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Help with signature

Submitted by jwise on Mon, 2011-11-07 20:06

I have a WW II officer's sword that I need help with. I have scoured sites and have had no luck. Here are some pictures. Hope ya'll can help.

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#1Submitted by jwise on Mon, 2011-11-07 20:22.

Arsenal Mark

Here is what I assume is a Seki mark ,although it isn't like what I have seen listed.
#2Submitted by kazarena on Wed, 2011-11-09 21:02.

Ido Hidetoshi

Hi Jerry,

The signature reads:

特殊鋼以井戸秀俊
tokushu-kō motte ido hidetoshi

This signature appears on works of Ido Hidetoshi. You may see another example in J.Slough's 'Modern Japanese Swordsmiths: 1868-1945' book.

Regards,
Stan
#3Submitted by jwise on Wed, 2011-11-09 21:21.

Thanks

Stan,

Thanks for your quick reply. I assume the painted kanji represent some sort of date. I see 2 number 2s but what would the other characters mean? The 3rd character looks to me like "day" but it is positioned wrong for that.

Thanks again for your help, Jerry
#4Submitted by kazarena on Wed, 2011-11-09 22:02.

Not sure

Hi Jerry,

I've seen these before, but I can't remember what it is exactly. It's some sort of production or batch number, probably based on date.

Regards,
Stan