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Identification of Swordsmith - Help Please!

Submitted by Greg Smith on Tue, 2018-01-30 14:08

Help Please!

I have recently purchased a WW2 Japanese Officers sword on which the tang is marked with a makers name.

The blade is in superb condition. has a gorgeous hamon and appears to be of extremely fine quality.

However, as I cannot read Japanese I have been unable to identify the maker.

If anyone can assist I would be extremely grateful.

See attached photo.

Many thanks

Greg

katana_name.jp...
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#1Submitted by saipan59 on Tue, 2018-01-30 16:19.

Masakazu

Hi,
The name is Masakazu. At a glance, I can't read the first two kanji, but in this context they are probably the smith's real family name. But "Masakazu" is the more important part.
In a quick search online, I don't see any WWII smiths that used these kanji, but there are lots of obscure smiths that are not well documented.
Note that this signature is NOT "Tsukamoto Masakazu", who is a well-documented WWII smith. The kanji are different.

There is a "Seki stamp" just above and to the right of the hole. This means that it was made in war-time, and made with "shortcuts" to speed up production. For example, it may be oil-quenched instead of water-quenched, and it is likely single-piece construction.
Therefore, it is not a "Nihonto" from a collector's view. Rather, it is "militaria". In Japan, it is a "weapon", and not "art".
Also note the "22" stamped next to the hole - probably an assembly number. The same number may be found on other major parts, such as the tsuba.

Pete
#2Submitted by Greg Smith on Tue, 2018-01-30 17:11.

Hi Pete. Thank you very

Hi Pete.

Thank you very much.

I'll see what else I can discover about the maker.

Cheers

Greg
#3Submitted by Greg Smith on Tue, 2018-01-30 18:34.

Info on maker

Hi Pete

Found this info online. (see photo in original post.) I guess this must be the guy?

Cheers

Greg
#4Submitted by saipan59 on Wed, 2018-01-31 00:58.

Masakazu, not Masakatsu

No, that's MasaKATSU, no MasaKAZU.

Pete