Nlf Gunto Discussion

[Bruce Pennington]

Excellent, Michael, that's a beauty!

I may be wrong, but I believe that is Takeyasu.  Here's an example that is easier to read:

 

Hard to tell from your photo the size of the anchor stamp.  Can you give a measure of it's diameter?

[Michaelr]

Thank you Bruce. I will measure the anchor stamp as soon as I can and repost it. Have you ever seen one with the peg in the Kashira? Do you have other #95 recorded?
 MikeR

[Bruce Pennington]

19 hours ago, Michaelr said:

Have you ever seen one with the peg in the Kashira? Do you have other #95 recorded?
 MikeR

Mike, I didn't go through all 118, but in the 30 or so I found 4.  Here's one, one of the two that came with the PX souvenir letter.  Signed Hiratoshi, with no painted number:

It is an odd thing.  The nakago doesn't have an ana there, so can't imagine the purpose of the peg.

 

I have one other 95:
 

Mei

Date

Anchor

Fittings

Kabu finish

Jiri Finished?

#

Source

88.	Takeyasu	ND	Small	Standard	Texture	Yes, shaped	95	Michaelr, NMB
89.	Mumei	ND	Large	Standard sarute	Unknwn	No	95	Smallsword; ebay

[Nazar]

Bruce, here is another one from the same site:

 

https://richard-militaria.at/Japan-marine-katana-fuer-offiziere-shin-gunto

 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

4 hours ago, Nazar said:

here is another one from the same site:

Good one, Nazar, thank you!  An interesting one, too, with that stamped "119."  Normally we see this on wartime blades, although I do have four others with stamped numbers.  I'm tempted to think this was a war surplus blade, but that unfinished nakago with heat coloration sure looks like something made by the souvenir operation.

[Bruce Pennington]

Here's one of those puzzling ones.  Found on this Toovey's Auction.  Mumei, no observable stamp, #65.  Fittings are typical Army, but hey are not gold gilded.  Most puzzling is the tsuka ito which clearly had been handled/carried considerably, look at the sweat stains.  Adding to the list of souvenirs with sarute ... and this one is a bit unusual.

 

[John C]

Bruce:

Just for reference, mine is in similar condition and set-up as the one above. And, happens to be one number later "66".

 

John C.

[Jcstroud]

On 11/19/2025 at 3:27 AM, Bruce Pennington said:

Here's one of those puzzling ones.  Found on this Toovey's Auction.  Mumei, no observable stamp, #65.  Fittings are typical Army, but hey are not gold gilded.  Most puzzling is the tsuka ito which clearly

Interesting that this example at the Toovies auction does not have the 1 piece fuchi indicates an earlier souvenir made with wartime army fittings very likely a wartime built blade suriaged for standard length tsuka at the Tenshozan Tanrenjo is my guess.

[Bruce Pennington]

13 minutes ago, Jcstroud said:

does not have the 1 piece fuchi

Good catch John. I hadn’t noticed that. It goes along with the rest of the fittings not being gold gilded. Kind of supports the idea that they were using surplus parts initially.

[Nazar]

Yet one

[Bruce Pennington]

Nice one, Nazar!  Shaped nakago jiri and no heat stains, so likely a surplus blade from war production.  Checking the chart, with our duplicate numbers, most have one blade that has finished jiri and the other/s do not, supporting the theory that the finished blades were surplus and the unfinished blades were made for the souvenir contract.