texanmarauder

it is the closest symbol to the one on the mei so far. the second symbol is easy to identify, relatively anyway.

hopefully this will show the mei a little clearer

nope, just those two symbols. its hard to get a good picture because of the rust, but to the mark 1 eyeball there are no other markings on the nakago. the second symbol is easily identifiable but i have never seen the first and i have searched online for days. is it true that after 1940 machined blades using puddle steel and such had to be marked on the tang?

any idea what those marks on the blade are? is that rust or something else?

my grandpa brought this back from Japan near the end of WW2. It is a shin gunto officers sword, and the mei is only two symbols long. i have tried to translate, but my skills are lacking and i would like to know more about this sword. it is indeed steel, that much i know. it does not seem to be folded, as the inactive hamon shows. the hilt is in bad shape, as the lacing and skin is almost completely gone. not sure what those marks are on the blade. im not looking to sell it, but would eventually like to restore it. any help would be much appreciated. for all i know its a cheap fake, but hell, it passed from my grandpa to my dad to me.