Brian

Thank you Peter, Maurice and Moriyama san!

If you check out the for sale section here, or post WTB ad, you'll likely pick up a Gunto (Showato) for that price.

Not sure when the price of Type 95's became higher than average Type 94's but proof that militaria collectors are more active/common than Japanese sword guys. That said, you could probably pick up a decent Showato that is forged but not traditionally made, for around that price fairly easily. So unless you particularly want a machine made billet sword, you may want to expand your search to the other Gunto from WW2

Rude comment removed in the advert. Hamish, I hold you to the same standard that I hold everyone to. Keep the personal attacks to yourself.

Has the look of decent age, no immediate red flags

Ugh....typo. Edited to shilling. Autocorrupt.

Sorry, yip...Bishu. I think this is likely Sukesada?

Pretty sure shilling is a standard practice in Japan on most auctions. Not nice...but more accepted there for some reason.

Check the top of the forum for the link to free image resizers

Bizen Osafune ju nin... Rest will be on the other side

Quite entertaining, especially for novices who don't know much about Nihonto.

Pointless giving it to any museum. They are not scarce enough to be unavailable if they want one, and most museums let items rot in the store room. That's the best way to make sure an item isn't appreciated. You'd be better off keeping it, or selling to a collector where it would be appreciated and preserved.

Agree 100% with what Sam said, also been following his stuff for a while now.

Yes...Gold membership articles are definitely a useful and likely outcome. Although people will likely share them anyways, it would be a very helpful thing. We just need some that would be enough of an incentive for people to take up the membership. Sam, I'm pretty sure your document is going to be awesome. Currently we are saving up for the $500+ needed to pay for the major update to the software. But I think that is going to be an amazing experience for everyone once done.

Fittings possibly Satsuma Rebellion?

Agree with Ray (As usual :-) )

Don't like the "pointy" end to the nakago on the one...this is usually a sign of a fake. But we would need more pics of the tang and blade to tell for sure. Left one appears genuine and old, but we do need far better pics.

It is most definitely antique...a few hundred years old. Very common for older swords to be taken to war. "Family blades" just means they were privately owned before. There is no family mentioned on them, just the smith's signature as per this one. Condition is poor, but don't do anything except oil and wipe.

From the same site and off this particular topic...but interesting anyways. https://japan-forward.com/how-japanese-sword-making-changed-a-british-mans-life/ @Bugyotsuji Did you know there was a Brit working in the Osafune museum?

Fittings seldom have anything to do with the maker, and were so frequently changed over time that any possible connection is usually long gone. It's also much easier to change a tsuba than menuki, so I wouldn't look too hard for a connection.

No, there is no reason to think it's a fake at all, it is what is presented. Btw...correction to above...not Chamomile oil... it's Cammelia seed oil that is used, basically light mineral oil. Don't need to get too complicated. A decent light oil such as sewing machine oil will do. Also, not very valuable is relative. Even a basic military sword can be $500 to $1000...not exactly zero value. Enjoy it, and learning more about it.

Thank you Thomas. Yes, not much of a change, but apparently the software developers consider it a vital change, as hackers are getting more and more advanced and using AI etc. So I'm just getting this part started well in advance, to minimize the number of people that will inevitably be confused.

I'm considering updating the forum to the latest version, which is a complete revamp of the current software, and has been in development for a number of years. I'm currently trying to raise the $600+ that would be needed to get someone to assist, as it is a huge update with lots of new features and benefits. Frankly, we'll have to do it eventually anyways, as this version 4 won't be supported forever, and it will allow us to improve a lot of things. That aside, I don't have a date yet when we will do it. But there is one thing that I need to warn all members about. Most forums nowadays, across most platforms, are moving away from logging in using your username. This is because usernames are visible to everyone, and it is a security risk when hackers etc use various methods to run common passwords etc. The modern convention is to have everyone log in with their registered email address, and their usual password. This is because emails are not visible and are far more secure. So I am putting this out there now, so that people can start transitioning from logging in using their username, to logging in with their email address. YES...I know how many people can't remember their emails they used, or have changed it by now. Hence why I'm giving everyone plenty of warning to see what your email is here, so you can use to to login. Or update it if you like. Your forum email address is in your profile. You can find it here: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/settings/ Make sure you know what it is, and probably best to make sure you know what your password is, or reset it if you don't. For now, you can log in with your username OR your email address. But eventually that username won't be a login method. Your username will display as it does currently, no changes there So please start transitioning over, and post here if you have any questions.

Sword is not fake, but the description and inscription are fake enough that I think this one deserves a place here.

Very interesting sword that definitely needs to be examined in hand. But what Ray, Kiril and Grey said. This should end up with someone eventually that will consider having it professionally restored. Don't try any restoration yourself, and be wary of the inevitable offers to purchase that you may get privately until you know more about it.