Klink

HisaTsugu?

Thanks in advance for any assistance. I think the first two characters are HisaTsugu. Also is the Kozuka suppose to secure to the blade by only friction?

Those are some great finds which I did not see. So although similar the Police emblem has 5 main rays and this one has 8 main rays and 8 smaller rays. The Rising Sun symbol / flag also depicts 16 rays of light. Is this a coincidence, I don't think so. :-) The mystery continues..... Thanks for the great pictures. OK this is from AI... so be nice... Origin of the Number 16: The 16 rays are widely believed to correspond to the Imperial Seal of Japan, which is a stylized chrysanthemum (the Kiku-mon) featuring 16 petals. By using 16 rays, the military flag directly invoked the authority of the Emperor, who was considered a divine figure and the supreme commander of the armed forces. Cultural Meaning: Before its association with 20th-century militarism, the "Rising Sun" motif was used for centuries in Japan to symbolize good fortune, celebration, and "the land where the sun rises". So this is stretching it.... what group would use a Menuki pair that has the similar symbol of the police yet depicts the authority of the Emperor...... Hmmmm. Or maybe this is simply a Good Luck symbol....

The more I look it appears the Japanese Police used a Kyu-Gunto looking sword....

Looking for comments..... Although the Menuki are tightly bound I believe there are 16 total long and short Sun Rays radiating from the center. Is this a variation of the National Police Symbol? The Ito is definitely two tone (Dark Brown/ Light Brown) which is interesting. The Samegawa has some nice large grain accents at the copper Kashira. Is this a WW2 Police Officer Wakizashi Tsuka? I looked for a Family Crest and did not find anything like this but the National Police crest has the same shaped points but with 20 Sun Rays.

Thank you Steve, much appreciated. I was knocking on the door with the Yoshimichi but had no idea on the Kojima. So a Seki Showato Smith..... Like they say Life is like a box of chocolates ....... ;-)

I tried to figure it out but the penmanship is tough for me :-) YoshiChika... YoshiMichi... ??

Excellent eye! I put the Mei under a microscope and that is definitely a character however I did not see anything else other than file marks. I looked through the Nihonto Club search engine with "Shige" and Kiyoshige shows up many times in the modern era.

Ok I did my best! Nagasa 66.36 cm Sori 1.59 cm, Naka-zori curve Motohaba 3.04 cm Saki-haba 2.175 cm Motogasane 8 mm Sakigasane 5.3 mm Weight 813.6 g

So do you see this as a Tachi cut down? I read where the file marks on the Nakago are the smiths personal space where you can tell right handed file marks or left handed..... What I see what looks like something other than file marks but more like a vice or ??? Also the "Kane" as pronounced with fusa.... is that KAN492? or the Kanabo Schools of smiths from the Kanabo area of Nara. Quote... While Kanabo (金房) swords, particularly katana, are known for their somewhat inelegant shapes, they were, however, highly prized by Samurai of the Sengoku Era of constant warfare. This is because of their superior strength and cutting ability. This helps to explain the existence of so many Kanabo (金房) blades today when compared with other swords that were produced in great numbers during this period of constant warfare. Simply put, they worked. They were made for combat and proved their capabilities.

Can't figure this one out as the rust is covering half of the Mei but I think I got the "Kin" symbol right. Tried to look up Smiths with Kin and ??? but to no avail..... Also the other side looks like "Ichi Katana ??? ". Number One Katana ???! . I am lost I'm afraid....

I think I got the title right . Could this have been be a Tachi? The only Kanji is the very small chiseled "Shige" at the bottom of the Nakago and the lower small hole is the one currently used for the Mekugi. The brown painted wood Saya has the one piece Koiguchi/Asahi with the patent number on it that was discussed in a forum thread. It was stated in that thread that all of the Gunto examples with that Saya fitting were Mumei. This example has a silver Habaki. From an old forum thread it was stated that silver Habaki were common in the Shinto era. The blade has a very steep taper to the Ha-machi which is quite different than my factory made Gunto examples. Appreciate any info you can shed on this one.

Well thanks, you gave me a thought and so I searched for it and since I use Chrome it turns when your on the website to be translated you simply right click on your mouse and it brings up a Google Popup which has a Line that says, Translate to English.... and it worked. So I'm back on the site!!!

Ed, I saw a retention strap like that but the photo was from a distance. That's a perfect photo for an interpretation on dimensions. Was the material leather, pigskin ..... It looks very soft and flexible like a deerskin. And I suppose the snap may be interesting and that may turn into another topic of its own My concern was would that affect the Seppa and spacing. My gunto has a full set of spacers which may suggest the strap would have been the Fuchi wrapped style.

Thanks Bruce. For some reason I was on the Main Site and a window allowed for English Translation that appeared instantly and now no more.