Translation assistance on another Katana Type 98 acquisition and approximate dating

[Eds]

Hamon extends the length of the blade

Reverse side of the tang is blank

Arsenal marking

[DTM72]

Best I can tell from the pics.

井戸秀俊

Ido Hidetoshi

Hard to see the last character. It has the Showa stamp so it dates from 1938-1945. I would guess closer to 1940-1942. Non-Traditional machine made blade.

Born in 1915. Hidetoshi worked at Fukumoto Amahide's guntō factory located in Seki, Gifu.

 

@Bruce Pennington knows more about the stamps and the dates they were used.

[Bruce Pennington]

Dan hit all the bases.  I'd say the odds are closer to 1940-'41, as I only have 1 blade dated '42 with the Showa stamp.

 

And a minor terminology point - the stamp wasn't used by arsenals.  It was the inspection mark of a civil organization called the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Association.  They inspected blades for quality at th request of a group of sword makers who were bothered by some poor quality showato hitting the market , giving the industry a bad name.

[Eds]

Thank you both for the information!

 

Happy Holidays!