Marcin

Some more info at Omura http://ohmura-study.net/925.html "Sergeant Kako of a Guntō repair group is an excellent swordsmith. Since the operative of the forging factory in a unit did not have arms, there was a request which makes a sword as an object for self-defense. The old spring which is the useless article of a car was forged roughly, and it was considered as the form of a sword. Since full-scale hardening was not completed, it made the sword from the same manufacturing process as "Zōhei-tō" which puts a temper into the whole and is returned moderately."

We know about this site. Still paperback is available forever. Look for never edition like 2017 - 20 years equals 28 extra pages difference. for example: /amazon still have it cheaper with free shipping/ https://www.ebay.com/itm/397132961639?_skw=The+Connoisseur's+Book+of+Japanese+Swords&epid=232845081&itmmeta=01KQFQ3QX6XVCBAPMM0MCDEHJ0&hash=item5c76f81767:g:LFwAAeSwIdZpILQj&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAABEGfYFPkwiKCW4ZNSs2u11xB9eygsBJXfQT4UUXYhbABqwm6lTfxuG87P%2F9zW4IFm0I%2FVDyisKvK4nlmgDY8b4fIMzcHxsBAMXinQ3ZcxtLjUCFzkso28%2Fi2hdmAXflmdUVeqNRfXnvKz04hi19gqL45H7MXwIbeU1w8jvrhNWPmZAhqoLs7YwOyMWYULQbEORxEDCdIxHanL8YpZPB4AnB05LzqLNcdpFrd1T0NNsUxiW7YWgy2quu51vQ8Pbri2RGwayIy1Doubjj7b1xtO9OEK7mCBpwze%2FKBnmwVVKRcmin6hj5DbdL93%2FzDYChQvXtHwbK%2ByI%2Ffdw5OO5Hq9eQ8FRh62FeH%2FxjzlSJpCjWCt|tkp%3ABk9SR97-jve7Zw

Fatty classic.

Good for Me. Maybe We were to lenient lately towards these mixed examples :D

@Scoggwhat about this kabuto-gane?

Don't You find tsukamaki suspicious? Kabutogane like in last stage, crude nco 95 example, could this be random assembly? Sorry but when tsukamaki have uneven diamonds like that, having alternating braid - still DIY. Menuki in accordance with regulations for gunto but You know It's easier to cast menuki then kabuto-gane. Iron tsuba looks older but who knows. Examples for gunzoku, [especially last one is similar case with ija menuki] here: http://ohmura-study.net/728.html I'm posting some tsuka from leather-covered saya sets. Military green tsuka-ito? Please post more pictures, way too random.

Look for this book:

@BrianI'm not going to fight for this. Seppa set isn't typical afterall. I found on the forum picture with seppa sets. Still blade looks older then shin gunto establisment.

exactly Bruce, I know well that it can be assembly number but having Yours examples gives some space.

Thank You for more pictures. I'm sold on this piece. @Bruce Pennington tsuba is marked "8", it looks more like lucky charm then simple number just at tsuba. What do You think? Any examples of "naked lone 8" stamp on blades or mountings? I will put info here, quote from reddit: "In Japanese, the number 8 (八, hachi or ya) is considered a very lucky number representing growth, prosperity, and abundance, rather than just the digit itself. Its luckiness stems from the kanji character 八, which is broad at the bottom (known as suehirogari), symbolizing a future that opens up or prospers over time" I'm posting pictures from mon book maybe meaning of this stamp is actually tennen hyotan - calabash, which is also lucky charm, conteiner for evil spirits or sth like it. Stamping it on tsuba have some meaning. I can't translate it yet so some help needed.

Word on niku (meat) in general. To keep up. https://japaneseswordindex.com/niku.htm

Nanban = barbarian? Foreign steel

I get it. He used pictures from auction. Those with green background. It was jauce seller.

He posted nakago photos already.

Clearly bad measurements saya 80 so tsuka 55? Definietly wrong but longer then usual. First haikan should be 6cm under Tsuba? Second 16cm.

Yes, it looks like removable hanger was removed and existing one originally was at spot near tsuba. @paulatim it’s almost complete T94 gunto koshirae. one haikan but: -clear marks after both, there was leather stripe under usually, -centered chuso, -separate sarute barrel from kabuto-gane, -tsuba is fat type, extra long saya made for blade. Ask Your friend for pictures of tsuba and seppa laying one near another. There could be stamps from fittings shop as ishizuki and kabuto-gane aren’t fixed in place by pins. As for blade - hamon looks like suguha, oldest type seen on ancient blades. I don’t see boshi (hamon pattern at tip of blade) and bo-hi dsn’t extend on nakago? 3 separate mekugi ana and no sign of bo-hi? Either atobori (added later by different smith) or we have some issues with blade being shortened and not having atributes.

I know bro :] and it’s again question what word „sword” means in Japanese in context of „sword era” (not historical eras) Is this only traditionally made (nihonto) or under sword we have every blade possible. But It’s question for this narrow context meaning, not a common meaning in everyday language. Before meiji there was no showato, showato production ended with end of ww2. For example - term „koto”- old sword, those were always made traditionally.

Jonathan, my concern was not in a number but shape. If ana was elongated You have loose space near mekugi.

Is this modern repro or showa? Single mekugi ana in this mountings. Koshirae is really bad. Tsukamaki made by unskilled hand. Fresh rust. Imo this piece would be worth more as bare blade. It have visible division of yakiba/ji shinogi-ji?

If You divide/name swords made during historical Japanese Showa era [1926-1989] those would be swords made during 2 different sword era gendai and shinsaku. Think about this my way: gendai-to [現代刀] 1877-1945 刀 of gendai and shinsaku-to [新作刀] 1946- until now 刀 of shinsaku era What is a meaning of 刀? We can’t mixing historical and sword era together. These are separate divisions. You heard term showa-to? Collectors meaning - mass produced historical - all blades made during reign of emperor showa. Same with gendai-to. Two meanings literal and one used by collectors. Maybe proposed meaning of collector’s term „showato” is to wide and cover entire showa era but producing this type of item stopped entirely way before era ended. Using word showato to describe term: „mass produced non-traditional” in collectors meaning is confusing for many. If collectors agree to use term like mass-to/sharpi-to or something different it would be better

Of course it is for display. I’m not going to push anything inside. Metal rims visible on pics were added as some kind of repair, reinforcement. There is also long time before this blade will be polished and evaluated.

110245 kokura. https://ebay.us/m/4L4MD9

Tassel have some wrapper. What exactly You mean by acquired through family? If this was inherited someone probably bought it after ww2. So it have „factory new” tassel with renovated koshirae? Is there any hot stamp (kokuin)? example from 1943 https://www.aoijapan.net/katana-echigo-kuni-mitsuoki/#google_vignette

Oh and yeah all traditional swords are called nihonto. So we have nihonto made in koto/shinto/shinshinto/gendai/shinsaku -ERA. Scholars made division. So new/newer/newest in era context on relation to nihonto and nihonto only. Other concepts for example posted at links: gunto or civil blades; gendaito or showato it’s just different division based on common practice. Especially showato meaning mass produced non-traditional etc.

I would go for meaning gendai/kindai meaning entire „new era” while shinsakuto - newest made swords just like this division: https://www.japaneseswordindex.com/period.htm Next generations will decide if actual division will stick both in years and nomenclature. And yeah we need to go with meaning that „sword” means blade made traditional from the beginning. So non traditionally made dsn’t have right to be called „sword” from the start. Machine or non-fully traditionally made blades appeared in big amount after all during late 19th century. To support this just think about what can get torokusho :] We have some showato but it’s rare exception in a rule.