This is an excellent (gendaito) Japanese sword. The blade has a fantastic Midare-Choji hamon that continues through the boshi and has a nice turn back on the mune.
The Tachi-mei signature reads:
Noshu ju Sukenobu, dated Showa 18th year, 12th month (1942,Dec.)
Star stamp and unidentified arsenal stamp*
Blade Length: 67.3cm(26.5”), Nakago: 21.5cm(8.5”), 7 mm thick and 3.4cm wide at Hamachi
Fuller and Gregory list this smith in “Swordsmiths of Japan, 1926-1944”, as a good gendaito blade. There are no chips, kizu or any other flaws. There is a small a scuff on the shinogi. The blade is mounted in a new shirasaya and is in newer polish. A very nice example of a high end gendaito.
*-
The presence of a star stamp on the nakago of a WW II era sword blade indicates a blade made by swordsmiths of the Rikugun Jumei Tosho (Army Certified Swordsmith). To become Rikugun Jumei Tosho, a swordsmith had to pass tests and examination of his blades. Once accepted as a Rikugun Jumei Tosho, the smith was given a regular allocation of tamehagane with which to make sword blades. A complete list of Rikugun Jumei Tosho swordsmiths was published in Showa 17 as "Rikugun Jumei Tosho Meibo". The NBTHK is on record as passing and papering star stamped Gendaito.
Tachi-mei signature reads: Noshu ju Sukenobu, dated Showa 18th year, 12th month (1942, Dec.)
