pdf John C.

JC: I'm not sure this is your guy. The Toyosuke Oda posted above was in Brazil as of 1929 living with his family. He went back to Japan (via Los Angeles) in 1941 to stay with his uncle then back to Brazil by 1954, where he died in 2000. On his immigration records and passport he is listed as a farmer. I suppose he could have worked as a swordsmith at the end of the war if his uncle was one, but it seems unlikely. John C.

Conway: Just my two cents... the tsuba and tsuka look legit to me (note the even pattern of "same'" and the detail on the menuki). Also, the style of numbering (font) looks correct. But Bruce is correct that it all seems a bit "weak" for that shop. John C.

Mark: I'm doing some research on wood habaki used during ww2. Was the blade showa era? John C.

Gwyn: Could you put a piece of anti-UV glass in the frame? John C.

Don: Others can tell you much more, however to get you started: 1) notice the hamon is just a dark line. Modern blade with clear sign of oil quenching; not necessarily indicative of a fake, but not a good start. 2) notice the squared edges of the tsuba. Modern manufacture. 3) the tsuka shape is too "squared." A Japanese tsuka would be more oval in shape. 4) the materials used on the tsuka are not traditional. 5) military style menuki would probably not be used on a modern rig coming from Japan. These caught my eye, though others may disagree. John C.

Bruce: I think it means first generation and second generation. John C.

Arnaud: Thank you. I mentioned this because a search for comparing nakago would yield greater results with katana than with uchigatana. My understanding was that the sizes were comparable, however the quality of the sword was different. John C.

Yves: I'm not sure you can get a definite answer to this question. Both uchigatana and katana were designed to be held with two hands. Some handles, however, were shortened over time so the sword could be used with one hand or two. I would suggest searching for tachi and katana for sale (uchigatana were comparable to katana in size, however lower in quality) and try to get a sense of the average range of their handles. This would get you a starting point. John C.

Den: I'm not sure about the fittings. Looks like a badly cast tsuba (could be very late war) and the menuki are army style. I'll let someone more familiar comment on the blade. John C.

When you get the blade, try just pulling the screw/bolt straight out. It may not be screwed into anything. John C.

Thomas: A day late and a dollar short, but I just noticed this from Ohmura (emphasis added): According to Major Oto's memoirs, "Due to the shortage of supplies at the end of the war, the iron sheath of the soldier sword and the Type 95 military sword was allowed to be made of wooden sheath. Wajima's lacquerware cooperative With the cooperation of the tree, we wrapped the hemp cloth bayasu around the wooden sheath of the Park tree and glued lacquer to give it a dry finish in the national defense color." John C.

...from the folks who invented origami... John C.

Steve: Here is a good description and example of nie. You can see in the oval what looks like "bubbles from boiling water." These are martensite crystals that are formed during the heat treat. They tend, however, to be abundant with water quenching while very few (if any) when oil quenched. You should be able to see that with blade in hand. John C.

Steven: Did you mean to say oil quenched? From the pictures, it looks like it may have some nie. Can you see any in person? John C.

Thank you, Simon. This is great information. John C.

Thank you, Simon. I'll follow-up on that as well and see if I can find any pics of it. John C.

Odd that the kikusui seems a bit clumsy. John C.

Colin: Yes, it does add to the research - thank you. It originally came in shirasaya, so do you know if it was made for an Army officer or for a naval dirk? Or are they interchangeable? John C.

Volker: I am doing a little research on these dirks and maybe you can answer a question or two. I assume these were ordered by officers from smiths similar to the way swords were ordered. Do you you have any information on that process or which smiths were involved? Also, in reference to the Yasumitsu, is that the original habaki? Thank you, John C.

Thank you, Thomas. I hadn't seen anything in writing that says that. Does this also apply to other swords where they use a 3 or 4 digit number? John C.

There seems to be a Joe or Joseph MACHIDA listed in New Jersey who may be associated with this kind of stuff. John C.

I guess starting over at 100 would indicate some sort of batch process. But it seems only a few smiths used a letter to differentiate batches. (I know - I know.."Batches? We don't need no stinking batches.") Seeing duplicate numbers could indicate some sort of subassembly process whereby the numbers stand for parts in a bin. But I think the numbers go too high for that - anywhere from 2 to 4 numbers (including all blades, not just souvenir). And there is that picture you posted of the polishers in the factory where all of the blades seem to be marked in the 300's. Seems odd, unless it does refer to some sort of batch process. In addition, the souvenir blades only use black paint. Is there any significance to that? Bottom line is I'm still not sure exactly what they mean. John C.