Type 98 Tang translation help

[Lockinload]

Hey I have this beautiful Type 98 Gunto or so I think. I’ve been having issues with the tang as the kanji is not etched deep enough after the first two characters. Maybe some one has eagle eyes or something. I only know the first two but I don’t know what it means. Any help will be so much help.

 

[mywei]

平安城 Heianjo

Can't really make out what comes after on your current photos, maybe 國 Kuni as the fourth

 

 

[Lockinload]

35 minutes ago, mywei said:

平安城 Heianjo

Can't really make out what comes after on your current photos, maybe 國 Kuni as the fourth

 

 

Ah no problem it’s better than what I could come up with! I was hoping it was going to give me a date of manufacture or something. Any idea what it could mean? To me it sounds like a location. I’ll wait till you get back to me though

[PNSSHOGUN]

Can we see more pictures of the mounts please?

[mywei]

Yes you're right Heian is the old name of Kyoto, and Jo means castle

 

Its likely your sword is much older than ww2 by several centuries.

 

Im sure more knowledgeable members on this topic can elaborate further on your sword but there were quite a few smiths that signed with Heianjo over the centuries (e.g. those of koto period Yamashiro-den Heianjo school, or those who moved to Kyoto like Shinto period Shimosaka school)

[Lockinload]

28 minutes ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

Can we see more pictures of the mounts please?

Hey! Sorry, I’m located far away from my house as I’m visiting family. I won’t be back home until August. 

[Lockinload]

29 minutes ago, mywei said:

Yes you're right Heian is the old name of Kyoto, and Jo means castle

 

Its likely your sword is much older than ww2 by several centuries.

 

Im sure more knowledgeable members on this topic can elaborate further on your sword but there were quite a few smiths that signed with Heianjo over the centuries (e.g. those of koto period Yamashiro-den Heianjo school, or those who moved to Kyoto like Shinto period Shimosaka school)

That super interesting! Thank you! It gives me a greater clue to the history of it. Any idea as to why the blade is older but it has WW2 Imperial Army Type 98 Tsuka and Scabbard? Much thanks!

[PNSSHOGUN]

A few common possibilities:

• sword donated during one of the large sword donation drives
• What was available at the sword shop/officer supply store
• a sword owned by the family

The mounts appear to be the better quality type from the 1930's, do you recall if there was a silver crest on the handle?

[Lockinload]

18 minutes ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

A few common possibilities:

• sword donated during one of the large sword donation drives
• What was available at the sword shop/officer supply store
• a sword owned by the family

The mounts appear to be the better quality type from the 1930's, do you recall if there was a silver crest on the handle?

Do you mean the Flower ornaments under the wrapping? They are gold in color.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Hi Alexander, not quite - on the top of the handle like the picture below.

 

[Lockinload]

48 minutes ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

Hi Alexander, not quite - on the top of the handle like the picture below.

 

Oh ok. If I remember correctly I don’t believe that it does but I’m not sure.

 

nice type 98 though

[vajo]

Maybe it helps

 

could be Heianjo ju Mitsunaga

 

it looks like an very old sword.

 

[Ray Singer]

What I see is: 平安城 _ 正俊 - Heianjo _ Masatoshi

[Lockinload]

8 hours ago, vajo said:

Maybe it helps

 

could be Heianjo ju Mitsunaga

 

it looks like an very old sword.

 

Thank you! I needed those last ones translated. They get harder to read the more down they go and the more strokes the characters are! Thanks again 

-Alex 

[Lockinload]

8 hours ago, Ray Singer said:

What I see is: 平安城 _ 正俊 - Heianjo _ Masatoshi

I now know Heian is Kyoto. Would Masatoshi be the Sword Smith?

 

thank you!

[Ray Singer]

Heianjo is part of a name for many individuals, it does not always refer to a location. Masatoshi, if correct , would refer to the smith's art name. 

[Ray Singer]

https://nihontoclub....contains&mei=Heianjo

[Lockinload]

2 hours ago, Ray Singer said:

https://nihontoclub....contains&mei=Heianjo

Ah ok that makes a lot more sense now. 
 

But now that I know the relative age and history of the blade I should find ways to take care and preserve it. I do know that the blade is dull in some areas and sharper in others so a nice sharpening could honor the smith who crafted the blade. The blade has a lot of rust spots on it so it could do a little polishing too. The tang is great looking so I don’t need to mess with it. The type 98 Tsuka is beautiful and in good shape other than it’s missing it’s Peg/Mekugi so the handle will fly off. Then I have to deal with the scabbard sheath. It’s a old leather one that I took off as it wasn’t in good condition and was shedding, I’m going to keep it in a case as it’s a original one but I’ll need to find a type 98 Leather scabbard sheath. Once all that is done hopefully it’ll honor the sword smith and the previous owner of the sword. It’s the most I can do anyway. But thank you for the info!

-Alex

[vajo]

Alex

do nothing with the blade. Don't sharp it or manipulate on the polish or something else. Its an old sword. Oil the blade. And please show pictures from the naked blade without fittings to us.

 

Maybe that smith?

[SteveM]

10 hours ago, Lockinload said:

a nice sharpening could honor the smith who crafted the blade.

 

Hi Alexander,

I agree with Chris above - no need to be in a rush about this. Usually, when considering restoration, we think in terms of having the sword polished by a traditionally-trained Japanese sword polisher, who knows what the sword should look like, and knows what to do to bring out the crystalline structures in the sword. It would be disastrous to allow an amateur or non-expert grind the sword just to get a sharp edge. (The original swordsmith would definitely be unimpressed.). To put this another way, its better to do nothing, than to put it in the hands of someone who is going to ruin it beyond repair. Anyway, we have a ton of threads here on the forum discussing the three or four trusted polishers in the States - their names should pop up in a search. There are also some links at the top of the page just under the forum banner. 

 

[Lockinload]

21 hours ago, vajo said:

Alex

do nothing with the blade. Don't sharp it or manipulate on the polish or something else. Its an old sword. Oil the blade. And please show pictures from the naked blade without fittings to us.

 

Maybe that smith?

Ok then no worries. I kinda like the beat up look anyway. I was just asking for advice on what to do. But I’ll keep it the way it is.

 

But yeah that looks like it. The only thing is it doesn’t have the blood groves in it. 
 

-Alex

[Lockinload]

13 hours ago, SteveM said:

 

Hi Alexander,

I agree with Chris above - no need to be in a rush about this. Usually, when considering restoration, we think in terms of having the sword polished by a traditionally-trained Japanese sword polisher, who knows what the sword should look like, and knows what to do to bring out the crystalline structures in the sword. It would be disastrous to allow an amateur or non-expert grind the sword just to get a sharp edge. (The original swordsmith would definitely be unimpressed.). To put this another way, its better to do nothing, than to put it in the hands of someone who is going to ruin it beyond repair. Anyway, we have a ton of threads here on the forum discussing the three or four trusted polishers in the States - their names should pop up in a search. There are also some links at the top of the page just under the forum banner. 

 

Oh no I totally agree. A amateur would totally destroy the blade. I wouldn’t trust myself sharpening or polishing it unless I was trained by a professional and had my own equipment. It’s still a beautiful piece of history even with the damage over the years but I’ll try to keep a good eye on it and if it gets worse I’ll maybe try to get it looked at by a professional.

 

I agree with both of you though, thanks!

 

-Alex