WW2 Japanese sword

[Swords]

Hi I’m listing  this sword in the translation topic because i want to confirm it’s the smith as documented 

Also there are 2 Teruhide But not sure which one tradional or arsenal 

I would go with Arsenal because to me it  looks to have dark line in the hamon 

Any way I appreciate opinions 

 

1 Ihara Teruhide

2 Ishido Teruhide

 

[Brian]

There is no such thing as just identifying oil quenched by any "dark line" in the hamon, or even those dark areas in the peaks. The darker areas are a hint, but really it comes down to gut feel and experience. Sometimes you look at a hamon and it just has that "feel" of it being oil quenched. No hard or fast rule, and it has to be taken in conjunction with other factors such as the way it's signed, the look of the hamon, hataraki etc etc.
No easy way to tell from those pics. But if you are only really seeing a nioi based hamon and don't really see any nie or hataraki anywhere and no hada, you can start to think maybe it's oil quenched. Or badly polished.

[Scogg]

Looks like Teruhide to me. See image below (B.) for comparison. 

The images are recognizable as being from a problematic seller.
https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/12191-ebay-seller-showa22/
https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/showa22-again-711022/

Buyer beware...
-Sam

 

[John C]

FYI...

It's being resold here for 2,100 USD.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/187574346198

 

John C.

[Swords]

Scogg Thanks for your help I did buy swords from showa 22 I had a issue with a takayama the tsuka was repaired and painted I got my money back afterwards however I did  buy other swords from him no problem 

 

My question is there are 2 Teruhide in the John slough book where ihara shows ist seat but ishido dosent Are both ist seat or only ihara ?

 

 

Ihara Teruhideor or 

Ishido Teruhide

Brian I wish I knew traditional or arsenal ? big difference 

 

Steve

[Rawa]

Maybe he is listed somewhere. They were 2 different smiths. As Ishido is described as only medium grade gendaito maker dunno if he got any prize.

Only Ihara is noticed in Akihide's list at Tosho Banzuke but his list was made in 1942.

https://www.japaneseswordindex.com/gendai.htm

[Swords]

Yes but how do you know who is who for this sword

 

[Rawa]

18 minutes ago, Swords said:

Yes but how do you know who is who for this sword

 

You need more examples of 2 signs mei as @Scoggposted about Ishido and compare. I had same issue with Emura I bought. He too have many oshigata but it's quite a diference between blade being signed [as quality check] and being made by particular smith. In this cases demand for jigane photos is mandatory.

[Rawa]

There were not 2 but 5 Teruhide smiths? 

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/15163-ihara-teruhide-search/

 

[Scogg]

2 hours ago, Swords said:

however I did  buy other swords from him no problem 

I encourage you to read through the threads I shared about this particular seller. Whether or not you had problems with the transaction is beside the issue. 
 

There you will find many stories of putting swords together from bits and pieces to maximize profit, amateur restorations, acid etching blades, and he has even been accused of shill bidding. These kinds of accusations have been going on for quite some time (like more than a decade). 
 

Something you should be aware of if you’re buying from him and reselling. I’d hate for any forum member to be associated with such unethical handling of swords. 

 

I say this with your interests at heart. 
-Sam 
 

 

[Swords]

I  wondered why all his swords always look perfect nice hamon etc Probably not a good idea buying from him 

Thanks for the heads up 

 

 

 

 

[When Necessary]

Steve,

Feel free to pitch in and contribute any time. You've been buying gunto for many years now so you must have picked up a wealth of knowledge about military swords.
It would be really nice for you to voice your opinions and answer open questions on these swords from newer members rather than just asking for help all the time.

Please share your know-how!

[Lewis B]

I don't get the impression this sword was oil quenched but I do wonder if it has been acid etched to augment the hamon. 

[Swords]

Yes you’re right when

My down fall is translation I need help with

Here’s my opinion on the sword It’s a med to high grade Showa

The hamon has dark areas that is consistent with Oil quenched or arsenal made I agree   Also a gut feeling To me it looks oil quenched 

Theres an apt on my phone that translates the Mei When I find how I will share it with others 

 

 

Steve

[Swords]

Here’s some more pictures and Mei Maybe someone can see if the sword was made by

 Ishido Teruhide or Ihara Teruhide?

I would rather it was Ishido because it would be traditional made

 

Steve

 

 

[Brian]

2 hours ago, Swords said:

I would rather it was Ishido because it would be traditional made

Not necessarily true. Not everything he made was Gendaito.

[Swords]

Brian can’t you tell by the photos and mei?

[Brian]

Mei won't tell you. As mentioned before, if you don't see nie, hataraki and hada, then it's likely not Tamahagane

[Swords]

So it’s not traditional 

[charlesf]

2 hours ago, Swords said:

So it’s not traditional 

Not necessarily,the details of a blade are often obscured by a touch-up polish which appears to be the case here,the mei is virtually identical to the 'Teruhide 2' in the oshigata database of the Japanese Sword Index so likely to be Ishido Teruhide.

Ihara Teruhide was an army appointed swordsmith.

 

charles

[Swords]

So now we’re talking touch up polish? From what I hear about the original seller it wouldn’t surprise me I also found out the hardware used were  spare parts thrown together as Scogg pointed out

However I think some these swords never had their original parts The more I hear the least I like  this sword

Listening to others on the forum helps a great deal 

 

 

Steve

[Swords]

On 9/18/2025 at 2:50 PM, John C said:

FYI...

It's being resold here for 2,100 USD.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/187574346198

 

John C.

What’s your opinion John oil quenched or traditional?

[Rawa]

5 hours ago, Brian said:

Mei won't tell you. As mentioned before, if you don't see nie, hataraki and hada, then it's likely not Tamahagane

I agree with Brian. I don't see here anything indicating tamahagane. And we got here many closeups. With this price it's a pass. Mei indicates Ishido and its short one. It have thin hamon line. Imo not worthy.

I will search for some more examples.

First linked with Kanzan sayagaki with clear visible grain.

https://www.toukenkomachi.com/index_en_tachi&katana_A070818.html

[Rawa]

Another example with kao and visible kitae ware in shinogi-ji

https://new.uniquejapan.com/an-ishido-mitsunobu-teruhide-navy-katana/

[Swords]

Both Teruhide iihara or ishido are known smiths with a long lineage 

Just because Ishido makes medium to high grade Showa dose not mean it’s a bad sword. It’s a step up from a medium grade 

Although i would rather own a traditional made by Ishido 

They both make good swords You can’t go wrong with ether one 

 

 

Steve

 

[John C]

5 hours ago, Swords said:

What’s your opinion John oil quenched or traditional?

I tend to agree with the majority on this one. Looks like oil quenched that has had an acid augmentation polish to me. At 2100, you could wait for a star stamped gendaito in my opinion.

 

John C.

[Swords]

I agree 

 

Thanks John