Help With Translation Of A Shin Gunto Signature

[messedupmojo]

Hi

 

I'm hoping for some help identifying the signature on this Shingunto - i've searched through a number (thousands) of photographs of signatures collated by a number of online sites - but cant find any that match. The sword looks genuine, it certainly feels well aged and authentic to the WW2 era (hopefully) but i dont think that it would be any older than that. I cannot see an armory mark or any other stamps

 

 

Any help gratefully received

 

Kind regards

David

 

 

 

 

[ROKUJURO]

David,

welcome to the NMB!

The signature is easier to read vertically. It may be KANEKIYO, and the slanted YASURI ME may indeed be a hint to WWII production. To say more, we would need detailed and well focused photos of the blade.

The NAKAGO is not 'well aged', but it is badly rusted so we can guess it was stored in a moist place. But please do not attempt to clean or polish it, you might damage it as happens so often! Please read the respective articles here on NMB about sword care, restoration and preservation.

[messedupmojo]

Thanks - i will try and take some photos of the blade (which is not rusted but is quite tarnished) and get some pictures up here asap

[SteveM]

包永　Kanenaga, I think.

 

See another example here

http://winners-auction.jp/productDetail/10786

[messedupmojo]

Hi

 

I've taken a few more photos and also found another inscription on the back, which i couldn't see until i put it under quite bright light

 

Sorry i also meant to say the blade is about 26"

 

I also had trouble getting the habaki off - i can move it - but taking it over the rust will remove some of the rust - is this acceptable if done carefully?

 

thanks for any further translations / opinions on age / maker and advice

 

Kind regards

Dave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[messedupmojo]

I've tried to include a better picture of the writing on the other side - the bottom looks like "one" and "eleventh" month ? but the middle looks too corroded

 

is there a way to tell if the blade is traditionally or machine made?

 

[SteveM]

Study the sword, find out more about the smith, compare it with other swords, etc... These are all the ways to find out more about your sword. There should be tons of threads or posts regarding rusty WWII blades on this site, so fiddle around with the search function to see what pops up. My guess is that yours is a typical WWII foundry-forged and oil-quenched gunto. Its just a guess - I have no knowledge of Kanenaga other than the few samples that popped up when I Googled him, so that might also be a good place to start. Jean mentioned Kanekiyo, so you might also Google that smith (gunto + Kanekiyo) to see if there are any samples that pop up, and then compare yours against those samples. 

 

I think the first two kanji on the revers side are 昭和 Shōwa. The month is November, as you surmise. 

[Stephen]

Tap off some of the layered rust (wood not steel) see if it has a showa stamp, looks like it might have a nice hamon.

[messedupmojo]

Hi

Thanks for all the advice so far - i managed to get the habaki off  which was stuck- and flaked the worst of the loose rust off. However i'm still unable to find any armory marks - i carefully took back the flakey rust leaving the colour and some rust in place to remove the habaki - but im now 80% confident that what remains cant be concealing any kind of mark Unless its tiny)

Are all non traditional gunto's marked? is it likely there is no mark ? i think i remember reading somewhere that if a sword was rejected it wasn't stamped - perhaps given its later gunto mounts they got desperate?