Shin Gunto sword signature - help with translation

[PeterCollector]

Hello,

 

dear friends I want to ask for little help with identification of the signature on blade tang. Sword is Shin gunto with aluminum scabard. There are no other markings on tang (no showato, seki or any numbers). On one site of blade is also margings made only by paint, but I hope they are visible. There are also markings on seppa and tsuba and it looks like "IIII II/" - it is number? Same symbol is on handle made of black ink.

 

Thank you very much for your time and help.

 

Best regards

 

Peter

[Ray Singer]

Mori Kunitoshi 

 

 

[PeterCollector]

Hello Ray,

 

thank you for your time and help!

 

Best regards

 

Peter

[Bruce Pennington]

Peter,

The hash marks are modified Roman Numerals, and would be read the other way round.  "/" is 5 and each horizontal is 1, so /II is "7" and IIII is "4", so "74".

 

The paint is "3992" and ホ or "HO" of the 1st Factory of the Korkura Army Arsenal.  The painted numbers often match the numbers on the fittings, and are believed to be put there by the shops doing the fittings.  Fittings are custom fitted to each blade, so the numbers help keep all the matching set together as the blade goes through assembly.  Don't know what it means when the numbers are different.  Sometimes it seems this happens if the blade goes through another set of fittings.  The HO on yours almost points to an arsenal numbering system.  But there's no way to know.

[PeterCollector]

Hi Bruce, 

 

thank you very much for your information. I also have one sword, which was attic find and have painted numbers on blade tang and there are no numbers on other fittings, grip or scabbard. Sword fit perfectly to fittings and l do not see any postwar work on each seppa or tsuba, so l think whole set belongs together. I even scaned each detail of sepa on USB microscope for matching patina. So maybe all parts belongs together despite the missmatch number. Bruce do you think the sword can be gendaito? Or it is normal common sword. l can post more pictures if needed.

 

Again thanks for you time and help.

 

Best regards

 

Peter

 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

You would need to post some close, clear shots of the blade showing hamon (temper line) and body texture.  Shots of the blade tip can help.

 

Slough's reference page on Kunitoshi says he made medium - high grade gendaito, so there is a chance this is traditionally made.

[PeterCollector]

Hello Bruce,

 

thank you for your reply. I made few photos of blade and tried my best, but we had very cloudy sky, so the light was not ideal. I hope you can see important details from picutres. Please, are there any more additional information about the swordsmith which are not mentioned in previous Mori Kunitoshi thread?

 

Thank you for your time and help.

 

Best regards

 

Peter

[Bruce Pennington]

Hopefully some of the nihonto guys will chime in!  To my very inexperienced eyes, it looks traditionally made.  Obvious hada and good hamon.

[Bencld]

I had one of these that i regret selling. He was a RJT smith during the war. 

[PeterCollector]

Bruce, Bencld: Thank you for your help!

 

Best regards

 

Peter