WW2 blade I recieved today, had a signed nakago.......

[jason_mazzy]

No arsenal stamps or tang marks, very healthy ko maru boshi. solid suguha hamon, nie running the hamon and a signature: I'm thinking gendai......

 

[John A Stuart]

It looks like 兼徳 Kanenori, but, may not be right about the last kanji. John

[jason_mazzy]

the only one I post working around that time died in 1927 at 97 years old. Don't think it is him.

 

I have so far

1st: Taka

2nd: I

3rd: hatsu or katsu or tame?

4th: mitsu? or a messed up tada

[SwordGuyJoe]

Jason,

Dr. Stein's site (http://home.earthlink.net/~ttstein/seki.htm) lists a Kanenori, but the family name is different than yours. Yours is Takai (高井)the one listed on the site is Hayakawa (早川). There is a Sadatsugu with the same family name, perhaps a brother/uncle/cousin, perhaps not.

 

Chris may be able to help here.

[SwordGuyJoe]

Can we see photo's of the blade?

[cabowen]

高井兼征

 

Takai Kane (masa), (tada), (yuki)- take your pick as to the pronunciation.

 

Looks like typical Seki work....

[jason_mazzy]

sweet I picked tada LOL

[jason_mazzy]

26 inch+ nagasa

[cabowen]

Looks like a kaigunto tsuba with a shingunto tsuka.....

 

Is there a habuchi? Looks like it might be an oil quench or acid etched hamon....hard to tell from the pictures....

[SwordGuyJoe]

It looks like you have a bit of a Frankenstein on your hands (parted together) - what kind of saya does it have? I agree with Chris. The nakago doesn't seem to indicate a stainless steel blade, but the hamon looks very lackluster and has that non-gendaito kaigunto appearance and feel with a chemically induced hamon. Better pictures may well blow this thought out of the water.

[jason_mazzy]

The kai gunto tsuba seppa don't fit correctly either. I think this was a servicemans trade and swap! It is definately a real hamon, maybe oil quenched, but it seems to have nie, so that wouldn't make sense.......................... I also think someone tried to "fix the blade" and buff it. It looks like someone tried to shine it up real nice, making it rediculously hard for me to photograph it.

[jason_mazzy]

http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/showa.htm

 

UNDOCUMENTED SHOWA ERA SWORDSMITHS

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The following list of Japanese swordsmiths working during the Showa Era (WW II) are previously undocumented in any currently published reference (i.e.; Fuller and Gregory, Slough, Hawley or indexes on this or other sites). The signatures (mei) have been contributed by numerous collectors. The complete signatures (mei) appearing on the sword tang (nakago) are given when known. The numbers following the signature refer to the Kanji of the swordsmith's name from the tables on this site. Thus, Higo ju Yasutada (5,1) refers to the fifth Kanji listed for Yasu and the first Kanji listed for Tada in the tables of swordsmith Kanji. Any stamps, kokuin or kao appearing on the nakago are also noted.

 

 

Murai Akihiro (1,2)

Mimasaka ju Akinori (1,x)

Murakami Haruhisa (1,1)

Hiroyoshi (x,2)

Takai Kanemasa (1,2)

Unjosai Katsunaga (1,2)

Kazushige (1,2)

Hatano Kunimitsu (1,1)

Hizen ju Masakiyo (1,4)

Minamoto Masauji (1,2)

Noshu ju Morimasa (2,1)

Sukumoto Shigenori (2,1)

Inoue Suketsuna (1,2)

Bizen ju nin Yokoyama Sukechika (1,1)

Higo ju Yasutada [kao] (5,1)

Yoshiharu ["w" stamp] (1,1)

Yoshitani ["w" stamp] (1,x)

[jason_mazzy]

Looks like a kaigunto tsuba with a shingunto tsuka.....

 

Is there habuchi? Looks like it might be an oil quench or acid etched hamon....hard to tell from the pictures....

 

 

Yes there is a Habuchi. definite transition between the steel. But it looks like the serviceman who had it wanted to spruce up the blade a bit, because it looks like someone put a high polish on it. But once you take a bright light to it from the side you can see the folds, and activity. I'm thinking it was buffed and brasso'd.

 

 

Regarding the Frankenstein, after I get a quick study on it I plan to turn it back to the world of Militaria. I am beffudled tho on whether I should replace the kai gunto tsuba with an original shin gunto tsuba to the koshirae, and sell the kai gunto tsuba seperately.

 

On the one hand I believe the sword more valuable as 1 complete package, on the other the feller who passed away put this tsuba on for a reason.............................