signed katana for id and discussion please
 

I have recently acquired this katana and wondered if anyone could help me with the maker of the blade , the sword is in very good condition and shows a good hamon , any info would be much appreciated
thanks

Hello,

The photo of the nakago with the signature is quite dark making the signature hardly readable. Also please note the writing is on vertical, with the mekugi-ana (hole for the mekugi) at the top, so the photo of the nakago should be rotated 90 degrees clockwise.

You may want to address this question to the Nihonto community from the Nihonto Message Board forum.

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/index.php

Good luck! :)

PS: All I can say is that it appears to be a good sword in WWII Japanese army Gunto Koshirae.

hi there , thanks for your help ,I will post a better of the signature the right way up ,
many thanks

I got this result after turning and using some filter.
To be honest I have no idea if this is the right side up yet.
Using paper and a pencil would probably be helpfull. + posting on the Nihonto forum ;)
Love the sword. is the tassel Original ?

Best regards,
Willem

Hello Willem,

It is better, but is upside down. Unfortunately, my knowledge ends here as I cannot read Japanese.

Your idea about using pencil and paper is very good as it is used by the Japanese themselves to make the oshigata of the blade. It may give a much clearer view of the signature.

Chief, make sure you do NOT clean the nakago as cleaning may dramatically reduce the value of the sword (since the aspect of the rust is very important for experts to establish the age of the sword and whether the signature is genuine or not).

Sorry,
Now I understand that Vhiefheadknocker already edited his post and added a picture in the correct rotation....

The signature is very dark, I'll make a guess at it. "NOSHU (no) JU SEKI KANESUMI? The last kanji SUMI could also be TSUGU or TSUNE??? just not clear enough.

Best,
Jerry

showa mark
 

after looking at the signature closely I have found a showa mark just visable under the rust ,which I think shows that it was made for ww2 and so not an old blade :(

I suspected that. Nevertheless, the fact that is a Showa blade, doesn't mean it cannot be a good and valuable blade!

hi, yes its does look to be a good blade and the whole sword is very good condition. I expect military collectors would be interested

Chiefheadknocker, we don't talk about money here. Please read the forum rules.

Very nice sword btw.

oh sorry about that ,I didn't realise
thanks

Let's say it is in a desired condition for WW2 collectors. :)

And if gendaito, hen it would be considered nihonto and not machine made military, which would raise the value considerably.

As a general rule gendaito (hand forged) don't have a Showa or Seki stamp, they can have a star or a tan stamp & a few others. I suggest your sword is a machine made gunto with oil temper, still a nice condition sword.

Best,
Jerry