Help with stamp

[Butch]

A friend of mine just picked up this sword and as just sent me this image sorry it’s not that clear 

[Butch]

Notice the small stamp under the signature ?

Many thanks Gareth 

[Ray Singer]

Noshu Seki ju Kojima Katsumasa saku

https://www.google.c...sclient=gws-wiz-serp

[Scogg]

The 関  is a SEKI stamp.

Which is an inspection mark found on some WW2 swords. It indicates that the sword was not made with traditional methods

Cheers,
-Sam

 

[Bruce Pennington]

Amazing, @Jimny posted a gunto by the exact same smith, today:

The stamp was used by the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Association on inspected/approved showato.  It was a civilian organization doing the inspections at the request of area shops and forges to maintain quality blades.

 

"KATSUMASA (勝正), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Katsumasa” (勝正), real name Kojima Shichi´emon (小島七右衛門), born October 20th 1892, he studied under Kaneyoshi (兼吉), worked as a guntō smith and died September 22nd 1947"

 

Likely no date on the other side, with that large Seki stamp, but most of those were made in 1942, plus or minus a year.