AS15921-Katana: Koa Isshin Mantetsu Saku

Katana in Shirasaya with Koshirae.

Signature : Koa Isshin Mantetsu Saku
Showa　Mizunoe-Uma Aki(Autumn 1942)

(We divide 4 sections for each sword as Saijyo saku, Jyojyo saku Jyo saku and regular saku)
This sword belongs to Jyo Saku ranking.
The blade was polished.
Habaki : Single copper Habaki.
Blade length :　66.7　cm or 26.25 inches.
Sori : 1.8 cm or 0.70 inches.
Mekugi : 　1
Width at the hamachi : 3.10cm or 1.22 inches.
Width at the Kissaki : 2.05 cm or 0.80 inches.
Kasane : 0.68 cm or 0.26 inches.
Era : Showa 17 Nen(1942)
Shape : Regular width and thickness Katana with modereto Sori, longer Kissaki.
Jigane : Well grained with Jinie attach. Muji style.
At a glance, the Jigane looks Hizen blade.
Hamon : Suguha Hamon. Boshi is round shape.

Special feature: : Mantetsu-to is a kind of cold-tolerant gun-to appropriate for a cold northern district in Manchuria in China.
South Manchuria Railways Co. planned it in 1937.
After a series of experiments, they finally succeeded in making satisfactory katana and started to mass-production at Dalian in 1938.
It was a remarkable improvement at that time because the usual oil-tempered gunto was easily broken in severe cold.
It is said that the mantetsu-to endured in the temperature minus forty degrees.
The texture of jitetsu shows fine nashi-ji by excellent polishing.
It looks like as if it were a Tadayoshi the seventh’s sword of Hizen-to.
Only a few Mantetsu-to barely escaped as an article left by the deceased from disposing of junk in Japan and survive as if it were a witness of wartime.

Koshirae :
Saya : Black Roiro Saya.
Tsuba: Mokko shape iron Tsuba with the pattern.
Menuki: Bird is engraved with gold color.
Fuchikashira: Wood with black color.

Aoi Art estimation paper: whole Oshigata.