Need opinion on a WW2 Katana
Hello, good afternoon, I bought this katana, what do you think of it? It is quite pretty, with a leather case, I don't know the marking, maybe I paid too much for it, 1500 euros. Well I'm sure you can give a more accurate description. It's a great addition to the collection along with the Japanese flag I recently bought. I await your answers, thank you very much.
Is it just me, or does the tang look like it's been ground/sanded down? The date looks fine, but worn/damaged -- it is easy to read (S. 19). However, I am NOT a fan of the signature, 負正 -- I can find no instance of that swordsmith. IF the tang was ground down and the mei was re-worked (its style is entirely different than the date), perhaps the mei originally was 兼正 but the person mistook 兼 for 負 and engraved 負 instead? 兼 looks different than the dictionary form when engraved.
兼正
Kanemasa
昭和十九 [the rest obliterated/buffed out]
Showa 19 [1944]
Just in case it is Kanemasa I did a bit of research:
There are three 兼正 listed: From the Register of Names of Seki Forge Swordsmiths Since Showa 14, October (1939)
兼正 栗本正一 S14.10.20
Swordsmith name: Kanemasa
Legal name: Kurimoto Shōichi
Date entered the Seki Guild Log: Showa 14 [1939] October 20
兼正 土岐善平 S14.10.25
Swordsmith name: Kanemasa
Legal name: Toki Yoshihira
Date entered the Seki Guild Log: Showa 14 [1939] October 25
兼正 竹内兼三郎 S17.12.16
Swordsmith name: Kanemasa
Legal name: Takenouchi Kanesaburō
Date entered the Seki Guild Log: Showa 17 [1939] December 16
＝＝＝＝＝＝
Markus Sesko's Japanese Swordsmiths lists 6!
- KANEMASA (兼正), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Nōshū-jū Kanemasa” (濃州住兼正), “Shuryūshi Kanemasa” (炷龍子兼正), “Nōshū Seki-jūnin Kanemasa” (濃州関住人兼正), real name Ōno Masami (大野正巳), he is also listed with the first name Masaki (正己), born in February 11th 1923, he was adopted by the Ōno family and studied under Morita Kaneshige (森田兼重), gō Shuryūshi (炷龍子), younger brother of Yoshida Masaaki (吉田正明) (see picture right)
- KANEMASA (兼正), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Kanemasa” (兼正), real name Kuriki Shōichi (栗木正一), he is also listed with the family name Kurimoto (栗本), born Februar 15th 1918, he studied under Kojima Kanemichi (小島兼道) and worked as a rikugun-jumei-tōshō, ryōkō no jōi (Akihide), Fifth Seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihontō Denrankai (新作日本刀展覧会, 1941)
- KANEMASA (兼正), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Kanemasa” (兼正), real name Toki Yoshihira (土岐善平), born November 21st 1897, he worked as a guntō smith and died November 2nd 1980
- KANEMASA (兼正), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Kanemasa” (兼正), real name Masunouchi Kenzaburō (升内兼三郎), he worked as a guntō smith
- KANEMASA (兼正), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Aichi – “Bishū-jū Takeuchi Kanemasa kore o saku” (尾州住竹内兼正作之), “Bishū Kōzōji-jū Takeuchi Kanemasa” (尾州高蔵寺住竹内兼正), real name Takeuchi Kanesaburō (竹内兼三郎, the first name can also read Kenzaburō), rikugun-jumei-tōshō, he was no longer working as a swordsmith after World War II, Fifth Seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihontō Denrankai (新作日本刀展覧会, 1941)
- KANEMASA (兼正), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Tōkyō – “Shōjū Kanemasa” (小銃兼正), “Kanemasa” (兼正), real name Murata Tsuneyoshi (村田経芳), he worked for the Akabane Arsenal (赤羽造兵廠)
-- Guy
Is there a document in the Tokenkai envelope; and, is it supposed to go with this blade? If so, please post an image of it.
-- Guy
Could you give us a shot or 2 of that tassel?
Guy,
How about:
貞正 (Sadamasa)
須田 正男
Thank you all very much for your answers, the seller told me that inside the envelope there are only documents relating to the sale of the katana on the Catawiki auction page. I have asked for photos of the tassel when he passes them to me I will attach them. The katana seems beautiful to me, but I am a little worried about the doubts you have regarding the signature. The tang seems indeed damaged but I'm not overly concerned because mounted it doesn't look that much and it could be that it was older than the katana I imagine or that it was damaged and had some special meaning for the owner to mount it on another katana maybe.
Hi Bruce,by Bruce Pennington
Yes, I think you are correct!! It is probably 貞 for Sadamasa. Thanks for pointing that out.
From the Register of Names of Seki Forge Swordsmiths Since Showa 14, October (1939)
貞正 須田正男 S18.09.21
Swordsmith name: Sadamasa
Legal name: Suda Masao
Date entered the Seki Guild Log: Showa 18 [1943] September 21
From Markus Sesko's Japanese Swordsmiths:
SADAMASA (貞正), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Sadamasa” (貞正), real name Suda Masao (須田正男), he is also listed with the family name Shinkai (新海), born October 27th 1926, he worked as guntō smith
-- Guy
I'm glad to hear that, and that there is so much information of the manufacturer is great. So is it a good piece for my collection?
Unless one of the forum experts tells you it is a modern Chinese copy (they're getting pretty good), I think it is good. I'd feel better if the tang hadn't been ground down and the writing re-worked.
But if they say it is okay, I would say it would be a good representative example of an officer's shingunto.
I'm "hedging" my answer because I am *not* knowledgable on these swords. My focus is on reading the Japanese engravings. In this case I really do not like that 貞正 has been worked on.
-- Guy
Here is what Sadamasa's signature SHOULD look like:
Sadamasa on the left; yours on the right:
Image from Griffin Militaria
-- Guy
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