Arsenal Mark on RJT sword Fittings

[Bruce Pennington]

Date side:

[Bruce Pennington]

For those who follow RJT blades & smiths, I want to clarify currently observed blades by smiths Masayoshi.

@mecox @vajo

 

JSI RJT list shows:

Ryu Masayoshi ???

Takahashi Masayoshi 正良 - Aomori

Kosaka Masayoshi 正美 - Osaka

 

What we have, so far, are these:

Masayoshi 正良, Ittosai - Tokushima (source - Mal Cox Article)

Masayoshi 正吉, Oki – Shimane   Slough said "Oki" while Sesko said "Oku"  Don't know which is accurate.  Mei includes "Yakumo" city?

Masayoshi 正美, Kosaka - Osaka

 

Examples

Ittosai Masayoshi (Cox Article)

 

Oki Masayoshi (Smallsword, ebay)

 

Kosaka Masayoshi, (Vajo, NMB)

 

I post this to see if A. I have this right, B. to see if anyone has insights on "Ryu" and "Takahashi", and C. if anyone else has blades from these smiths, I'd love to get photos!

[BANGBANGSAN]

2 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

Masayoshi 正良, Ittosai - Tokushima (source - Mal Cox Article)

Examples

Ittosai Masayoshi (Cox Article)

 

Bruce

The kanji is 正茂

[Bruce Pennington]

53 minutes ago, BANGBANGSAN said:

正茂

I scrolled through Sesko's list of "Masa..." smiths and couldn't find any with that kanji.  What is that saying?  Is it a simplified version of "義"?

[BANGBANGSAN]

7 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

I scrolled through Sesko's list of "Masa..." smiths and couldn't find any with that kanji.  What is that saying?  Is it a simplified version of "義"?

東神正茂　Tojin Masashige 。The implified version of "義" is 义

[Bruce Pennington]

Compared to other Masashige on file, and while that "shige" has slight problems (maybe done by an apprentice?) it does match the mei of this Masashige:

 

@mecox

And he's one of those star-stamped smiths not found on the RJT list.

[george trotter]

1 hour ago, Bruce Pennington said:

 (maybe done by an apprentice?)

RJT rules say RJT smiths had to sign and date their swords themselves.

 

[Conway S]

Anyone seen this stamp before? Looks like 山 and is encircled like the matsu stamp. Also resembles モ since it appears the top two strokes (as currently oriented) extend toward the nakago mune. It’s on a star stamped sword by the Niigata smith Uemura Sadakiyo. I tried searching “yama” but kept getting results for the “w” stamp. 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

34 minutes ago, Conway S said:

a star stamped sword by the Niigata smith Uemura Sadakiyo

Conway,

Could I get shots of the nakago mei and date for my files?

 

We'll have to see what the experts say on the stamp.  @BANGBANGSAN @Kiipu @SteveM, but generally speaking, numbers on RJT blades tend (not always) to be read with the blade horizontal, while logo and other emblems tend to be observed blade tip up.

[Conway S]

Here you go @Bruce Pennington. The number on the nakago is 828. No stamps on the mune. Fittings are marked ホ 91. 

 

It’s signed 越後住上村貞清 Echigo ju Uemura Sadakiyo* 

And dated 昭和十八年三月日

 

*Me thinks it could actually be Uemura Sadatoshi...

 

[Kiipu]

On 6/27/2025 at 5:07 AM, Conway S said:

Anyone seen this stamp before?

 

No, I have not seen this stamp before.  It looks like an encircled katakana MO.

㋲ = encircled katakana モ.

[Bruce Pennington]

16 hours ago, Conway S said:

Me thinks it could actually be Uemura Sadatoshi.

Thanks, Conway!  Who did the translation and said Sadakiyo?

After looking at them both in Sesko's list, I'd lean more to Sadatoshi, too.  Interesting that he was the son of Sadakiyo:

 

"SADATOSHI (貞寿), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Niigata – “Sadatoshi” (貞寿), real name Uemura Jirō (上村二郎), born 1916, he studied under his father Sadakiyo (貞清) and worked as rikugun-jumei-tōshō, jōko no jōi (Akihide), Fourth Seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihontō Denrankai (新作日本刀展覧会, 1941)"

 

I only have 2 Sadakiyo on file and both use standard writing rather than this 'cursive' (or rather a mix of both in this case) on yours.  I don't have any Sadatoshi on file for comparison.  Have you searched for other Sadatoshi examples?

 

[Conway S]

I was the original translator…. I checked Sesko’s “Identifying Japanese Cursive Script” this morning and confirmed 壽- toshi. I’ve only found one example of Sadatoshi below. I’ll keep searching for examples. 
 

 

 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

6 minutes ago, Conway S said:

I checked Sesko’s “Identifying Japanese Cursive Script” this morning and confirmed 壽- toshi

That's great!  First one from him in the RJT chart.  I'll post it that way.

[Kiipu]

Interesting twist we have here.  I have been looking for some more examples of Sadatoshi's work and there does not appear to be many to compare to.  It could very well be Sadatoshi using a cursive style 壽 and not Sadakiyo.

Old vs New Characters

壽 vs 寿

 

Conway, can you post a picture just of the 上村貞壽 characters?

 

Links to Sadakiyo 貞清 signatures.

$2100 Rare Gendai-To By Echigo Sadakiyo in New Polish

Katana for comments

越後住貞清 昭和十八年十月吉日

 

[Bruce Pennington]

4 hours ago, Kiipu said:

Sadakiyo 貞清 and attached is the page

The Sadakiyo I have on file match those, too, and are unlike the one in question.  

[Conway S]

Here are the requested pics.  I only found one link to an old AOI Japan listing, but was unable to view the listing. Maybe someone else will have better luck trying to recover the original content:

 

https://www.facebook.com/aoijapan.jp/posts/1883721261789054/

 

 

 

 

 

[Kiipu]

Sorry, unable to recover the Aoi sword with the order number of AS20447.

 

However, the bottom portion of 壽 matches Sesko's Nihonto Compendium.  I am going to record 828 as made by Sadatoshi 貞壽 for the time being.

[Bruce Pennington]

@vajo @Kiipu @BANGBANGSAN 

 

Got a first-time blade of Yoshikane 吉包 on this Warrelics Post, number マ 468.  He's not listed in the JSI RJT list.  Sesko has him, but doesn't mention his RJT qual.

"YOSHIKANE (吉包), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Yamagata – “Ugo Sakata-jū Ikeda Yoshikane saku” (羽後酒田住 池田吉包作), real name Ikeda Kaneyoshi (池田金吉)"

 

 

Edited Saturday at 01:39 PM by Bruce Pennington
Added photo of star

[Rawa]

@Bruce PenningtonHe isn't mentioned here?

http://www.jp-sword.com/files/seki/gendaito.html

Born 1926 so he was 19 when war ended. 

Edited Friday at 05:57 PM by Rawa

[Bruce Pennington]

I'm not really good at this, but what I see is:

Fujita Yoshikane
Taniguchi Yoshikane

 

This guy is Ikeda Yoshikane

 

Maybe some help from @george trotter and/or @mecox?

[Rawa]

1 minute ago, Bruce Pennington said:

I'm not really good at this, but what I see is:

Fujita Yoshikane
Taniguchi Yoshikane

 

This guy is Ikeda Yoshikane

 

Maybe some help from @george trotter and/or @mecox?

I have same trouble with Hara Okimitsu born 1928 and his father who was RJT. Which one made blade I attacheted? [Blade made in 1943] horimono carved another tosho.

[Bruce Pennington]

While we wait for the real experts, Sesko says of the two:

"OKIMITSU (沖光), 1st gen., Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Shimane – “Okimitsu” (沖光), real name Hara Kakutarō (原角太郎), student of Murakami Masatada (村上正忠), it is said that the part “Oki” in his name Okimitsu, a name that was given to him by his master Masatada, alludes to his place of residence which was in Nishinoshima (西ノ島) in the Oki district (隠岐) of Shimane Prefecture, he worked as rikugun-jumei-tōshō, kihin no retsu (Akihide), Second Seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihontō Denrankai (新作日本刀展覧会, 1941) (see picture right)
OKIMITSU (沖光), 2nd gen., Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Shimane – “Oki no Kuni-jūnin Okimitsu kore o saku” (隠岐国住人沖光作之), “Oki no Kuni-jū Okimitsu saku” (隠岐国 住沖光作), real name Hara Hiroshi (原寛), born September 19th 1928, son of Hara Kakutarō (原角太郎), he succeeded as second generation of that name in 1952 but it is unknown if his father died in that year or just handed him over the forge, maybe the former approach is more likely as Kakutarō was only 24 years old at that time (see picture right)"

 

The mei looks more like the 2nd gen to me.

[Rawa]

15 minutes ago, Bruce Pennington said:

While we wait for the real experts, Sesko says of the two:

"OKIMITSU (沖光), 1st gen., Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Shimane – “Okimitsu” (沖光), real name Hara Kakutarō (原角太郎), student of Murakami Masatada (村上正忠), it is said that the part “Oki” in his name Okimitsu, a name that was given to him by his master Masatada, alludes to his place of residence which was in Nishinoshima (西ノ島) in the Oki district (隠岐) of Shimane Prefecture, he worked as rikugun-jumei-tōshō, kihin no retsu (Akihide), Second Seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihontō Denrankai (新作日本刀展覧会, 1941) (see picture right)
OKIMITSU (沖光), 2nd gen., Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Shimane – “Oki no Kuni-jūnin Okimitsu kore o saku” (隠岐国住人沖光作之), “Oki no Kuni-jū Okimitsu saku” (隠岐国 住沖光作), real name Hara Hiroshi (原寛), born September 19th 1928, son of Hara Kakutarō (原角太郎), he succeeded as second generation of that name in 1952 but it is unknown if his father died in that year or just handed him over the forge, maybe the former approach is more likely as Kakutarō was only 24 years old at that time (see picture right)"

 

The mei looks more like the 2nd gen to me.

Actually they both were RJT, so 15 years old made this sword?

Edited Friday at 06:30 PM by Rawa

[Bruce Pennington]

10 minutes ago, Rawa said:

Actually they both were RJT, so 15 years old made this sword?

Like I say, I'm not the guy to figure this out.  Have to wait for the experts.

[vajo]

1 hour ago, Bruce Pennington said:

@vajo @Kiipu @BANGBANGSAN 

 

Got a first-time blade of Yoshikane 吉包 on this Warrelics Post, number マ 468.  He's not listed in the JSI RJT list.  Sesko has him, but doesn't mention his RJT qual.

"YOSHIKANE (吉包), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Yamagata – “Ugo Sakata-jū Ikeda Yoshikane saku” (羽後酒田住 池田吉包作), real name Ikeda Kaneyoshi (池田金吉)"

 

 

 

Should be ✰ stamped Bruce. Are they any star stamped blades from him?

[Kiipu]

1 hour ago, Bruce Pennington said:

number マ 468.

 

This is the lowest so far with a マ prefix, prior to that they just used

Arabic numerals.

[Bruce Pennington]

7 hours ago, vajo said:

 

Should be ✰ stamped Bruce. Are they any star stamped blades from him?

Yes, I failed to mention that it is star stamped.

[Bruce Pennington]

7 hours ago, Kiipu said:

 

This is the lowest so far with a マ prefix, prior to that they just used

Arabic numerals.

Close.  I have one prior:

 

1943, Jul	Yamagata	Akiyoshi (RJT)	マ 360 Star	Leen, NMB, RS
1943, Oct	Yamagata	Yoshikane, 吉包 (?)	マ 468 Star	Tomp, Warrelics, T98
1943, Dec	Yamagata	Naohisa (RJT)	マ 554 Star	Pauln93, NMB
1944, Jun	Yamagata	Sadatomo	マ 894	Stephen, NMB
1944, Jul	Yamagata	Munehide (RJT)	マ 870	Yahoo/Kiipu notRS
ND	Yamagata	Munemitsu (RJT)	マ 431 Star	Cillo, pg 119

[george trotter]

10 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

I'm not really good at this, but what I see is:

Fujita Yoshikane
Taniguchi Yoshikane

 

This guy is Ikeda Yoshikane

 

Maybe some help from @george trotter and/or @mecox?

I had a look through the books on this and while I found the smith as signed on the tang there is no new info or any mention of him being RJT.

Gendai Toko Kinko Shokukata Soran by Ono 1977 p.70.

He was born Yamagata, Sakata, Meiji 38, studied under 1st Gen. Fujita Akiyoshi. He started in swords 1n 1942 and restarted in swords in 1955