Shin Gunto

[CINDERSII]

Hi new here so it will take me a while to get the hang of posting pictures but I have a Shin Gunto that I wish to have the Mei translated as it appears it is possibly not a massed produced type appreciate that assistance. TIA

[AZPhil]

I'm glad to see you here Cinders. You will need to rotate the last pic with the tang so It can be read. Like how I did it on Milsurp. Someone will be along shortly to help you out.

Semper Fi
Phil

[rbminis]

I'm glad to see you here Cinders. You will need to rotate the last pic with the tang so It can be read. Like how I did it on Milsurp. Someone will be along shortly to help you out.

Semper Fi
Phil

Done!
Welcome, as Phil has said, someone will be along shortly to help you.
I would think that it was likely produced during WW II but there is a possibility that it is older. Some produced then still had a fair amount of hand manufacturing also.
There were smiths that signed their work during that time as well.
I do see an alteration of the bottom kanji as well.
Ralph.

[ghp95134]

高山鍛錬所於氏房之作
Takayama Tanren-jo [ni] Oite Ujifusa kore [wo] saku
This was forged by Ujifusa at the Takayama Forge

He is listed as "Chu-Saku" (mid-level) here and his real name was
篠田 氏房
Shinoda Ujifusa

The site states gives him a "3" notation (Superior):
"...In additon, winners of the 6th Shinsaku Nihonto Denrankai (新作日本刀展覽會, 1941) were reported at Nihon Kendo Oyobi Token (日本劍道及刀劍) by Hagio Takahashi. From Special Honor Seats to the 5th seat (S: 特別名譽席(鍛刀總匠), 1: 國工, 2: 準國工, 3:優秀, 4:佳作, 5: 新進)..."

A comparison oshigata from Japanese Sword Index

The Takayama forge produced swords to the recomendations of Takayama Masayoshi.

5. ステンレス刀
　　海軍士官専用のものであって長いこと海上勤務して海水に浸ったり、汐風に当っても錆びないよう十八クロ ーム鋼を主材料としたものであり、現時各家庭で使用されているステンレス包丁と思えば大差ないが切味は炭素 鋼に及ばない※4。
　　本刀は海軍武道師範の高山範士が考案指導したから「高山刀」とも言った。
This rust-resistant sword was also invented and guided by Navy Martial Arts Master Takayama Hanshi [master swordsman] and is also refered to as a "Takayama sword".
source

--Guy

[ghp95134]

Further note: Your sword is an army sword; most of the Takayama swords were produced for the navy, thought the source I cite above sates that "the army also used the rust-resistant [or stainless] sword."

Is yours stainless steel? I think someone (I forgot) was saying that some Takayama swords were made of iron -- but I might be misremembering.


--Guy

[CINDERSII]

Great have a start on the decipher from you chaps what I did fail to mention is the tang has other holes in it towards the end of it which may mean it had another handle on it I do not know but here is a pic of it sorry for not including it.

[ghp95134]

Wow! I've not seen a third hole like THAT before... The second hole is pretty close to the butt .... but it was likely made as a hikae-mekugiana (reserve pin hole) 控え目釘穴. These were used in swords -- but it's not that common in the Model 98 to my knowledge. Often the reserve hole used a metal pin; I had a reserve pin-hole installed on my sword when I had it made and the metal pin would slip out often. Another teacher told me about scoring the pin with a file, enabling a metal-to-metal grip, and it didn't slip out after that.


--Guy

[CINDERSII]

Well I suppose Guy the sword in question is a bit of a riddle approximately what would be the build date, could this have been an officers sword it raises a few questions I know and as such may take some detective work but at least in the short while I have been here there has been information revealed to me that I never knew before.
Those 2 links did not work for me came up with an error message...

[BOB COLEMAN]

The blade is a war period sword. It is found on some war period blades. The 1944 pattern IJA sword mounting did utilize two pins. The reason was a safe guard that if the torque of a sword blow caused one pin to loosen or fail, there was a back up. These can be found on some blades from the samurai era.

[ghp95134]

...Those 2 links did not work for me came up with an error message...

Hmmmm .... the top link did not work because I failed to insert the url -- I've fixed it now with: https://www.japaneseswordindex.com/seki.htm!!!! The bottom two worked for me.


--Guy