Leaderboard

@MauroP please find some pictures of the hakogaki attached, apologies in the delay.

For comparison:

Might represent an ink stone?

You did measure correctly on the mune. Unfortunately only guess I could dare to make is that to me it would feel like a Kotō naginata like others felt above too. If it would be in polish people who have expertise could make an identifying guesses, focusing on small details is not my forte but of course it would help in general guesses about the age.

The valuation is in the first photo: 代千三百貫　1300 kan.

That is the makers name not a valuation

Sadamasa. This appears to be a WWII - era (Showa period) blade. Best regards, Ray

Yes, George has the correct date. The signature and kao are Hon'ami Kōson. The other side is a valuation.

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

Dated to Taisho period, 5th year?, 2nd month? so it might be (can't be sure of my reading) 1916, May 2nd. The rest is even harder to read, sorry. George.

This could be what you are looking for. His description is incorrect (AI generated), however I think it is 23rd gen kanefusa. https://www.ebay.com/itm/147086903736 John C.

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

Sam Thank you for your work!

Dear all, I would be most grateful if someone could help translate the mei on this tsuba and the calligraphy on the box lid. Regards, Tom

I recently purchased this namban tsuba representing dragons within what I guess being juzu (boudhist rosary). Do you agree with me ? Thank you for your views.

Side by side comparison. I don’t think the sword is a real Kotetsu. I’m not that lucky

Nagasone okisato nyudo Kotetsu . A much faked maker

And, with a reasonable degree of certainty, cast. Getting that exact and uniform degree of "blurriness" in the details would be a heck of a task to carve. Which doesn't mean it isn't a genuine namban tsuba - I've seen others which were cast.

agreed. Like the offspring of a Haguro tsuba and a Namban. Definitely more on the Namban side with that seppa dai and general execution.

Nice tsuba Bruno, I haven't seen a Namban tsuba with this design before but I agree it does look like a rim of Buddist juzu beads

Thank you gentlemen, I appreciate your help. Mauro, here's the only picture of the other side of the hakogaki I currently have. I will post a better one when I have the piece in hand. Best, Tom

I think NBTHK might have some very heavy spam filters on their email server. Few years ago I tried to send them emails to personal staff emails as well as the general ones over span of few months and I have never gotten a single reply... I just hope it was filtering and I wasn't totally ignored