help needed with mei and stamp WWII

[b.hennick]

Hello

I was asked to help someone with a sword. It has a stamp that I think is the Seki stamp and is signed Kane ??

All help is appreciated. WWII blades is not my area of study.

 

[SteveM]

早川兼武　Hayakawa Kanetake

 

This smith, I guess (not much information about him). He's not listed in either Jinsoo Kim's site, nor in Richard Stein's site.

http://www.nipponto.co.jp/swords3/KY328042.htm

[b.hennick]

Thanks Steve I found two smiths by that name who worked from 1926-1989. They were in Markus Sesko;s Swordsmiths of Japan Aki-Kuni.

[Bruce Pennington]

You're right on the Seki stamp, Barry.  Can you show a picture of it in perspective of the nakago in size?  It appears to be the large Seki.  There were large ones and small ones, and little is known as to whether they mean different things.  Some speculate that the larger one is of the Seki Swordsmith Guild and not an army inspection stamp, which is the small one.  But I've never seen confirmation on that anywhere.  To my understand, though, both are there at Army orders to indicate a blade was non-traditionally made.  If the blade can be dated before 1938, which is when it is often stated (again no documentation) that the stamping was ordered, then the mark MAY not be saying "non-traditional" but simply approved by the Gild.  Guys like that theory because, then, their blades may be considered nihonto, but I don't like it.  Stamping started because the sword-world got tired of not knowing which swords were nihonto or showato

[b.hennick]

Here you are Bruce. This is the photo as I received it.

[Bruce Pennington]

Yes, the larger one.  Thanks!

[vajo]

Barry

when this is the smith i have it in the Gregory / Fuller book.

 

 

[SteveM]

The smith in the Gregory/Fuller book is a different Kanetake (兼丈).

The sword in the original post is 兼武 (Kanetake)