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Hi Markus, Your sword isn't a gunto (military sword). It is an older samurai sword. If I were in your position I would: 1. Whittle a new mekugi (menuki are the ornaments under the handle wrap; mekugi is a pin to hold the sword together) from a bamboo chopstick. The pin is incredibly important; don't delay. 2. Look for a collector/collectors' group that is strong on knowledge and honesty who can give you a better idea what you have. 3. If you are going to take other photos, use a dark background. Details will be more visible. Here you will find a care and handling brochure: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ You should read it. Best, Grey

Hello, To my eyes it is much more likely that it is, indeed, the work of Yukimitsu, signed with the Shintogo Atelier mei. As we know, it wasn't just Shintogo himself signing Shintogo Kunimitsu. It was a brand for his workshop in Kamakura. My personal speculations on this is that there was, at the beginning, a single workshop: the Shintogo Atelier, producing highly refined daito and tanto for the warrior elite. Very much classical Awataguchi. Over time, Yukimitsu felt the creative urge deviate and to create pieces that fall outside of the established teachings of Shintogo. Creative minds are like this, they have an urge to innovate, and producing the classical tanto must have felt extremely limiting after many years. I can imagine that this tanto was such a radical deviation that it may have caused a spark between the master and the student. It was a risk to the Atelier's brand to introduce a different product. A decision may have been reached, at some point in time, to separate the workshops: one will continue to produce the safe product, headed by Shintogo's son and brothers, and the other atelier would produce something different and experiment freely. This is where Yukimitsu, Masamune, and Norishige come in. There was a rupture, and they split: This is why Yukimitsu started signing with his own name. Today, surviving Yukimitsu tanto are all over the place in terms of shape and deki. It is astounding range of workmanship and experimentation. So, to sum up, it can be argued that it was Yukimitsu, the true founder of the Soshu tradition. And with the range of work we see in Masamune and Norishige, Yukimitsu was eminently tolerant of experimentation - and even encouraged it, such that each member of the atelier could pursue his own dreams and desires. He flew from his own wings out of frustration, reached an arrangement with Shintogo to preserve the brand intact by signing with his own name, and started a parallel atelier that would not pose a threat to the brand integrity of the Awataguchi tradition. The rest is history. Best, Hoshi

Hi, I would not read too much into the Edo period texts regarding who was the son of who. It was common practice at the time to 'over connect' the dots to make it all fit together neatly. More of a memory aid, same with the '10 students of Masamune' and so on. We are not in need, I think, of an external explanation of where "Yukimitsu got his ideas" so to speak. Notare-based tempering in nie-deki is not new, it was practice by Ko-Bizen smiths for instance for nearly two centuries. One could argue that it is the obvious thing to do. What the Soshu tradition did was to innovate on perfecting nie and chickei to their absolute apex on the basis of an awataguchi core training. Yukimitsu's entire life theme is experimentation. Trial and error, all the way to Hitatsura and truly exotic tanto shapes. What he had was excellent core training through his Awataguchi roots, at the highest-level. And we must remember that experimentations did not happen in a vacuum, he was very much responding to the tastes and preferences of his high-level clients, who had in their possession masterpiece blades from Bizen, Hoki, and all confines of Japan from which he could learn and observe. Thus, the Soshu style co-evolved with the desires of his customers, and the need to differentiate his work from the Shintogo Atelier. What we see emerge are masculine blades, with low shinogi, and an aggressive profile with wide motohaba. The prototypical Yukimitsu blade is an Awataguchi-level hada, a masculine profile, and a gentle notare, but his style was incredibly wide and he experimented with flamboyant midareba, hitatsura, exotic tanto shapes and much more. We know this not just from the scarce signed tanto he left behind, but also from the many Ko-Hon'ami attributions that have survived to this day. This is why Yukimitsu is a 'safe harbour' attribution for top-class Soshu works. Best Hoshi

This is the list of board members of the NBTHK. While the board is separate from the shinsa, it is likely that some members also participate as judges.HP役員名簿2025.11.20.pdf

I do think the price estimations seem quite low to me, only a good thing though. Lot 4025 - For me the most special item is definately the one Brian linked above. This will start to be very fickle stuff with the designations as there are lots of categories which you could call that one but in my own personal opinion it is of very rare form 長刀 (Nagatō). I have briefly mentioned these on the few naginata presentations I have held. This form usually has swordlike blade and shorter handle length. I do think late Muromachi to early Edo would be my age guess for this one. If anyone from the forum ends up getting this one I would love to chat more about this (or if someone you know gets the item). Maybe some day I might even offer to purchase it if stars align. Unfortunately at the moment I cannot make a bid on any of the items. https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/tooveys/catalogue-id-srtoo10562/lot-1c8ac754-b1a3-4f3f-9b1e-b42000e12482 Lot 4026 - I was surprised of the price this. I guess I shouldn't comment this too much without seeing this in person but just for the price I would skip this one. https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/tooveys/catalogue-id-srtoo10562/lot-150b7b97-1509-401c-aa97-b42000e124d9 Lot 4039 - Interesting naginata package with very low estimate, unfortunately limited pics https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/tooveys/catalogue-id-srtoo10562/lot-9101f1fb-683d-4bfd-8998-b42000e1299b Lot 4040 - Same as above. I like the koshirae of this more than the above item but blade less... https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/tooveys/catalogue-id-srtoo10562/lot-32105988-f154-40f7-b52f-b42000e129f5 Lot 4041 - Pretty wild horimono, not my style but I think some will like this. In my opinion possibly a later Edo piece. I see the signature potentially as 国義 Kuniyoshi. https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/tooveys/catalogue-id-srtoo10562/lot-f61afeae-a250-4d9c-8934-b42000e12a51 Lot 4042 - There is a signature 丹波守吉道 Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi. Unfortunately I am not well versed in the smith lineage as there are lots of generations. https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/tooveys/catalogue-id-srtoo10562/lot-1666d620-198d-499a-a16a-b42000e12aa5 Lot 4043 - This is in my opinion very interesting one, unfortunately they cannot remove the blade from the shaft. It is supposedly signed too, however it cannot be confirmed right now. Unfortunately the condition of the blades is what it is but this might be my number 2 as far as interesting items go. https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/tooveys/catalogue-id-srtoo10562/lot-1649c8f7-4508-4af1-a7e3-b42000e12afd Lot 4044 - This might be number 3 in my list. Unfortunately no pictures of the tang, as this too seems to be signed. In general I am not fan of such a strong sweep in the upper portion. https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/tooveys/catalogue-id-srtoo10562/lot-b078239b-726a-43cb-921f-b42000e12b59 Lot 4059 - This seems way too cheap and would feel like a killer deal. I like the size and shape of this a lot. I almost missed this one. By shape alone I would think it could be tad older but when looking it as a whole I think Knutsen had it pinned as Edo period item and that would be fitting. There is a signature 正吉 Masayoshi. https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/tooveys/catalogue-id-srtoo10562/lot-ac53fcea-86cc-4e0c-89ac-b42000e130aa These are the naginata in the sales lot. In overall I think the estimates are very reasonable. Of course the condition of the items needs to be taken into consideration but apart from that 1 item that I think they see as the prized one, everything seems to have surprisingly low estimates. If it would be possible for me, I would definately bid on few of them but this time I cannot.

My pleasure @The Blacksmith Russ! Thank you very much for the kind words. I still consider it a "work in progress". For what it's worth, and for those interested. Currently I am collecting each variation so that I can take more standardized "professional" looking photographs. Hope to update the document to the "Second Edition" around its 1 year anniversary. -Sam Here's a little sneak peak of the "work in progress". Had to shrink file size for this post, and I am still fine tuning stuff

Wow, what a labour of love, and a so needed work. Brilliantly executed. Well done Sam and thank you so much both doing it, and for making it available to us. I will greatly enjoy going through it in depth. I really like these swords. Thank you. Russ

I have purchased a couple of wakizashis and a kozuka from this seller, directly from his website, and had no issues. Dispatched from a Tokyo suburb I think. Always replied via email when I had questions. It's very much 'what you see is what you get', descriptions and photos may be a little basic for some more demanding buyers but if you want to simply get an authentic example of nihonto then this is a good source I can recommend. As @klee mentioned they get snapped up very quickly, sometimes I get the impression they are already marked as sold the moment they are listed which might seem suspicious, but then again I see some examples ready to purchase every once in a while. The only thing preventing me from buying more from him is that he doesn't ship to the UK any more, I asked why and it's because he's had instances of his swords being sent back due to strict laws here (very annoying!).

And this to my mind is the clear inference. Yukimitsu being the actual defacto founder of Soshuden and not the more traditionally influenced Shintogo with his roots in the Kyoto Awataguchi school and Yamashiro-den. Its precisely this blade that has muddied the water, unfairly reducing Yukimitsu to a follower rather than a true innovator. It should be fairly easy to undertand where Yukimitsu was getting these ideas. Swordmaking technology rarely evolved in a vacuum and so that begs the question what led Yukimitsu to experiment in nie deki and midare tempering styles. Its said his father was 2nd generation Bungo Yukihira so could this connection have been the progenitor for this new style of swordmaking? Knowledge and techniques were being shared throughout Japan at this time (Goban Kaji and the Kamakura Bakufu bringing Bizen and Awataguchi smiths together in Sagami, to name two). Sho-shin has this interesting figure showing the 3 "style-rivers" which may offer some leads and help explain Yukimitsu's urge to experiement in this direction. I need to do more research on the swordmaking styles of these earlier smiths from Mutsu, Bungo and Bizen Ichimonji.

I apologize for the late response. First of all, thank you for sharing such valuable materials. Looking at the photos provided by others above, I wondered if the lack of mark quality was due to a different production line or simply a lack of engraving skill. However, after seeing the General’s sword you shared, I realize that the quality of the mark and the level of craftsmanship should be viewed separately. I am also considering whether the mark on the Meiji-era tsuba I brought was engraved so clearly because it was produced in collaboration with a naval arsenal. Additionally, it was great to see the history and evolution of Suya Shoten. Thank you for your help.

Here was some information I found regarding the NTHK (not NPO) 2024 Shinsa team at the Orlando show: SWORD TEAM OKADA MORIYOSHI: Shinsa team member, director of the NTHK and Chief Editor of Token to Rekishi. Joined the NTHK in 1988, became a member of the board of directors for the Osaka-Kobe branch in 1993, became a permanent member of same in 1995, became a member of the board of trustees of the NTHK in 1996, became a researcher for the shinsa team in 1997 and participated in the New York shinsa in October of the same year under the late Yoshikawa Kentaro Sensei. Became the chief editor of Token to Rekishi in 1999 and a full member of the shinsa team in 2000. Became a director of the NTHK in 2001. His special area of interest is Yamato den. OGINO MITSUAKI: 1971 joined the Hyaku-tô-kai. Around 1990, he joined the Katana-Yoroi-Kai and studied under Iida Kazuo Sensei. After that, he also studied with the NTHK, the Harugasumi-kai and other sword clubs. He is particularly interested in Kotô, especially Kamakura period works of the major schools. He also has a fondness for the works of Kotetsu and Shinkai. Mr. Ogino’s other interests are in collecting porcelain and in all kinds of other Japanese antiques. TAKEMOTO FUKUKAZU: Takemoto san is assistant editor of the NTHK publication, To-ken to Rekishi and a longtime collector. KAWAKAMI YOICHIRO: Shinsa team member, a third generation sword polisher, he was a student of Yoshikawa Eiichi Sensei. In January 2017 he was a featured craftsman at the Seikado special exhibition, “Perfect Guide to the Japanese Sword,” where he demonstrated the art of sword polishing. For a time he worked at To-ken Matsumoto and now is the only independent polisher trained in the Yoshikawa style. FITTINGS TEAM PROFESSOR GORDON ROBSON: Gordon Robson became the translator and interpreter for the NTHK in 1985. He became a trustee, and a researcher for the shinsa team in 1999. In 2000 he was made an assistant to the shinsa team, and an editor for the journal Tôken to Rekishi in 2001. He became a full member of the shinsa team and a director in 2002. In 2014, Gordon was made a shinsa team member for both swords and fittings. Professor Robson has written extensively on the Kanabô School of Yamato and on Sengo Masazane. He has also written on the iron sukashi tsuba of Kyoto, Owari, Kanayama and Ko-Shôami as well as the fittings of the Ko-Gotô, Ko-Kinkô and Ko-Mino Schools. In addition to his translations for the NTHK, he has translated for the JSSUS, producing such works as The Art and the Sword series as well as the two-volume set Sue-Kotô, and the Kyomono no Ko-Meisaku. His areas of interest include the works of the Sue-Bizen School, Sue-Tegai School, the Kanabô and Fujiwara smiths of Nara, the Muramasa School of Sengo, the Shitahara School of Musashi and the Shimada School. Professor Robson will also be consulting with the sword team as needed. IWAMOTO NORIHISA: Mr. Iwamoto studies fittings under his father, Iwamoto Toshiki. He has a particular interest in iron tsuba and koshirae. From 2015, together with Inada Kazuhiko sensei, honorary member of the Kyoto National Museum, he has been surveying the swords and fittings in shrine museums beginning first of all with Itsukushima Shrine. Osaka Bijutsu Club, Youth Group, Assistant Director. Lecturer, Osaka Yomiuri Cultural Center’s Nihon-tô Program. During his 20s, he traveled extensively in Ukraine, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. IWAMOTO TOSHIKI: (FOR REFERENCE) Owner of the Iwamoto Sword Shop in Osaka. In 1991 he took over as head of the Namihana Kodôgu Kenkyû-kai (Sword Fittings Research Society). The Namihana Kodôgu Kenkyû-kai was originally the Nihon Tôken no Gaisô no Kenkyû-kai (Japanese Sword Fittings Research Society) established by Dr. Suenaga Masao in 1955.

@Lewis B @Hokke I think you are both right. I once asked someone close to Tanobe sensei why we see different lengths of sayagaki and why he sometimes uses specific terms. The answer I got was to not read too much into it--it depends on many things, including how much time he has, how poetic he is feeling in the moment, and his feelings about the blade, among others. His earlier sayagaki are briefer and more structured in their content and in his calligraphy. His later sayagaki are often more fluid in calligraphy and can be quite lengthy, yet the description typically follows a pattern.

plimptons book was just a fancy sales cataloge, not much info inside

Another blade without a designation is the Sozui Masamune which is part of the Imperial collection.

Bless you, Sam—I admire the optimism. But I do think the question touches on something many collectors are fretting about: what happens after Tanobe Michihiro? The answer is that we just don't know. Since the end of the war, there has been a fairly clear intellectual lineage in the study and appraisal of Nihontō—from Hon'ami Kosson and Honma Junji, to Sato Kanzan, and then to Ogawa Morihiro and Tanobe-sensei. That continuity has provided a kind of anchor for the field. What is certain now is that nobody seems to know who the next generation will be and how to access their chops. The NBTHK these days is, by most accounts, something of a black box, and it’s not clear who the torch will be passed to—or whether it will be passed in the same way at all. I’ve heard some interest around figures like Hirosuke Sato at the Tokyo National Museum, but that’s a very different institutional lane from the appraisal world the market tends to care about. It may be as Sam suggests that the next generation is being quietly groomed and hasn’t yet stepped forward publicly. But I keep hearing about a crisis in the Honbu which is shaking lots of peoples' confidence. From the outside, there appears to be no clear consensus on who carries that mantle next. And that uncertainty, for a lot of people, is unsettling. Maybe somebody here has heard of a potential rising star, but I certainly have not. Scary, actually.

Found on dirks, kaigunto fittings, and naval kyugunto fittings. Richard Fuller lumped it together with the circled anchor calling them both "Toyokawa Navy Arsenal" stamps. My current theory is that it was a Naval inspector stamp for fittings or finished products. Suya made swords for both army and navy, so we might be seeing a naval inspector sampling and approving the items made for them.

@nightkid I think the guard you posted is from the 1930s. At least, that’s when you see other naval anchor stamps appearing. The "anchor in sakura” stamp’s association is still unconfirmed, I believe. If you look in the pinned arsenal stamps thread, and Bruce’s stamp document in the downloads, you will see that stamp appears on Type 97 Kai Gunto fittings.

I am excited to announce the release of a document I have been working on: Type 95 Military Sword Variations. It is now available in the download section for anyone who would like to access it. I am pinning this thread in place of the Type 95 Worksheet, of which can be found here: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/29722-type-95-gunto-worksheet/#comments My hope is that this monograph helps dispel some of the long standing rumors surrounding these swords and assists collectors in identifying the examples in their own collections. This work is purely educational and is intended to consolidate information from several sources into one comprehensive reference. I would like to acknowledge the late Nick Komiya for the huge amount of documents he shared on the warrelics forum over the years; without his contributions to the study of Japanese Militaria, this document simply could not exist. I'd also like to extend a special thanks to the following Nihonto Message Board members, who either directly, or indirectly through discussions over the years, greatly aided my understanding of this type of Japanese sword. I am forever grateful. @Kiipu @Bruce Pennington @Conway S @John C @drb 1643 Tom Foster, @robinalexander @BANGBANGSAN @Shamsy @Stegel @PNSSHOGUN @rebcannonshooter @Grimmdarkspire @matthewbrice @vajo @Brian . Please see the aknowledgements section in the download, and I hope not to have forgotten anyone... This is Edition #1, and I intend to update the download annually as new revelations arise and as serial number range changes are observed. It is formatted imperfectly, but to the best of my ability with programs at hand (I am an enthusiast and collector, not an experienced writer). Please feel free to let me know if you notice any typos or inconsistencies, and I will address them promptly. Feel free to use this topic to post information or questions about Type 95 Gunto. I hope you find the monograph helpful. Happy Valentine’s Day! -Sam

Hello, Posting here on behalf of a friend. It has inscriptions on the blade, nakago and shirasaya. Any help with translation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

LOL. Yes! And that is exactly what Tanobe did: his judgement on this particular work was much less conservative than the NBTHK , and the sayagaki was given to the master, not the student, raising its fortunes considerably. From a 50,000 ft view, Tanobe-sense simply validated the NBTHK's call suggesting the blade was a top-work in a top lineage from a remarkable time, which was reassuring. I was very grateful. I would like to say it restored my faith in NBTHK attributions but I have since seen other calls have left me deeply perplexed and even more distrustful. The fact that I felt I need in the first place for a known outside expert to validate the validators is the problem we are dealing with. When Tanobe is gone, I do not know where we will turn. Who has the gravitas and confidence of the majority of the collectors and market players to take his place? That is the answer we all want to know.

Hi Piers, for the reading of the MEI, I will have to post it in the TRANSLATION section, unless you could read it. I did not see the tiny stamp above the MEI, when I first got it. I am sorry for the bad photos; I'll try to make better ones. "Hollow grind" is something that is done in the production of kitchen knives. At home, only few people have a water-cooled stone grinding wheel with more than 100 cm in diameter! Piers, for more convenience, you absolutely should install three of them with different grit! In daily use, HOCHO are ground/sharpened on flat waterstones, and when a knife has become older, the hollow grind is long gone.

At least with the NTHK list, you get an idea of the folks directly involved in the Shinsa process. That said the names don't ring out. Moriyoshi has been around for a while but with all due respect, not he or anybody else on that team had the gravitas of Yoshikawa Koen, or even Miyano-sensei from the other NTHK group. The NBTHK board list doesn't tell us much either about the direction of the organization especially in regards to research. I think if there are any hints it will be in the authors of articles in the Token BuJitsu magazine. To be honest, I rely on the brief summary translations provided on the NBTHK's website. Maybe somebody who reads them more closely and more deeply will have noted an up and coming star. But when I ask my friends in Japan or key collectors and players in the West the same question that Mark is asking -- especially about the NBTHK -- all I get is a shrug or somebody confirming that it's a really good question. This sense that there is no recognizable grownup at the helm when it comes to shinsa might have a lot to do with declining trust in recent papers. I personally don't trust them. In fact, the last sword I bought from Japan about six moths ago had 2024 Hozon papers to a very desirable Bizen smith from the mid-Nanbokucho. The price was reasonable but not cheap. Like the old adage says about something looking too good to be true, I refused to pay the full asking price until Tanobe-sensei confirmed the attribution, which he did, and more actually. I am not sure I would have bought the blade had he not be around as a reality check. I can understand how an organization might eschew a single expert who is loved by the market and scholars alike, preferring that the organization as a whole was seen that way, but without more transparency that trust will be hard to regain.

I think he lists on Facebook, low value quick movers at very good prices. They sell in minutes. Nothing fancy, but very good prices. The Japanese are masters at pushing common or average stuff out to the Western market. Stuff that battles to sell there, but we snap it up gleefully. Stuff like mumei wakizashi, gimei stuff and out of polish project blades.

The tsuka is the handle...don't see a break, where is it broken? The nakago is the tang....they has snapped and is now shorter. But it doesn't render the sword dead. It still displays fine. The chips are large, but if they don't go through the hamon, then it isn't fatally flawed, just ugly. You could easily put it together, follow Grey's advice, and have a nice and genuine display piece.

Thank you for your reply, yes it doesn’t really matter if gimei because the price is low

And they’ve just received a donation from abroad! So they’re now looking into the possibility of facilitating such international donations from now on, although that was not part of the original plan.

Good afternoon I know some dealers can offer to submit blades to Tanobe Sensei for a sayagaki but how does the process go from there ? I am new to the sayagaki world so this would be a 1st. A blade I am currently considering with a dealer did confirm that ordering a sayagaki from Tanobe sensei is possible. The price quoted was reasonable and in line with what I ve read. I know Tanobe Sensei wont just sign anything for a price so wouldnt the dealer confirm with him 1st ? I assume there has to be a good standing relationship between Tanobe Sensei and the dealer for them to offer this. Or does the dealer have a pretty good idea that he will do a sayagaki depending on the blade discussed ? And what is a general time frame for a sayagaki ? Thank you Kindly -Kevin

For the interest of NMB members in the greater Los Angeles and SoCal area - The Orange Country Buddhist Church will be holding their annual Hanamatsuri festival this weekend, including an exhibition of Japanese swords and fittings curated by the Nanka Token Kai, Southern California Japanese Sword Sociey. There will be some goodies on display. Admission and parking are free and there is plenty to enjoy at the event, more info here: https://www.orangecountybuddhist.org/hanamatsuri Event Details Location: Orange County Buddhist Church, 909 S. Dale Ave Day/Date: Saturday/Sunday April 18-19, 2026 Time: 1:00-7:00 PM Exhibits: Swords, Tea Ceremony, Japanese Artifacts, Bonsai, Kimekomi Dolls, Ikebana, Calligraphy and Origami. Performances: Martial Arts, Taiko Drums, Nihon Buyo (Classical Dance) and Japanese Singing Plus: Food, Beverages, Crafts, Games, and more... Free Shuttle Service: A free shuttle service will run from the Western High School parking area to the festival from 12:30 PM to 7:30 PM. The parking lot entrance is off Orange Avenue. All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you there!

No problem ;] here You go stamp on dirk. https://www.ebay.com/itm/318153414923?itmmeta=01KPBN5YZK6P5XB0DJ91W25ST6&hash=item4a136bd90b:g:Lz0AAeSwwatp33-K

I would say almost certainly coral. (The fruits, not the eyes)

I became a Soshu nut because of that book. Completely worth the price of admission!

The general rule of thumb that I have always heard is that Tanobe will not do a sayagaki for a blade that is not worthy of TokuHo papers. I have also heard that he has refused on occasion for other reasons such as thinking that a signature might need more research. But it works pretty much as you laid out: An agent/dealer/friend brings the sword to him. They sometimes discuss it, and he agrees or not to do the sayagaki. Then some time passes and you get word it's done. Sometimes it's fast, sometimes weeks pass. I have heard that he has been backed up as of late w/requests and that he is starting to take less, but if the sword is a great one or by a top maker, he usually agrees. Some dealers have better relations with him than others and yes, they should know what he will take on and what he is likely to refuse. Good luck!

I sent them a notice on the NAGAMAKI. There are many more mistakes in their descriptions, and it seems many items are in bad condition: Cleaned NAKAGO, corroded blades a.s.o.

One point where people might disagree is when we are starting to consider what items and authenticating bodies we see as legitimate ones. I am very allowing and I often accept museum and shrine items as legitimate ones, yet I know many people can disagree with this view. I feel I am not the correct person to judge authencity of the items. In my personal opinion some shrine items for example have much more interesting history than some newly minted NBTHK Tokubetsu Jūyō, still these are often just differences in viewpoints, For example here is a signed Masamune that I think is flying under the radar, named sword 夫馬正宗 (Fuma Masamune), no designation it is in the collection of Tokyo National Museum https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/489835 https://meitou.info/index.php/夫馬正宗 Here is named sword 朱判正宗 (Shuhan Masamune), no official designation and currently in private collection https://meitou.info/index.php/朱判正宗 Named sword 島津正宗 (Shimazu Masamune), no designation, is in the collection of Kyoto National Museum https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/565922 https://meitou.info/index.php/島津正宗 If you check Yahoo Japan auctions there are often Masamune being sold in there too... There is just lot of wiggle room depending on what you will accept as legitimate item.

Dale, the brown-red material is very likely coral, but it could also be red jasper or carnelian, just from the colour. But I don't know if these stones were available in Japan at that time. Natural crystal is a kind of quartz (= silica/silicon dioxide, agate, amethyst, flint, Arkansas and Ouashita wetstones, and others). You can create almost any colour with enamel, however, this will always be flat and, as far as I have seen in Japanese context, applied in a kind of metallic frame.

Nagamaki I suggest Brian

And finally, the harp logo on a General’s grade Type 19: I personally don’t see a correlation between the quality of the corporate logo and the overall quality of the sword, but that’s just my assessment as someone who primarily collects dress swords.

And another example on a Japanese Type 19 (from Sohei Swords listing): I would guess that the hanzi was used prior to the “harp” or “Suya Tokyo” logos.

A real tart up for grabs (IMHO, of course): Tachi tsuba, most likely Northern make, Muromachi period. Signed, but it is not a mei - looks like 小町 Komachi („small town”), too generic a name to pin a specific place or region. It’s likely a castle armoury mark. Very nice patina on this one. Measurements: 7.5x7.1x0.45 cm. $650 incl. shipping to EU or US, others please ask for a quote

On Saturday Mr Koike told me they have already seen over 1.5 million JPY in donations towards the project. (One person alone apparently gave ¥1,000,000.)

As a disclaimer I must say I am not a martial artist even though I dabbled few years in Japanese sword arts when I was teenager. As a ōdachi fan I will vouch many of them were indeed used in battles. So far I have seen 30 historical ōdachi in various places in Japan and I am hoping to still see many more in the future. There are however some limitations by size and by age that are my own personal feelings, I will expand more on them later on the post. Most of the ōdachi I have seen are preserved in various shrines in Japan and photography in shrine treasure rooms is forbidden. So I don't have pictures taken at the shrines apart from few where the museum staff wanted me to take a picture of the item. However in books I do have lots and lots of pictures and information. I don't know my martial arts history that well but I know in Japan there are some arts that are seen as koryū (古流) and they have strong historical standing. I believe the martial art shown in above video is Enshin-ryū (円心流), which is to my understanding classified as koryū, old historical martial art. To my limited understanding the meaning and specifics of kata in koryū is not really given outside the school. So even if you see that ōdachi is drawn from the hip in videos it could possibly be just a form of training. I believe I have seen other videos of this same person using the same sword over the years. I believe it is ōdachi with a blade length of 三尺六寸 3 shaku 6 sun which in centimeters is 109 cm. He does have impressive drawing and sheating technique and I believe he would be very seasoned martial artist. This brings me to the koshirae and how they were worn. I have recorded currently 151 ōdachi in Japan. Extremely few of them are in katana koshirae, as wearing them thrusted through the belt was not really that good option in my personal opinion, and as they were intended for battlefield use I don't see wearing them thrusted through the belt, they were already out when going to live battle or in many cases high ranking samurai had sword bearers who carried the ōdachi and allowed their master to draw it. There are however few very large Edo period swords that I classify as an ōdachi that are in katana koshirae, I can remember few from memory. - Itsukushima Jinja has 99,8 cm blade dated 1867, it was commissioned by a sumo wrestler at that time. (I have seen this sword at the shrine) - Matsubara Hachimangu had 101,3 cm blade (if I understand correctly it is dated 1644 and dedicated to the shrine when made). - Unfortunately there is only small picture but I believe the Takaoka Jinja sword 106,1 cm and 1641 dated blade that was in previous Okayama Branch restoration project might have katana koshirae, the pic I have seen is very small. However mostly the old historical ōdachi had various types of ōdachi koshirae. Many of the Edo period ōdachi that still have koshirae have an ōdachi koshirae too. Also the dating on the blades for Edo period can show how it will fit historically into timeline of Japan, as battles ceased after the early 1600's. I watched some Japanese youtube videos and in one of them it was mentioned that actually commissioning an ōdachi cost several times the normal amount of money, which is easy to understand, as the project of making a giant sword is lot more complicated than a normal sized one. This usually would mean that the person commissioning the sword must be wealthy and/or possibly a high ranking samurai. Finally comes the size of the ōdachi. These are just my personal opinions after seeing many of them live at shrines and lots and lots in books. Of course unfortunately currently handling experience is limited to modern swords. I am talking about blade lengths here, I see the length range of 3 to 4 shaku (90-120 cm) as perfectly reasonable range, there shouldn't be any issues with these. blade lengths of 4 to 5 shaku (120-150 cm) is where I see the upper end of actually usable ōdachi. When you go to blade lengths of over 5 shaku (150+ cm) I just don't see them all that reasonable for usability. As you have to calculate the tsuka in, these weapons are over 200 cm in total length and the majority of it is in blade. For usability I would rather exchange some of that blade length to handle/shaft length, arriving towards large bladed nagamaki and naginata. I think the longest ōdachi that I know has historical record of it being used in battle is the gigantic Tarōtachi (太郎太刀) of Atsuta Jingū it has blade length of 221,5 cm. There is a historical legend and provenance to back that up and there is a story for it. In my understanding the short version would be that two relatives wielding two giant ōdachi Tarōtachi and Jirōtachi, were stalling the enemy troops while wielding these on horseback. The enemy finally killed both of them but they gave time for others to get to safety. I believe they were dedicated to Atsuta Jingū in 1576. Atsuta Jingū has three ōdachi in similar koshirae Tarōtachi, Jirōtachi and Kanetake ōdachi made in 1620. As there is historical story and provenance I cannot discard the fact that the giant sword could indeed have been used in battle. In my brain I just can't figure out what would be the benefit in having these extremely long blades compared to very long blade with slightly longer handle. The post came quite a bit longer than I originally intended and had to do some fact checking as I hate making errors.

Thank you all for the kind words. I hope the document is useful to collectors and prospective sword buyers. For those interested in further study, I encourage you to explore the bibliography section. It includes several invaluable sources, and the real credit belongs to the authors and contributors whose research and forum discussions made this possible. I put this together for everyone, but also so I could personally more easily digest material from such a large variety of sources. Some hands on study has helped a lot too. I look forward to continuing my study and collection, and updating the document as I learn more. I hope it meets the high standards of this forum and those collectors and scholars before me. Thanks again everyone! I'm excited to have it out there. All the best, -Sam

It is nothing but superb, and is going to be monumental to the study of these swords. Our thanks go out to Sam for this. I can see people wandering sword shows with this on their phones to compare features.

Sam congratulation to this work. I will read it complete the next days and I'm sure it is an upcoming standard workbook about Type 95 Well done Sam.

It's a fabulous document, Sam. Thank you for doing this. I've already had the need to reference it, in a discussion about a guy's 95 on another forum! It's right in there with my Fuller and Dawson references.

At a glance many of the swords look too good to be true, when you examine the pictures closely you'll quickly see why they're so cheap. That being said if your goal is to simply own one genuine Japanese sword that's papered I doubt you'll find a more affordable source.

Another thought is that the logo on the Dirk is specific to navy items that Suya made, while the other logo is specific to army items. We have seen that in some other stamps.

That is the same stamp in Nick's example. Looks to me like a stylized "壽". Which makes me wonder, now, where the logo found on Type 95's came from. It seems to me that the one on 95's is a more full renditon of that kanji and the ones on early dirks are maybe simplified?

I seem to recall seeing this logo before. Nick depicts this logo in his Suya missive. The logo could be based upon the simplified character 寿? Check the blade to make sure it has a steel blade versus the postwar alloy reproductions. Ｔhe Untold Story of Suya Shoten