Help with ID- Type 98 Shin Gunto

[AndyG]

Hello all, I was very pleased to come across this forum and was hoping you could help me out with a bit of info, please. I have had two swords for about 20 years that my grandfather brought back from occupation duty- a Type 98 and a Type 19 parade sword. He completed Army OCS and deployed right at the end of the war.  I have always admired the swords but didn't really do any research on them until now.  Here is the Type 98-

 

The tang is signed on one side and there is a stamp on the other . It looks like a "3" but could also be a partial stamp from a mis-hit. I looked at some of the threads on arsenal stamps and couldn't come up with anything but obviously I am a novice.  There is nothing on the back edge of the tang. The blade is in very good condition, wondering how it would have been made and also wondering if it has been refinished at some point?  My grandfather was the cheapest son of a gun I ever met so I don't think he would have done it.  

 

Thanks in advance! 

 

 

[AndyG]

Here are some additional photos. 

 

Thanks again. -Andy 

[Bruce Pennington]

Hi Andy!  Someone will help with the smith's name soon. 

 

The '3' on the nakago matches the '3' on all the other parts.  So it's likely the shop that did the fittings put them there to keep them all together.  All the parts are custom sized and fitted to each blades, so it is believed these were there to keep them together as the blade went through the production process.  It is also possible the smith/forge/arsenal stamped the numbers on the blade and the fittings shops matched that number on all the parts.  This was sometimes done with SMR Mantetsu blades.  But we don't know for sure which it was for all the other examples, like yours, out there.

 

I love that extra stamp on the wooden face of the tsuka (handle)!  Maybe a shop logo?

[Kiipu]

SADAHARU (貞治), Kawai

SADA (貞)

[AndyG]

Thank you both very much for the information!  Can you tell me if this blade was hand forged or 'mass produced'? Any clues as to when (approximately) this sword might have been made? 

 

Thanks again. I've made a small donation to the forum to show my appreciation.   -Andy 

[Bruce Pennington]

19 hours ago, Kiipu said:

SADAHARU (貞治), Kawai

SADA (貞)

Thomas, great site!  Know who runs it?  If a smith is listed there, does that mean they were known to make gendaito?

 

I cannot find him in either Slough or Sesko.  Japaneseswordindex.com does have an oshigata that matches:

http://japaneseswordindex.com/oshigata/sadaharu.jpg

[Kiipu]

Markus Sesko runs that site.  I use it frequently to translate a swordsmith's mei if I can ID the first character visually.  It saves me time; however, it is a good idea to then lookup the swordsmith in Sesko's Swordsmiths of Japan.  The two, the website & book, should be used hand in hand.  Naturally, I am only speaking about gendaitō 現代刀 in this situation.

 

As for our mutual friend Sadaharu 貞治, go to page 877 of Sesko's 2015 book mentioned above and you will find what you are looking for.  Good luck with the search.

[AndyG]

On 5/10/2022 at 2:08 PM, Bruce Pennington said:

Thomas, great site!  Know who runs it?  If a smith is listed there, does that mean they were known to make gendaito?

 

I cannot find him in either Slough or Sesko.  Japaneseswordindex.com does have an oshigata that matches:

http://japaneseswordindex.com/oshigata/sadaharu.jpg

 

On 5/10/2022 at 3:16 PM, Kiipu said:

Markus Sesko runs that site.  I use it frequently to translate a swordsmith's mei if I can ID the first character visually.  It saves me time; however, it is a good idea to then lookup the swordsmith in Sesko's Swordsmiths of Japan.  The two, the website & book, should be used hand in hand.  Naturally, I am only speaking about gendaitō 現代刀 in this situation.

 

As for our mutual friend Sadaharu 貞治, go to page 877 of Sesko's 2015 book mentioned above and you will find what you are looking for.  Good luck with the search.

 

Thank you both again!  Don't see much about him online so I will try to get my hands on that e-book.