Another star stamped gendaito

[Daniel]

I have just bought this star stamped gendaito signed Akitaka from nihontoantiques.com. I have tried to find out some info regarding the smith. There were a couple of smiths with the art name Akitaka during the war but the closest match I could find was Akitaka from Niigata, real name Nakamura Fukutaro, made 33 swords for the army during the war years. Do you think this is the one and does anyone have some additional info of him? The sword is in Type 3 mounts with a leather combat cover and a clasping hands sarute both I think are quite unusual for a Type 3 Gunto koshirae. The sword itself has a nice itame hada and a beautiful gunome hamon and in my opinion a very graceful sugata. The swords in type 3 mounts are in my experience often very beefy and stout while this one is very elegantly shaped. Width at the ha-machi 30.5mm, width at the yokote 20.8mm, thickness at the mune-machi 8.3mm. Nagasa is 24 1/2"

It is also dated one lucky day in January 1943.

Thank you in advance

 

Kind Regards

Daniel

[Daniel]

More

[Daniel]

Doh!

Not easy to see the mei in those pics.

Here is the link to nihontoantiques.com

http://www.nihontoantiques.com/fss533.htm

click on full images and hopefully you will be able to see the mei

 

Apologies

Daniel

[k morita]

Daniel san,

 

Nice sword!! :D

His real name is Nakabayashi(family name) Fukutaro, not Nakamura(family name).

中林 福太郎 (Nakabayashi Fukutaro) is correct .

[cisco-san]

from Markus´s book:

Akitaka (昭孝), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Niigata – „Akitaka“ (昭孝), civilian name „Nakabayashi Fukutarō“ (中林福太郎), born 1910, he worked as rikugun-jumei-tōshō

[george trotter]

He was 26th student of Kurihara Hikosaburo Akihide (Uchiyama articles "Nihon Gendaito Shoshi" Chapter III p.6).

In this page it gives his details as Niigata, Nakabayashi Sadamune Akitaka.

...where did you get the info that he made 33 swords? I ask because I see in the Nihonto Meikan p.5 that in Sho 18 he was 33 years of age...could your info be a mistake for this?

Also, the Meikan gives his personal name as Fukutaro...and Tosho Zenshu p.606 gives his name as Fukutaro (b.Meiji 43), so I don't know what the name "Sadamune" means in Uchiyama.

[Daniel]

Hi all,

Thank you for the information.

 

George, I found the info on Nihonto club

http://nihontoclub.com/smiths/AKI68

 

Once again, thanks I'm very grateful.

 

Regards

Daniel

[Daniel]

Hmm, a lot of names Nakamura, Sadamune and Nakabayashi, but in most sources his name seems to be Nakabayashi Fukutaro so I guess this is the right name.

Thanks

Daniel

[Daniel]

Hi

Life's great vacation and swords to study. This evening after I put my son to bed I took the time to really study the sword. With my other Gendaito the famous Kiyokatsu and some more I'm beginning to learn to see and appreciate the Hamon with all the various Hataraki there is to see. Today for the first time in reality I discovered how nice and interesting it is to see and study Hada. Of course I've seen and enjoyed Hada in my other swords but in this Akitaka the Hada were really visible wet and glowing. So today is a good day, summer, vacation had a lunch out on a resaurant with my wife and my two and half y/o son who didn't completely trash the place and finally tonight with a small Lagavulin beside me and the sword I took another small step on the Nihonto learning curve.

Best Regards

Daniel

[b.hennick]

Don't cut yourself those Scotches that start with L are dangerous. (Good so you want more then accidents happen.)

[george trotter]

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for that nihontoclub link...that "made 33 swords" for the army is a strange piece of info. To my knowledge only the production totals of the Yasukuni smiths is published. Eithre this "33" is a misreading of the Japanese text that says he was an army smith aged 33 in Sho 18, or there is some valuable info out there I/we have not heard about before.

Anyone know anything....?

Also, I have only seen about 6 or 7 Type 3 in leather saya covers...quite rare.

 

Regards

[cabowen]

It is almost certainly a mistaken translation.

[kazarena]

Thanks guys, I've updated the page on nihontoclub.com. This was certainly a translation mistake, a leftover from initial upload.

 

Regards,

Stan

[Kiipu]

On 7/23/2013 at 12:24 PM, Daniel said:

Here is the link to nihontoantiques.com

 

@Daniel the link to the sword has since moved to the archives section and can still be seen at the link below.  In regards to the serial number, is there a faint encircled 松 stamp before the 615?  And finally, any markings on the nakago mune?

Rikugun Jumei Akitaka (fss-533)

@BANGBANGSAN & @Bruce Pennington

 

Cross-Reference

Arsenal Mark on RJT sword Fittings, Page 9