Which Side do you Read First

[cookiemonstah47]

Greetings,

 

I have a very important question. Which side do you read first on a sword (see photos)? This sword is mine. I own it. I like the workmanship. I am putting in in a box to send to Jimmy. Jimmy is my buddy. Jimmy will judge the quality of workmanship of the sword from a polisher's perspective. I haven't translated the signature yet. Is the quality of signature consistent with the smith's skill? The sword has been "bubbad" as we say in the gun world. That's why I didn't  photograph the blade for you guys. It is geometrically pristine like the "Gunbroker" sword I posted a while back that two of you (minimum) bid through the roof. I'm glad it went to a good home. If I can't acquire a sword and someone here does in my place I don't mind. I find things.

 

Hope all is well,

Khalid 

 

 

[Ray Singer]

The sides each have different information and are not read sequentially.

 

• Hizen (no) kuni junin Yoshitada saku kore
• The other side converts to a date of May, 1942 (the fifth month of the 2,602nd year of the founding of the empire)

[Bruce Pennington]

Can you slide the habaki (brass collar) off to see if there is a star stamp underneath?  Yoshitada was an RJT qualified smith.  Some of his blades had a star, some had other stamps.

[cookiemonstah47]

7 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

Can you slide the habaki (brass collar) off to see if there is a star stamp underneath?  Yoshitada was an RJT qualified smith.  Some of his blades had a star, some had other stamps.

 

Hi Bruce,

 

This one is interesting because it has two distinct and elaborately done kanji on the spine of the tang. They are not arsenal marks. Not something I see every day. (Especially for $500 USD.) People discard things, so sad.

[Bruce Pennington]

1 hour ago, cookiemonstah47 said:

 

Hi Bruce,

 

This one is interesting because it has two distinct and elaborately done kanji on the spine of the tang. They are not arsenal marks. Not something I see every day. (Especially for $500 USD.) People discard things, so sad.

I would truly appreciate a photo of those kanji on the mune! Please!

[cookiemonstah47]

1 hour ago, Bruce Pennington said:

I would truly appreciate a photo of those kanji on the mune! Please!

 

Only if you explain to us what it is that we are looking at.

[cookiemonstah47]

Any sword photographers near Boston? Asking for future reference.

[cookiemonstah47]

1 hour ago, Bruce Pennington said:

I would truly appreciate a photo of those kanji on the mune! Please!

 

 

[Conway S]

Actually the stamps on the mune are arsenal inspection stamps - Top to bottom (名·-“Na" Nagoya Army Arsenal; ホ - “Ho” for Kokura Factory No. 1).

[Bruce Pennington]

Yes, what Conway said.  According to @mecox, the blade was processed by both the Nagoya Army Arsenal and inspected at the Kokura 1st Factory, if I have that right.

 

Did you get a chance to remove the brass habaki and check for a star stamp?

 

@Scogg - Sam, want to transfer this thread over to the Military forum?

[Scogg]

 

@cookiemonstah47, now that we see these military stamps, I’ve relocated the thread to the military swords of Japan section. 
 

名 = na = 名古屋陸軍造兵廠監督課 = Nagoya Army Arsenal Supervisory Section.

 

ホ = HO = 小倉陸軍造兵廠第一製造所 = 1st Factory of Kokura Army Arsenal

 

Interesting sword,

-Sam 

[cookiemonstah47]

24 minutes ago, Bruce Pennington said:

Yes, what Conway said.  According to @mecox, the blade was processed by both the Nagoya Army Arsenal and inspected at the Kokura 1st Factory, if I have that right.

 

Did you get a chance to remove the brass habaki and check for a star stamp?

 

@Scogg - Sam, want to transfer this thread over to the Military forum?

 

No star stamp or a trace of one. They are usually a pronounced marking.

[cookiemonstah47]

18 minutes ago, Scogg said:

 

@cookiemonstah47, now that we see these military stamps, I’ve relocated the thread to the military swords of Japan section. 
 

名 = na = 名古屋陸軍造兵廠監督課 = Nagoya Army Arsenal Supervisory Section.

 

ホ = HO = 小倉陸軍造兵廠第一製造所 = 1st Factory of Kokura Army Arsenal

 

Interesting sword,

-Sam 

 

Hi Sam,

 

Define interesting in this context please. I have to wait until at least August for it to get looked at. Hopefully it's flawless.  

[Scogg]

I just find the arsenal landscape of World War 2 Japan fascinating, and have an interest in military swords of Japan. Yours looks signed with some skill and care. Also, while mune stamps are not unheard of, they are outside the norm.
 

For those reasons I think it’s interesting. 
All the best,
-Sam  

[mecox]

@Bruce Pennington    my understanding with both NA and KO stamps: 

 Na / Ho (名/ホ): externally made blades collected by Nagoya inspectors, then delivered to Kokura Arsenal, and “processed” presumably polished, in Factory No.1.  Often sent elsewhere for mounting.  This stamp combination started late 1941, peaked in 1942, and declined in 1943 and not seen in 1944.

[mecox]

@cookiemonstah47   Khalid,  Yoshitada was from Saga (Hizen) in Kyushu.    The following paper from NMB Downloads has some info and context:

 

 

[ROKUJURO]

7 hours ago, cookiemonstah47 said:

.....No star stamp or a trace of one. They are usually a pronounced marking.

No, they are often quite faint.

[Bruce Pennington]

10 hours ago, mecox said:

@Bruce Pennington    my understanding with both NA and KO stamps: 

 Na / Ho (名/ホ): externally made blades collected by Nagoya inspectors, then delivered to Kokura Arsenal, and “processed” presumably polished, in Factory No.1.  Often sent elsewhere for mounting.  This stamp combination started late 1941, peaked in 1942, and declined in 1943 and not seen in 1944.

Thanks, Mal.  Thought it was something like that.  And you beat me to the punch on the mune stamp practice peaking in 1942.  I checked my charts to see if it was used predominantly on star-stamped blades, but they were found on non-star blades and Seki stamped blades just as often.

[cookiemonstah47]

On 4/8/2026 at 11:06 PM, Scogg said:

I just find the arsenal landscape of World War 2 Japan fascinating, and have an interest in military swords of Japan. Yours looks signed with some skill and care. Also, while mune stamps are not unheard of, they are outside the norm.
 

For those reasons I think it’s interesting. 
All the best,
-Sam  

 

I am under the impression that these are indicative of off-site manufactured blades that are vetted for military acceptance. The scabbard is dented an did not come with an officer's tassel to indicate rank of ownership.

 

I had a monster O-suriage blade with 4 mekugi-ana spaced out over about 20 cm apart. It came with a near mint but dirty blue and brown (lieutenant level) tassel. The sword was sold to someone deserving of it as I thought the metal was too thin to risk restoration on. I still have the tassel and sketch of the nakago. I can't wait to find out what happened with it.

Edited Monday at 03:28 AM by cookiemonstah47
Grammar

[cookiemonstah47]

On 4/9/2026 at 12:29 AM, mecox said:

@cookiemonstah47   Khalid,  Yoshitada was from Saga (Hizen) in Kyushu.    The following paper from NMB Downloads has some info and context:

 

 

 

This I will read later.