Conway

Here’s the measurements of my sword: Total without scabbard = 838.2mm Kissaki with scabbard = 863.6mm Nagasa = 680mm Motokasane = 5.5mm Sakikasane = 3.3mm Motohaba = 23.2mm Sakihaba = 16.5mm Kissaki = 26.8mm No stamps and mumei:

Nice find, Sam! It looks like the nakago on your’s should be threaded since there is no mekugi ana in the grip? Prior to seeing the link to the Ohmura page, I had also never heard of a reference to these combination swords. Here’s a Type 19 I have with a non-parade blade. I took some measurements a few days ago when I first saw your post, but I think I was a little sloppy with the caliper. I’ll have to re-measure.

As Barry said, the peg can easily replaced and has no monetary value. I’ve had success using tweezers to pick at the wood until it splinters and then you can remove it piece by piece.

Hi Patti, You will need to remove the wood retaining pin from the handle. The pin will only come out one way because it will be wider on one end than the other. Here is a useful video. Removing The Handle / Tsuka of a Japanese Sword - NihontoAntiques.com #1

Hi Lance, It looks to be signed Yoshitada and dated June 1945. It’s in Type 3 Army fittings and is not traditionally made. The black painted numbers are subassembly numbers and may match the fittings (八七四=874) or the first character could be hiragana. There is also the Gifu inspector’s stamp on the nakago.

Steve, The same sword was posted on NMB recently. Signed Kanetoshi:

If I remember correctly, I had a gunto tsuka re-wrapped for around $300 and it needed new silk ito. I sent my sword to David McDonald, but I am not sure if he is still accepting new jobs. I was very pleased with the result.

Came across serial number 16240 here: Rare Antique Japanese Type 25 Cavalry Sword Meiji c1896

I think the left is the hand radical - 手 （扌). So maybe the character seal script is the Chinese character撿 （jiǎn)

@John C Here’s another one- serial number 5419. There were no stamps on the guard and as you can see it was put in a Type 32 scabbard. These are the only two pictures I grabbed because the blade itself was in rough shape.

The scabbard is definitely from a Type 32. Can you show a better picture of the backstrap? Maybe the blade could be from a Type 32 as well?

@Amyjo47380 You could try to sell it in the For Sale or Trade section of this forum that way you could avoid eBay fees and taxes. See the link below. You would want to put it in the Swords and Edged Weapons section. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/forum/6-for-sale-or-trade/

@Amyjo47380 Hi Amy, What you have is Type 95 NCO sword from WW2. Your example looks to be in decent condition. The photo of serial number on the scabbard is unclear. It looks matching, but can you confirm if the number on the scabbard matches the number on the blade? These are highly collectible among collectors of WW2 Japanese swords. They are machine made and are not considered traditional Japanese swords. Condition dictates the value of these types of swords. If you look on eBay, you will see there is a wide-range of asking and selling prices. Maybe a moderator @Scogg can move this to the military section of the forum.

Daniel, The smith is Yoshifusa and the sword is dated March 1945. As Bruce suggested, the blade would originally have been in the fittings pictured above.

@Kiipu Are those the only photos available of the “prototype?” The backstrap resembles that of the Type 8 riding sword.

Can you post a picture of the date?

If that’s damage to the blade and not something stuck to the blade, I definitely would not buy it. It’s too easy to find nicer examples out there.

Here’s another mon on the fuchi. Also has an oversized sakura chuso and the kabutogane is separate from the sarute hole. For sale here from St. Croix Blades: Old WW2 Japanese Sword -Army COLONEL! -Antique Samurai Collection SHINTO

I did a little searching on the internet and I looked in Markus Sesko’s Swordsmiths of Japan and could not find an exact match to a smith named Kimura Sukemasa. Tell tale signs it was made during the WW2 period is the style of the signature, red painted sub assembly numbers, and from the pictures in the ebay listing, it looks to be an oil-quenched blade. If you can post your own photos of the blade, it could confirm the last point I made.

Hello Shane, It’s signed - 濃州住木村祐正作 (Nōshū-jū Kimura Sukemasa saku (made by)) I found the sword on the eBay listing and it looks like the seller translated it correctly.. This is a Showa period (WW2) sword. The red paint on the other side of the nakago would have been sub-assembly numbers sometimes used to tie the sword its fittings during assembly (tsuba, scabbard, seppa, etc).

Should be Nobumitsu 信光 dated November 1944.

What you should have said is, “I hope it wasn’t already posted in a more appropriate section of the forum…” I didn’t see it in the translation or Military section, so you’re good! It’s signed 村上治久 - Murakami Haruhisa and dated Spring 1944. Too bad you didn’t see it sooner. The seller actually increased the price from when they first listed it. I would not make assumptions about it being traditionally made.

There are a few other examples of this stamp recorded in Mal Cox’s Showa Swordsmiths of Aichi Prefecture (Owari and Mikawa) found in the download section.

There’s so many small details you notice when you start to compare swords in-hand rather than by picture. I just recently noticed the slight variation in the aluminum tsuka. @Kiipu Do you know when Iijima stopped producing? Would their final production have ended by fiscal year 1944 since their swords in the 160,000 range still have the brass tsuba?

You already had this translated a few weeks ago… It must be hard to search through your own posts because you title them all the same.