Opinions on Katana

[Wels]

Hey guys! Thanks in advance for your help!

 

I bought this from a guy who walked in with it at a gun show. He had it since the 80's and knew little about it. Any thoughts or opinions on this katana?

[ROKUJURO]

Hi Scott,

welcome to the NMB!

Your sword looks like a civilian blade signed KANETADA, dwelling in partly military mountings. The TSUBA is nothing of any value (cast copy and moreover in bad condition), the FUCHI is not military, I think. 

A nicely focused photo (on a dark, non-reflective background) of the NAKAGO without HABAKI would help.

[Rawa]

Seki stamp? Barely visible. Yet probably showato/untraditional in some way, as some claimed stamp dsn’t indicate anything in 100%

[Wels]

Hi THANK YOU so much gentlemen! Attached are some better pics of the Nakago and Habaki. 

[Wels]

[Wels]

[ROKUJURO]

I apologize, I did not see the SEKI stamp, so likely a military blade with a rather nice MEI. On the less than perfect photos I thought I could see a (water-quenched) HAMON, but I am probably wrong.  

[Wels]

Here are some better pics. Does the HAMON look correct? 
 

again, thank you so much!

 

scott

[Bruce Pennington]

Hi Scott,

The stamp is the large Seki stamp of the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Association.  Blades with this stamp were made between 1940 - 1944, and most dated blades were dated 1942.  These are usually well made, with attractive hamon, like yours, but were oil quenched for speed of production.  So, they fall into the "showato," or non-traditionally made, category.  It is not uncommon to see them in civil fittings, with military leather covered saya.

[ROKUJURO]

4 hours ago, Wels said:

.....Does the HAMON look correct?.....

It certainly looks 'correct' or even better for a machine made blade in my opinion, but Bruce knows best as he is an expert with military blades.
To my eyes and considering the less than perfect condition of the blade (scratched and even fingerprints), this HAMON does not look typically oil-quenched if compared with the standard SANBONSUGI HAMON of many NÔSHÛ SEKI military blades.

Perhaps it would be more obvious if the blade were in good polish.

[Bruce Pennington]

23 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

this HAMON does not look typically oil-quenched

This is often true of blades with the Showa stamp and large Seki stamp.  There is a known case of a Showa-stamped blades getting papers at Shinsa.  

 

I should have said that those blades must have had something different, like the use of another steel other than tamahagane or an oil quench that set them outside the gendaito classification.

[Ray Singer]

Perhaps 植田兼忠 - Ueda Kanetada.

 

Best regards,

Ray

 

 

[Kiipu]

Very interesting development!  Not much known about this Seki swordsmith.  Did not see him listed on the guild list.

Translation help

&

Polishing, Post #27

@mecox

[Kinoko Suzuki]

I couldn’t find anyone by the name of Ueda Kanetada（植田兼忠）, but I did discover a swordsmith who signed his blades with the name ‘Kanetada’.（兼忠）

Keiichi Ishihara（石原銈一）It seems he was active in 1939.

I was able to confirm the signature ‘Ishihara Kanetada’, but I could not confirm the signature ‘Ueda Kanetada’.

[mecox]

Looks to be three wartime KANETADA in Gifu, and all seen to have used Seki stamp.

Kanetada Ishihara Keiichi, born 1920 and in Seki registration list.   兼忠 石原  銈一.

Kanetada Yamada Koichi, born 1926, not in registration list (but in Sesko).   兼忠 山田 耕市.

Kanetada Ueda, the subject here, not is registration list, and no other info found, so looks undocumented.  His mei is cut  植田 兼忠 .