Cuirassier

Thanks guys; truly appreciated.

Thanks Matt, very much appreciated. What issues would the short nakago bring if any? The blade is very good, no flaws, not fresh polish but good. Am I allowed to ask what people think it is worth? £800 ($1000 USD)? £1000 ($1300 USD)? More?

This is beyond me. Am thinking of buying, but have no ability to determine certificate (meis I normally can just do). Is it this guy? https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/TAD295 Thanks in advance Mark

Thank you guys I guess he had a bit too much saki when he did "Masa" BTW, what is this "Markus book" please cisco-san? Regards / RSVP Mark

Hello all Am really struggling with this one. I work from The Arts of the Japanese Sword (and a couple of other modern swordsmith books) but this simple last character has beaten me; I can not find it anywhere and can only assume it is a badly done Masa? Thanks if you can help Mark

Thanks guys, that is really good of you

Hello all This one has me stumped. I am sure I got his name right, but I can not find any trace of this smith, so therefore I must have got it wrong (but I really do not think so). It is on a naval landing forces kai gunto, no stamps. Having problem with the 2nd kanji but the last two are Mune and Mio, correct? Any help appreciated. Regards Mark

Cheers, thanks John. I knew my Japanese mei / kanji books would be no good (though I tried). I wonder how an Indonesian / Dutch Indies klewang ended up in HK.

Bless you, thanks Ray.

PS Japanese speakers: Please see my very different translation request in the military section

I presume it is a region+shu, but I can not find anything like that first charcter anywhere! It is an interesting blade despite having a Seki stamp, in that it is the first I have ever seen in an NCO's shin gunto and, what is more, a copper hilted gunto. Cheers in advance

Hello all I would love to find out what these characters are on a WW2 Japanese Hei Ho (converted Dutch klewang cutlass). I have no hope using my Japanese mei books. Cheers in anticipation Mark

Thanks guys; much appreciated.

No-one with a literal translation? First character Nori?

Hi all I saw this one at auction. The auction has just finished but I would be really interested if anyone could ID the stamps for me (they are surely stamps, not signature / signed characters). Never seen these before. Regards Mark

Hello Matt I think that you are bang on, thank you. I now have another photo from the guy and there is a post 1926 pre 1941 showa stamp just visible through the pitting, which basically is the final nail in the coffin regarding any interest from me. The only "interesting" thing about this sword (apart from it being a composite made up of various army and navy bits) is the first character "Sa" is missing. It is not as well done as other Kanesumi mei's. Again, thanks Mark

Hello Jean Thank you. I can not provide what you ask as I do not have the sword; it is being offered to me. I have it down as a late war gunto, without an arsenal / acceptance mark, and with a badly done signature. I can only turn the images up on their ends. 1st, 2nd and 3rd characters 2nd, 3rd and 4th characters Regards Mark

Hi all Someone has offered me what looks, in some regards to be a gendaito gunto. But it has been messed around with. Also, whenever I have come across 4 character signatures, these have tended to be late war model Showato, oddly / sometimes without any acceptance / arsenal stamp. Anyway, the mei; I believe this is a badly written / inscribed (unknown) Kane Nobu saku (not the famous Kanenobu), but I can not fathom the first character. For me the 3rd character is so badly done, it could be "Sa", but after much reflection I think not. Can anyone help with this terrible "hand writting"? Mark

Thanks guys, yes. Shame it is not Hishu Ju Tadayoshi !!

Hi Guys This one has got me. Normally I get these, but not this one. Hishu Ari?(I thought tada) Yoshi(gone) Or could it be a Hishu Tadayoshi blade? Go on, shoot me down and put me out of my misery on this one Mark

The bits most like a Seki stamp are not stamped in, but stand out. That is a fact. I do not know what mark it is, but it is not a Seki stamp; I have seen plenty enough to know.

Nope, it is not a Seki stamp. I have looked and looked and looked at it. It is more like a kokuin (OK, it is not a kokuin).

Sure, maybe, I can not find anything else anywhere else. Just a weird mark, more raised like a kokuin, then struck like a normal arsenal stamp. Didn't expect it to be gold, just some lesser known marking.

I did, thanks Stephen, but they do not look the same to me, at all.

I am certain not Seki. Gifu?