WW2 Japan TAIWAN COLONIAL SONIN SWORD "SIGNED" W/PORTAPEE

[baldi1942]

THIS IS A PRETTY HARD TO FIND WWII ERA OR LITTLE EARLIER TAIWAN COLONIAL SWORD USED WHEN FORMOSA WAS OCCUPIED /CONTROLLED BY Japan.  THIS IS EXACTLY HOW I BOUGHT IT 30-40 YRS AGO DIRECTLY FROM A VET WHO BROUGHT IT BACK AS HIS SOUVENIR. 

 IT IS A FORGED CARBON STEEL BLADE BUT HAS THE NICKEL PLATING W/FAUX HAMON STANDARD FOR MOST ALL DRESS/PARADE SABRES.  

 THIS IS THE "SONIN" LEVEL MODEL AND HAS THE KANJI DENOTING  刀工  直弘 TOKO NAOHIRO (SWORDSMITH NAOHIRO) . ALSO OPP SIDE KANJI BUT TOO OBSCURE FOR THIS OL MAN TO READ. PLATING ADDED AFTER INSCRIPTION AS ALL PARTIALLY TO 90% OBSCURED. 

IMO BELIEVE THIS SWORD MADE PRIOR TO WWII BUT ? 

 

  NAOHIRO ,BORN MEIJI 43 ,  WAS A SWORDSMITH OF GOOD REPUTATION AND NOTED IN JOHN SLOUGH'S REF BOOK AS WELL AS ONO TADASHI'S ."GENDAITO MEIKAN" PAGE 108 & NIHONTO MEIKAN P 659.   

 

 PARTS MARKED HAVE THE  KANJI FOR #3   三  ALSO THE   "SUYA"   LOGO UNDERSIDE GUARD

 A,  SHOULD I SAY,  "RARE" SWORD TO FIND - SOLD MY HANNIN SWORD ON EBAY AND IT WAS A LITTLE ROUGH BUT FAIRLY COMMON. 

 THIS SONIN SWORD IS OVERALL EXCELLENT - KNOT IS A LITTLE FRAYED ,VERY NICE LACQUERED SAYA AND ALL FITTINGS HAVING NO WEAR BUT  LIGHT PATINA -  ALL THERE AND A NICE COLLECTIBLE AS MILITARY SWORDS GO. 

 

SOLD

HAVE A NICE DAY AND STAY SAFE ! 

[baldi1942]

SOLD !! 

[Bugyotsuji]

Congratulations, Baldi.

 

PS I had to stop halfway through. Is it just me having trouble reading everything in capital letters?

[Shamsy]

I read it in a very halting manner, Piers. Almost as though there is a full stop after each word. It's not hard to read per say, but it's harder to take in the information.