drac2k Posted Sunday at 07:47 PM Report Posted Sunday at 07:47 PM Well, almost rescued.The individual that sold me this sword proudly advised me that his father had etched the blade some years ago with vinegar;on top of that, it looked like he had run the blade through an electric knife sharpener.The saya, which had probably been covered in leather, had been garishly repainted;I am thinking that I may sand it down to plain wood, oil it and leave it unpainted. Since the sword was in such a bad state, I did something almost as unforgivable; I took some 2500 grit emery cloth and I removed the dark stain, the rust and the electric knife sharpening lines.I took a fine German metal cleaning paste and removed all of the grime, The tang was beautifully signed(I guess he didn't get around to fixing that); A friend translated it for me, "Hokai, Province JU, resident of Kanayama.Katsumasa, Saku Kore.Dated November 1944. So now I have another example of a WW2 Army Officer's katana. My friend couldn't find any other examples of this sword smith and I was wondering if anyone could give me any information on him? Thanks Quote
Marcin Posted Sunday at 08:38 PM Report Posted Sunday at 08:38 PM (edited) It's better to paint then to let it rot. Open tsuba with 2 pairs of seppa sounds nice. probably gendaito smith. 金谷 勝正 Kanaya Katsumasa https://japaneseswordindex.com/tosho.htm - Second seat? Chujo saku Edited Sunday at 08:56 PM by Marcin Quote
ROKUJURO Posted Sunday at 09:34 PM Report Posted Sunday at 09:34 PM It is not a KATANA but a TACHI. It is a cruel fate for a potentially decent blade to fall into the hands of clueless and disrespectful people. Oh my! Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted Monday at 02:20 PM Report Posted Monday at 02:20 PM I have 52 Katsuamasa blades on file with the full range of stamps - Showa, Seki, Na, and Gifu. Can I get a clear shot of the stamp at the top of your mei? Quote
John C Posted Monday at 07:03 PM Report Posted Monday at 07:03 PM 4 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said: 52 Katsuamasa Are you recording the showato Katsumasa as well? John C. Quote
drac2k Posted Monday at 09:34 PM Author Report Posted Monday at 09:34 PM Bruce, was that a request for me or Marcin? Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted Monday at 10:04 PM Report Posted Monday at 10:04 PM 2 hours ago, John C said: Are you recording the showato Katsumasa as well? John C. I record all blades with any stamp. All of them, except the star stamped blades, are showato in my opinion. Are you asking if I record non-stamped showato? If so, no I don't. 27 minutes ago, drac2k said: Bruce, was that a request for me or Marcin? David, I was asking about the stamp on your blade, please. 1 1 Quote
Marcin Posted Monday at 10:15 PM Report Posted Monday at 10:15 PM (edited) 39 minutes ago, drac2k said: Bruce, was that a request for me or Marcin? David, I smply reposted example from linked discussion. Marcin Edited Monday at 10:16 PM by Marcin Quote
drac2k Posted Tuesday at 06:00 PM Author Report Posted Tuesday at 06:00 PM Better pictures. I hope this helps. 1 Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted Wednesday at 01:47 PM Report Posted Wednesday at 01:47 PM Thanks David! I see it is just a dark spot, that in the original photo looked like it might be a stamp. Quote
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