translation for sword signature

[Mark Stevens]

I bought this sword a few years ago and am curious about the tang signatures.

[Mark Stevens]

more pictures of sword

[Mark Stevens]

...and more pictures.

[Mark Stevens]

Additional pics.

[Mark Stevens]

Last picture.

[GHP]

I'm not certain about the kage [kah-ghey] part of the name because the photo is fuzzy [and upside down].

昭和十八年六月日
Shōwa jū nana-nen
A Day in June, 1943

兼景
Kanekage

IF it is Kanekage [pron. Kahnay-kahghey] .... he made swords from 1940-1989 and has a Hawley rating of 8.

Don't ask me what that means because I do not know.

--Guy

[Mark Stevens]

Thank you Guy for the quick response! I will try to get a better picture of the kage.

[Mark Stevens]

Hope these are better pictures.

[Mark Stevens]

I am also wondering if plastic was used during the war as simulated ray skin on the grip, because the ray skin on this sword appears to be some sort of plastic.

[GHP]

AAARRRGgggggg!

Kanemune! He scrunched up the strokes on the "mune" part:

兼宗

Apparently there were two Kanemune:

桐淵 兼宗 (Kiribuchi Kanemune) 5
三浦 國光 (Miura Kunimitsu)
三浦 正光 (Miura Masamitsu)
加藤 孝雄 (Kato Takao) 4
遠藤 永光 (Endo Nagamitsu)
福本 兼宗 (Fukumoto Kanemune)


Ah, his signature looks like the first green Kanemune Kiribuchi 桐淵



--Guy

[Mark Stevens]

Thanks again Guy. I am very impressed with your knowlege

[GHP]

Thanks again Guy. I am very impressed with your knowlege

I can read a little Japanese -- everything else is "Google-Fu"; nothing impressive at all.

--Guy

[Staldion]

Hello Mark, yes the japanese used plastic / rubber simulated rayskin on gunto' handles but I am not sure you have one of them. They use to be quite plain with uniform pattern, yours seems to have some big nodules (grains) of different size and shape.

During the war the japanese ruled nearly all the asian production of rubber which represented 90% of the world production at the time. (Thaïland, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam ...)

[Mark Stevens]

Pictures of ray skin.