Gendaito for your perusal

[BenVK]

I didn't know you were in the Token Ben. Mind they don't try to steal any decent blades from you or treat you as a cash cow.

It was the first meeting I've attended mate, a weird experience.
I'll email you.

[Beater]

44 mounts are unremarkable save perhaps for the use of half decent same. So many you see use cheaper alternatives as it was becoming a scarce commodity.

[BruceP]

.
So good observations and enquiring minds.

Anyone notice something else...it is signed tachi mei. My recent posts of my Nagamitsu and Masatsugu gendai are also signed tachi mei too, no one commented at the time. Interesting? I think so. Now what conclusions can we draw, if any?

Kevin,

I would think that be expected on a blade made for WWII gunto, but I've never taken note of the practice before, so I checked my gunto. I have 3 with mei, and 2 are tachi mei, but one - my kai-gunto by Yoshishige, dated 1943 - is katana mei.

What are you thinking of this?

[Beater]

I'm going through all my old records and the oshigatas in F&G to see if any pattern emerges. Too soon to make any correlations.
Turn it round - why was your katana-mei signed that way when clearly intended to be mounted in koshirae whose pattern is based on an old tachi? They were all carried with cutting edge down ie like a tachi and in tachi style mounts, so why not all tachi-mei...I think it was the smith's call and the fittings are irrelevant.
My initial thoughts, without conclusive data at the moment, is that more gendai (I have owned) are signed tachi mei and more of the earlier swords I owned, which had a higher ratio of non-traditionally made blades, were signed as katana.
Might be co-incidence? That's what I'd like to explore.

[reeder3]

Maybe the soldier was just left handed

All kidding aside, on WW2 blades, I don't know that there is any significance to katana vs. tachi mei unless the blade was a special order or presentation blade.

[Daddy Cool]

I have original metal mekugi if anyone needs some

Apologies for the thread-bump - do you still have these available?
(Also sent you an email, as apparently your PM inbox is full!)
Cheers
Chris

[rennaeo]

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cool item!,,they could tell a heck of story. Larry o