IBERIAN Posted March 21 Report Posted March 21 Greetings to all. I bought this katana. Showato. WWII period but I have no data on this swordsmith. The seller indicates that it is FUKUMOTO KANEMUNE and the material tamahagane. I think there is hamon line but I can't see it well. On one side of the tang is the signature. There is a marking on the other side of the tang. I think the mark is an inspection check, but I'm not sure. If anyone can give me details of the craftsman and the mark I would appreciat Thank you for your help. A greeting. Jose. Quote
John C Posted March 21 Report Posted March 21 Jose: The black mark on the tang is the number 8 (hachi); an "assembly" number. The fittings look like the type carried by Gunzoku, civilians working for the military. Are there any marks above the signature closer to the habaki? John C. Quote
IBERIAN Posted March 21 Author Report Posted March 21 Hello John , Thanks for your help. There is no mark above the signature. I too thought it might carry arsenal mark but it does not. Please John, can you confirm translation of signature on the tang, ¿FUKUMOTO KANEMUNE?. Jose. 1 Quote
mecox Posted March 21 Report Posted March 21 Jose, the mei reads Fukumoto Kanemune 福本 兼宗 with some variation in cutting style. He was a major swordsmith in the Amahide workshop of Seki and it appears the mei could be cut by different people. As noted this is in koshirae for civilian use. In NMB Downloads his background and examples: 4 Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted March 22 Report Posted March 22 Iberian, Can you post a shot showing the tsuba style, the whole face, or an angle showing the design? Thanks! Quote
IBERIAN Posted March 22 Author Report Posted March 22 Hello Bruce, As indicated to me, I concur. In Civil Montage. Jose. Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted March 24 Report Posted March 24 I know I have seen another gunto with that same style tsuba. Wish I knew when and where. I'm saving that as a possible variation of the Gunzoku tsuba used when retrofitting swords for them. Might not be. Might simply be a civilian tsuba. Quote
IBERIAN Posted April 9 Author Report Posted April 9 On 3/21/2025 at 9:59 PM, John C said: Jose: The black mark on the tang is the number 8 (hachi); an "assembly" number. The fittings look like the type carried by Gunzoku, civilians working for the military. Are there any marks above the signature closer to the habaki? John C. Hi John. Sorry, I use a translator. Yes, it does have an arsenal mark although I have not identified it yet. John, Can you recommend any book to identify WWII swordsmiths and arsenals?. Thanks. Jose. Quote
IBERIAN Posted April 9 Author Report Posted April 9 On 3/24/2025 at 2:35 PM, Bruce Pennington said: I know I have seen another gunto with that same style tsuba. Wish I knew when and where. I'm saving that as a possible variation of the Gunzoku tsuba used when retrofitting swords for them. Might not be. Might simply be a civilian tsuba. Hello Bruce, I have included a photograph of the stamp above the mei. Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted April 11 Report Posted April 11 Thanks, Iberian! The Showa stamp was a civilian inspection stamp of the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Association. Your sword was likely made in 1940 or '41, according to chart survey data. On 4/9/2025 at 1:32 PM, IBERIAN said: Can you recommend any book to identify WWII swordsmiths and arsenals?. There are a number of in-depth articles written by Mal Cox on the WWII smiths. Some links for download: Japanese Naval Swords, Part I Japanese Naval Swordsmiths and Workshops, Part 2 Showa Swordsmiths of Fukuoka, Kyushu, and Kokura Area Seki Toki Swordsmtihs Kaga no Kuni Swordsmiths Showa Swordsmiths of Ehime Prefecture Japanese Swordsmiths of Gifu - 1937 Tokushima Swordsmiths Kanemichi and Kojima Tosho Family Ichimonji Minamoto Amahide You will learn about Arsenal stamping in the article: Stamps of the Japanese Sword 2 1 Quote
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