Hey all,
I recently picked up my first Type 98 shin gunto and just wanted to learn a bit more about it and verify that the sword is all original. So far from my research, the mountings appear to be genuine, but the relatively uniform waves of the hamon has given me doubts about the blade, however as it's my first T98 I'm not entirely sure. Also, the seller stated the fittings were of mid-war production, but the wood saya and the crude finishing work on some of the fittings leads me to believe it's actually a late war production sword. As for the signature on the tang, I think I've been able to establish the markings as "三池典太", but due to the corrosion I'm not completely certain. Anyways, any information on the sword would be greatly appreciated.
