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Arghhhh This one puts me in a spot. Eric is both a forum supporter and also a well known and respected member of the dealer community. Do I censor criticism of forum friends and be accused of bias or do I let it play out and risk a good relationship? You don't want this job..trust me guys. I guess I can't just play favorites, so I'll let this one stand for now and take the knock. That said, I want to mention that Eric is one of the most well known and respected dealers in the US. I like him a lot. He's blunt, direct, to the point, doesn't pull any punches. But he has a very good eye for quality, and deals in excellent items. I would buy from him any day. You'll find his best stuff sells off eBay and Facebook, to a great network who appreciate knowing they will get what they pay for, no surprises and no stuff that is messed with. I've met him a few times, and have a lot of time for him. He knows value, and I guess has a certain pricing expectation. I don't know if this is shilling or not. But I don't think anything is happening that the Japanese auctions don't do routinely, and is nowadays common on eBay. Japanese dealers pull items at the last minute or cancel auctions. That doesn't make it right. But I'd rather lose an item to a higher bid (valid or not) than get something that isn't exactly as described. Not condoning anything, whether it happens or not....but personally I would buy from him anytime. eBay is a minefield anyways, no matter who your favorite dealers are...always a good idea to build a relationship with them and deal personally off eBay and FB.

Multiple layers tsuba as Akasaka tsuba,with two layers of better iron on the outside and and lower grade one in the middle were obtained by forging. Far better and easier way of obtaining a layered structure. What you suggest Dale is almost impossible. Molten iron flows like water and do not stick on other iron... What I see in the pictures you posted could be the effect of delamination of a forged and folded tsuba. No need to invent an involved process... Regards Luca

Colleagues I have updated a new version of Japanese Naval Swords WW2 Swordsmiths & Workshops Part 1. This 2024 paper is an upgrade of the 2021 version, it is reorganised with appreciably more examples but with some significant corrections. Of note is the issue of Naval arsenal stamps and some long held, but incorrect views, in particular in regard to the Toyokawa Arsenal in Aichi (this arsenal did not produce swords). If you have the 2021 version, please delete it and use this one. It was outdated and I hope any errors addressed. Part 2, is likewise being upgraded and will soon be uploaded. I found it all a rather challenging topic. cheers Mal

The blade is signed Naminohira Yasutsune. The tsuba looks like a modern, decorative replica.

What do you expect when you buy on eBay etc???

Not your job Brian ... don't get hung up over such decisions ...sounds like your over personalising. Step back. Good...then, if you wish, advise him of the thread and invite him to 'contribute' ... if he is as you say, he will surely add something to the matters raised. Even if he chooses to take it up directly with the 'complainants' ...he does of course have right of reply. If he doesn't respond to either the thread or the OP then that is his choice. Dont fret, stay neutral....your in control. Just my opinion

Two Kai Gunto by Sakai Ikkansai Shigemasa, who was listed as KJT. There don't appear to be any extra marks or stamps on these swords, but one imagines they may have been made as efforts for the KJT? 1944: https://www.legacy-collectibles.com/022423-1.html Corrosion is obscuring the date, 1943?: https://page.auction.../auction/m1145423305 In my humble collection is a Shigemasa dated 1943 with special order for an army Lt Colonel, so it appears he was making swords for multiple branches/programs without any exclusivity.

Just wanted to share this recent acquisition of mine for stamp and date tracking. Kai gunto with sho-stamped blade signed 濃州関住人兼道謹作 Noshu Seki ju nin Kanemichi kin saku. Dated imperial year 2601 (1941). Blade has some chips but is in good original polish and has a nice shape with longer kissaki. Koshirae is high quality and in great shape with large nodule same, four matched pairs of seppa, sharkskin saya, and tassel. As always, your honest observations and impressions are appreciated.

Considering how eBay is and how terrible the sale prices are I’m not surprised. It shouldn’t be the practice but report it. They’ll check IP addresses and act accordingly. in the same token I’ve never had any business conducted with the seller so I can’t say yay or nay. it seems the nihonto world currently is now either juyo or above , rarely anything else matters. Even sellers refuse consignments for toku ho blades even y

Kinpun-mei, like shu-mei, are lacquer signatures. This appears inset, so would be properly a ginzōgan-mei. The letter of the old Hon'ami regulations said that these should be applied to shortened blades made between Ōei (1394-1428) and Bunmei (1469-1487). There are a handful of blades at Jūyō with ginzōgan-mei, though, and some of them are substantially earlier or later than this time period. So... who knows?

The issue perhaps, Jussi, is that you like oversized swords, which at that size might not necessarily be the most refined? I have seen very few large swords that have the fine jigane and complex high quality hamon I like….Usually the longer and larger, the less interesting to me, unless they are ubu zaimei top Heian or Kamakura blade by one of the better smiths - usually top (ko) Bizen. The best sword in my view is the OKanehira. Huge, but with the finest craftsmanship from top to bottom. So, I attach a few snaps of it. There is not forging flaw over 80cm+, very wide and meaty blade - sprinkled with konie in the “wettest” possibly way

Maybe like our "Certified" marks and labels, today. Nagahisa used it on his too, slightly different version of it, though:

One could be the date of the test, and the other the date the inscription was added. Unsure. (my reading of 梅津 could be incorrect as well, or the reading could be correct, but the interpretation of "August" "February" could be incorrect"). 梅津 is a poetic name for August February, but... it is a bit rare. Edit: Oops, correction, 梅津 is a poetic name for February. I'll leave the spoiler as is (with the error untouched) Edit #2: Had to fix a typo in a name. I should also add that the name of the cutter is not included in Guido Schiller's list of known cutters. Unknown, or known at the time, but just rare to see on swords.... who knows. I should keep track of these "unknown" cutters (who have very confident signatures) and create an appendix to Guido's list.

I had a couple of deals with Eric directly through Facebook and I can only speak well of him. The items were exactly as described, the communication excellent and to the point, shipping fast... No complains from my side. Luca

thankyou rob, im not the illogical pot stirrer that i appear to come across as sometimes. i speak directly, and to the point. tho my dislexa make sa meal of it some times and my computer has given up trying to spell check me

https://www.aoijapan.com/kogatananatsuo/

I generally refrain from any sort of restorative work on damaged blades. This is now my 3rd. One is rather quite nice despite taking a bullet, and actually splitting the bullet in half. The other is a Copper handle Type 95 NCO sword which was struck multiple times by shrapnel, similar to this blade. I plan on oiling the blade and removing any physical dirt, but keeping it as is. I will though seek out a period tsuka with similar “wear and tear”, along with the correct fittings.

Dear Rickey. To answer some of your questions this is a genuine Japanese sword, a wakizashi. It has nothing to do with WWII but is an earlier sword. There will be some gold in the fittings but their value lies in their artistry, not in the metal. Resist the urge to clean anything other than to wipe the blade with some light oil on a clean cloth. Take it slow, the blade is what we would call out of polish and you cannot do anything about that. As you explore there may be the option to restore this to good condition but that is a decision to make later. Welcome to NMB and enjoy the journey. All the best.

I will play. Nabeshima Toshiro Meibutsu

This sword has more than just a mei on the nakago. All help will be appreciated.

I have also had a good experience buying a sword from Eric on Facebook, I found him good to deal with excellent communication and the sword was well packaged with prompt shipping I would certainly buy from him again.

The cut was made at Amagasaki (a city in present-day Hyōgo prefecture) in February (presumably 1652), and the sword was inscribed with the cutting test results on December 18th, of the same year. The cutter was Mozume Kyūbei.

Best to wait until you actually receive it so we can tell for sure if it’s made the way I suspect but yes, you are probably in the right ballpark although I’ve seen them make much more when people get fooled.

The meaning of the TEC mark is unknown,it should from some sword shop, it only appears on naval swords. Can you post more photo of the fitting ?

The subject is Fujin and this is a late Meiji period paper knife. They often look very impressive but were made in huge numbers for the foreign market ie the Gaijin in Japan at that time and also for later export. The handle is usually made from two alloy pressings that are joined together and often filled with a pitch type substance that holds them and the blade tightly. Can you see a seam where they are joined? The blades are usually a brass type alloy and it unlikely that silver was used due to the cost. It could be silver plate. They are often multi-patinated to look like expensive mixed metalwork. Some even are signed to add to the illusion. The dark stain is simply age tarnishing. Personally I would not clean it at all but it depends if you like an original patina or prefer bright and shiny. A general rule is never clean Japanese metalwork. An excellent example of the Japanese innovative ability to create something that looks high quality but is actually a more modest item. Many kozuka are made using similar methods and often fool people.

sorry John on your beautiful shigemasa I cannot read something about a Lt. Colonel? what I can read is, it was crafted for a Mr Iwase..... without a military rank and a surname... is it the same sword we were talking about?

Looks like table cutlery and with the tarnish the blade is likely silver.

Shō'ō = Jō'ō (with or without diacritical marks...both are the same, and I think both are acceptable pronunciations).

I think 承應元年壬辰十二月拾八日梅津於尼崎 三つ胴切落物集女九兵衛（花押）

Bought a nice big Saotome from Eric many years ago. Did me a very good deal. As mentioned, better contacting him away from ebay. Also worth mentioning that ebay reads your private mails, believe it or not. So a reply you get from a seller may not be the same reply you get through an email off ebay. Known people, me included on 2 occasions to get warnings about trying to do deals off ebay.

I think I may have solved a mystery that caused the late Ford Hallam to "recreate" a "lost tsuba" - I believe I found that lost tsuba in Hawley's "TSUBAS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA" Page 301 of that picture book. In the book there is an odd view of the ura side of a guard which should have been flipped over - to me it is obviously the same tsuba that was "missing" or so close to it that it makes no difference. Remember the book was published in 1973 so it is impossible for the image to be of the utsushi made by Ford. See this blog from 2009 https://followingthe...-cat-out-of-bag.html What do you think? Was Hallam looking on the wrong continent and the tiger was in California all along? There is a signature on the Hawley image but it is not clear enough to read, Ford may have assumed that the small guard he had access to was made and signed by the same maker as the larger piece, but he did not have the ura view to back this up. Anyone know a collector from California by the name of "Stoehr" ? He may know of the whereabouts of the lost guard. [PS. Ever notice the title of Hawley's picture book is WRONG - no such thing as tsubas surely he knew the plural of tsuba was still tsuba!]

The market reality (i.e. auction result) vs dealer fantasy, a very large difference. Unfortunately this goes on with so many sellers on ebay, and yahoo auctions, that you quickly gauge who not to bother with and pray they don't have something you really want.

Thanks for measurements. Your pics are fine. The suguha is interesting.

@mecox Nagasa is 65.72 cm and sori is 1.71 cm. I can take or retake any pictures as needed. I have read your excellent article and was about to reference it in reply to @Bruce Pennington's observation about the volume of his output.

Great read Mal, look forward to Part II. One subject of Naval swords that remains a bit of a mystery is the Kaigun Jumei Tosho program. Some Gendai smiths they are noted as being both Rikugun and Kaigun Jumei Tosho, yet the Navy program appears to have far less information available. Has anyone uncovered a list, or details like stamps or specifications?

More like 海軍卷 (Navy style wrapping)

Its something quite weird. Nakago is more or less clearly 20th century or at least no later than the very end of Edo. Sugata which is as straight as they come, uncommon kissaki proportions. Silver inlaid signature which makes little sense. But at the same time everything is done with diligence, it does not have the aura of some crappy thing churned out in search for a random buyer. This is the kind of case where I would look at activity and if its good, it can still be a decent blade, with a puzzle.

That's 100% eBay

Do we have a dedicated thread for fake Type 98s like we do for Type 95s? If so I didn't find it. Maybe this can be the thread. Saw this one on eBay. Every hallmark of an obvious fake from damascus blade to numbers on habaki. The only thing noteworthy here is that the seller wants $3k USD for it.

The koshirae is simply a plain copper handachi koshirae, (assuming that it has a kurikata). I quite like it but it is rather utilitarian. All the best.

Look for Tatara Nagayuki - photos may not compare well to the work of this smith... -t

And for a better understanding Awataguchi Yoshimitsu - Meibutsu Atsushi Toshiro Kokuho

Then something for Jussi to like: Osafune Kagemitsu - Odachi

A day in the 8th month of the year 1522. Daiei ni nen hachi gatsu hi

in search for some Tokugawa family swords.. https://www.tokugawa...59242891b7e84159.pdf

I would like to take another brief look at the Kantei. I deliberately mentioned Tsuda Sukehiro because of Alex A, BECAUSE I fell flat on my face with a Kantei with a blade by Nidai Sukehiro with Choji and UTSURI, because I typed Heki Mitsuhira. Many people don't know Bizen-Den blades by Tsuda Sukehiro, but they do exist because he did something like this, albeit rarely. Such blades are of course real Kantei killers, but you should always keep the possibility in mind. And seek and ye shall find: here is a Tsuda Sukehiro with choji and clearly visible midare utsuri: https://sword-auction.com/en/product/9142/as21174-脇差：津田越前守助広二代/ Incidentally, one should also not forget the Chikuzen-Nobukuni Shinto representatives. They can also do utsuri. However, the nioiguchi is not as strongly compressed as that of the important Ishido people. However, the pronounced Osaka yakidashi made me bring in Yasuhiro.

If you can find this book on sale for a nominal price it's worth buying for any collector interested in Gendai, having a decent (if not brief) overview of many top Gendai smiths. However it's also a rather frustrating book in many ways, as there are dozens of really top quality Gendai and Gunto mounts, yet the photos are pretty hopeless in the sense of showing any real detail. The excellent articles produced on selected smiths and Gendai schools by @mecox are far more well researched and informative. Until the long awaited Gendai book by Markus Sesko eventuates, we are still left with a distinct lack of quality english reference books to draw upon.

For sale an iron Akasaka style Yatsuhashi tsuba, with unusual hammer finish (ishime-ji or arashi-ji), not corrosion. Asking £150 + shipping. Details below: Maru-gata Maru mimi H: 75mm W: 75mm Mimi: 6.1mm Seppa dai: 6.45mm Nakago-ana: 25.5mm x 7.5mm

We have had a thread like that not too long ago I think, so I’ll say again my favorites: Ono Yoshimitsu, Gassan Sadakazu and Yoshindo Yoshihara.