My Original Type 94 Shin Gunto

Here's an in-depth look at my other antique Showato that I've been training with since about 1983. It's a rarer beast, with very different dynamics from my Type 98. The uncommon full bohi is from a time when these swords, when not refit ancestral blades, were still being exclusively commissioned by the officers, and there are interesting patterns in the active hamon. Unfortunately, the original saya was long gone when we acquired and restored it for dojo use.

There's still some mystery in translation of the signature (mei), as I haven't tracked down this particular smith and may be having challenges reading his chisel-writing style. Handmade, kobuse kitae lamination, but likely made out of modern industrial steels taken from Manchuria.