Please help me identify my newest sword.

[Mcgee]

Hey all. Hopefully someone here can be of some assistance. About 2-3 months back, i acquired my newest sword for $120AU.

I have been trying since then to translate the mei, with much effort, but zero success.

I have taken what i believe to be enough photos to show all aspects and context of the sword, but if any more pictures are necessary, just let me know, and ill take some more.

 

While the blade is not damaged, it has not been maintained very well, so the photos do not show the hamon as well as i had hoped, but i think they will be enough for identification purposes.

The back edge of the blade is bevelled, and the blade is sharp all the way through the habaki.

The tang filing is a feathered pattern, and has a single hole for mekugi.

It has mei on both sides of the tang, and a stamp close to the habaki which i believe to have identified as the Japanese imperial army symbol.

All fittings are present except for a piece at the hilt end of the scabbard, the mekugi, and the paper from the tang.

 

Hopefully this will be enough information for someone to be able to identify this for me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and as well as the translation, any other information regarding the school/maker, or historical aspects of the sword would be also appreciated, but only if you have this information at hand. I do not expect anyone to go out of their way for information like that.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

And now on to the photos.

I cant post them here, because they are all too big, so just follow the link to find them.

 

http://s632.photobucket.com/albums/uu46 ... e/Nihonto/

 

Make each image as large as possible. They were taken on a very good camera, so any size viewable on screen will not lose any quality.

 

Thanks again.

[Grey Doffin]

Showa Arsenal stamp, signed Yoshi something. and dated Showa Ni Ju ..... I'm sure others will fill in the blanks for you. I'll tell you that you should waste no time in making a new mekugi for this sword. Without a mekugi to lock the blade in its tsuka, the blade can move down inside the scabbard and shatter its point.

Grey

[Mcgee]

Thanks.. I hadnt expected any replies so soon.

Theres a sliv of pine im using in place of the mekugi for now, but im intending to shave one up eventually..

Cheers for the advice though.. I hadnt actually thought of the blade sliding down like that.

[Nobody]

The mei reads Yoshiaki (義昭). The date is Kigen 2601 year (紀元二千六百一年 = A.D. 1941).

Ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_e ... erial_year

[loiner1965]

file marks are the traditional hawk feathers design which usually indicates yamato province

[Mcgee]

averaging a reply every hour.

This would have to be the most helpful forum ive ever been involved in. Very surprising considering forums in general these days.

Thanks everyone for your help so far, and i look forward to anymore information to come in the future.

Much appreciated.

 

__________

Mcgee.

[Brian]

To make an improvised mekugi, just use a bamboo chopstick for now Fairly easy to make one from.

The Showa stamp means the blade is an arsenal blade, and not traditionally forged and folded from tamahagane. Probably oil quenched instead of water quenched. Typical wartime Shin-gunto.

Can't complain at that price...

 

Brian