Bruce, you're right. Tokyo 1st is not the "ichi in flower pedal".
While I was looking up the Type 95 NCO, I found 連 stamp on it. Ohmura says it's the 南満陸軍造兵廠大連製造所 Southern Manchu Army arsenal Dalian factory. Those Mantetsu swords have the same 連 stamp must be made at there. In addition to the ones made at Dalian railway factory 大連鉄道工場. Now we have the 4th place making the Mantetsu swords. Or, are they the same factory? They are both in the same city Dalian.
We need Stu, Shamsy, and Stegel to join in on this! It would be telling to see if 95s with the Ichi stamp have the Kokura or the Tokyo1st stamps. If there are Ichi with Kokura, then the contractor was operating before the establishment of Tokyo 1st.
As to the Mukden Arsenal making Mantetsu, Ohmura says we don’t know if they were making them with Mantetsu introduction or if, like Tōkyō 1st, Mantetsu was supplying them with unfinished blades.
“
For Nanman Army Arsenal, organization was determined in August,1938.
It had the site of about 9.917 K㎡ in Wenguantun of the Mukden suburbs. And 12,000 persons in all belonged the military
man and the army civilian employee to this arsenal. And thousands of Manchu operatives worked. Nanman Arsenal was included in Kantō-Gun and turned into Kantō-Gun Arsenal in April, 1945. From the spring of 1943, an officer's Guntō was
made from Nanman Arsenal and Nanman Arsenal Dalian Factory. The blade with the stamp of "Nan" and "Ren" receives the
impression that Nanman Army Arsenal made with Mantetsu's introduction of technological know-hows uniquely. However,
probably, these blades were dedicated by Nanman Arsenal with semimanufactured goods from Mantetsu, when they were
guessed from the Mei of "Mantetsu Kore o Tanzō". The truth is still a mystery. ”
There are those Mantetsu swords without any stamps, right? They were made at Dalian railway factory 大連鉄道工場 from the beginning. After awhile, other factories got involved in the production. There are 南, 連, and W stamps on the tangs. I'll say that's four factories involved in making Mantetsu swords. Maybe even more, if new information is uncovered. Are we on the same page?
It is definitely possible, Sporter. From Nick's new information, we know now that Dalian was sharing the blades with Tokyo 1st. Lacking documentary evidence, but the presence of Ren and Nan stamps indicate that it was likely happening with them as well. In the past I had simply been assuming that those arsenals had somehow taken quality inspection authority over the Dalian factory. That still could be the case, but it seems unlikely that 2 different locataions were inspecting Dalian work. So, I think your conclusion is probable.by Sporter90
This broadenning of Mantetsu production could also account for the original blade of this post, and similar blades that "Look" Mantetsu, but have other names, or inscriptions on them. Special orders could account for such.
It should be 昭和葵未春（1943 Spring） instead of 発来春Nakago as requested
It should be 昭和葵未春（1943 Spring） instead of 発来春Nakago as requested
Thank you for making that correction. However, 葵未 should be 癸未 ... at least the way the Japanese write it -- without the 艹 grass radical.
So ... to correct my original translation with the gracious help from Bangbangsan:
昭和癸未春
Showa Mizunoto Hitsuji, Haru
Spring, 1943
Sorry about the initial incorrect translation!
--Guy
Has anyone else had any encounters with markings on the Habaki of the Mantetsu blades? as in the photo below?
Geoff, it would be interesting to hear from anyone with another Mantetsu marked this way. But I’ve seen them on Navy and Army fittings. Have you seen this thread on the subject: Pet Dragon Solves Faux Roman Numeral Mystery! - Military Swords of Japan - Nihonto Message Board
Thanks for the link Bruce! Very interestingwe'll see what turns up with other Mantetsu...
Regards,G.
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