Kantei Answer

[Stephen]

http://www.aoijapan.com/katanakouwa-isshin-mantetsu-showa-kanoto-kinotomi-haru-1941-spring

[SwordGuyJoe]

Interesting! I guess I can see why Hawley rated "him" as the top gendai smith (10 points vs. 8 for everyone else).

[Stephen]

just in case it sells and no longer up

Whats interesting Joe is they were always classified as showato.

Katana:Kouwa Isshin Mantetsu / Showa Kanoto Kinotomi Haru (1941 Spring)

 

2015/10/25

Ordering number : AS14709

Katana in Shirasaya
Signature : Kouwa Isshin Mantetsu
Showa Kanoto Kinotomi Haru (1941 Spring)

(We divide 4 sections for each sword as Saijyo saku, Jyojyo saku
Jyo saku and regular saki)This sword belongs to
ranking.

The blade was polished.
Habaki :copper single habaki.
Blade length :68.48cm or 26.96inches.
Sori : 1.8cm or 0.7inches.
Mekugi : 　1
Width at the hamachi :2.11cm or 0.83inches.

Kasane : 0.72cm or 0.28inches.
Era : Showa Period during wartime
Shape : Wide and thick solid Shinogi Zukuri katana
Hamon: Suguha deki with Boshi turn up.

Special feature :Antetsu-to is a kind of cold-tolerant gun-to appropriate for a cold northern district in Manchuria in China. South Manchuria Railways Co. planned it in 1937. After a series of experiments, they finally succeeded in making satisfactory katana and started to mass-production at Dalian in 1938. It was a remarkable improvement at that time because usual oil-tempered gunto was easily broken in severe cold. It is said that the mantetsu-to endured in the temperature minus fourty degrees.
The texture of jitetsu shows fine nashi-ji by excellent polishing. It looks like as if it were a Tadayoshi the seventh’s sword of Hizen-to.
Only a few Mantetsu-to barely escaped as an article left by the deceased from disposing of junk in Japan and survive as if it were a witness of wartime.
This sword already have sword license and there is no problem holding in Japan or exporting overseas.

Koshirae: Army Gunto koshirae. It is nice condition.

HIstorical Background: The Japanese army officers were holding Japanese swords during wartime. However, many of those oiled tempered Showa katana would break apart when used in -30 degrees environment in Manchuria. After many experiments, they succeeded on pouring iron inside a tube to make a double structured katana and applying a suguha hamon to bare the ice cold environment.
It is rare in that most of such katanas will be confiscated if it were to have a sword license paper registration because they are oil tempered. There is only few of such Mantetsu-to left today.

NBTHK Hozon paper.
Aoi Art estimation paper : whole Oshigata.

Auction starting Price : 400,000 JPY- (including shipping and 100% insurance fee)
Bid

[Brian]

Think it interesting that they are pretty upfront about the fact that this slipped through the torokusho cracks, and it would usually be illegal there.

I have my doubts about the "fine nashiji" hada, which is probably closer to no hada imho. I still regard these as purely militaria personally, but like the NCO Shin Gunto, their value has risen disproportionately to their artistic merit.

[Stephen]

even bar steel has hada, if you look close enough lol