Shin-Gunto Tang Paint Markings

[tbonesullivan]

This lovely Shin-Gunto showed up a few weeks ago, and it has already moved on to a new owner. It was fairly nice, marked 濃 州 住 福 本 兼  宗 作 - MISHU JU FUKUMOTO KANEMUNE SAKU , with a Showa arsenal stamp.

 

However, I'm trying to figure out what the paint markings on the tang mean. Usually they would match numerically somehow with the fittings, which in this case were marked 8 九 .  However the tang was marked 一 ? 二 0, where the ? could be 目 (me?) or maybe 且(Katsu?).

 

Well I just have seen another Shin Gunto, and this one has the 八 七 八 - 8 7 8 matching number on one side, which is also on the Tsuka, and on the other side in paint is 一 三 目 五.

 

Anyway, does anyone know which character it is, and what the paint marking signifies?

[David Flynn]

Assembly numbers.

[Bruce Pennington]

David,

I more think that kanji is a "4". For some reason, the 4 kanji gets some pretty sloppy versions done.

[BANGBANGSAN]

David

Bruce is right,it is Kanji for number four 四，sometimes worte like that.

 

[tbonesullivan]

AH! Now It make sense.  Not sure why this one has different numbers on each side of the tang. Maybe that number is used for some other purpose than matching with the koshirae.

[Bruce Pennington]

For the life of me, I don’t see any numbers in the other side.

[tbonesullivan]

For the life of me, I don’t see any numbers in the other side.

oh, i was talking about a different sword. I'll see if I can get pictures of that one as well.

[tbonesullivan]

Ok, here is the tang that is marked on both sides with paint, with different numbers

 

: 一 三 四 五   -  1345 and  八 七 八 - 8 7 8

[Bruce Pennington]

That’s peculiar, for sure!