Looking for Some Detective Help: Shigekuni

[Bruce Pennington]

A friend is trying to track down any info we can find on a WWII era swordsmith named Shigekuni (重国). He's not in the usual references like Slough or Sesko books.

The gunto is in Type 98 fittings, and was carried by 2nd Lt Kume of the 32nd Div. (210, 211, 212 Inf Regts), of the Second Army. Southern Area, who surrendered to the Aussies in 1945 at Morotai Is., Halmahera.

Also, the tsuka has an inked stamp of a circled 3 (san).

He's hoping that the gunto was made and assembled in the same area as the smith's place of operation, and finding a shop with this logo might lead to a location of the smith. I realize that many blades were gathered from all over Japan and shipped to Tokyo for military acceptance and outfitting, but not all were. So, if the shop could be located, and found to be outside Tokyo, somewhere else, then it could indicate a possible location of the smith. (I personally would love to find out the name of the shop for my own collection of stamps!)

I know it's a shot in the dark, but there's no place I know with more research talent, than right here, so I thought I'd ask.

Thanks in advance!!!

[Nick Komiya]

see here and use translator 南紀重国 - Wikipedia

[Bruce Pennington]

Thanks Nick, but that's the same problem we've run into with all the other reference material. These are Edo period smiths or earlier. The one we are looking for worked during WWII.

I appreciate it, though.

[ghp95134]

I couldn't find him in Sesko's either. The Showa-Swordsmith database lists a 国重 Kunishige, but no 重国 Shigekuni.

[Nick Komiya]

It could very well be a Gimei to disguise it as an antique, depending on how much there is on the blade to give it away as a new military contract.

Shigekuni was a highly esteemed smith, so it would have been a good name to borrow like a Magoroku.

[Bruce Pennington]

Ok, thanks gentlemen. I'll pass that along. If anyone comes across that circled "san" logo, please let me know!