Brian

I think this would be of interest to @Volker62 and @PNSSHOGUN

Yeah, I think at some point the fittings were changed, as the solid tsuba has 2 regular very thin seppa and the tsuba has has a slot for that leather retainer. I'll look at sorting the fittings out sometime. Interesting leather combat cover with lacing, and a brass? protector at the bottom.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut :-) I think I got my Xmas present. About a week ago, a respected and high end US collector of Gendaito posted on an SA site asking for advice on shipping a sword from SA to the US. All I could offer was the name of a lady that does knives for the collectors here, and the advice that shipping a sword from here is very complicated and difficult. None of the courier companies want to handle them. Anyways, I was interested how a decent sword would be found in SA of all places, since we hardly ever see Nihonto for sale here, but I forgot about it. About 3 days ago...I was browsing the website of a large local auction company that regularly has antiques and collectibles auctions. I have bought from them a few times, but almost never Japanese stuff. Usually knives and other small things. Imagine my shock when among the lots, I see a Shin Gunto for sale. I assumed it was a fake, but opened the pics anyways, and was surprised to see it was genuine, with a nijimei signature. Took me a few minutes, and I was gobsmacked to realize it was signed Takenori! (Later I realized it was Taketoku)| Realizing this was the Yasukuni smith, my heart went into overdrive. I realized this must be the sword that the collector had his eyes on, and i knew on an SA budget, there was zero chance I could compete. But I bookmarked the auction, and started planning what my budget was. A Yasukuni related sword has always been on my bucket list. Before the auction ended, I took the bid to a winning bid of about US$1150, and prepared for a fight at the end, and to see it end at far more than double that. Auction time, the lot eventually came up, and I prepared to lose, but at least to put up a fight. The lot starts...the price sits there. I'm waiting for other bids. Nothing? My heart is about to burst. Final call comes up...usually for about 5 seconds...this time it sits there for about 15 seconds. I am having a panic attack. Closed. I win it at $1150 plus about 20% premium. I don't know what I did to have some luck for a change, but I'm not complaining. Maybe shipping overseas was too complex. Don't know why locals didn't bid, that's cheap even by local standards for a regular Gunto. I was lucky..a friend was flying down to that city yesterday and driving back, and he agreed to fetch it. After some complications (Auction house decided to close yesterday and i had to reach out to the owner) my buddy brought it back late last night and I got it today. A lovely Kajiyama Taketoku Gendaito, made privately while he was working at Yasukuni but after he changed his nakago shape to kijimomo to prevent confusion between himself and his nephew Kotani Kenzo. Dated 1937 and in very good original polish, some stains but everything can be seen. Cleaned up nicely with isopropyl alcohol and some oil, and has a stunning sugata, tapering to a small ko-kissaki. Kijimomo nakago, nagasa is 655mm. Signed below the mekugi ana, which is something I need to research. It's only in hand you can appreciate how different these are to military swords. Light in the hand, with a Koto feel. Has a straight and active ko-choji hamon that I am still getting into examining. Lots to see and beautifully forged. Hard to take photos, so will add as i go along. But consider me one very happy guy. No idea how this got to South Africa, or the story behind it. But for now I am happy to be its owner, and thanks to that collector for giving me the shot at it. It has a good home and will be well cared for.

Agree. From what we can see so far, not genuine but a fake. The signature definitely is, and the nakago is wildly out of shape. Have to see more pics

Not really menuki, and possibly not Japanese. May be useful to someone as decoration for something but this is why the backs are so important.

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/files/file/29-the-namban-group-of-japanese-sword-guards-a-reappraisal/ But a good reminder for collectors

Upside down. Edit the post and repost the right way up

Honestly, I don't think the horimono is up to the standard we'd want to see. It's good, but not at the higher end. As far as the blade is concerned, I think it looks Koto, but I'm not qualified to say more. But overall a nice piece that I probably would have grabbed myself. This is the sort of horimono I'd want to be seeing.

I don't think it's even close, and think your chances of it being shoshin are in the negative numbers. Never mind the fact that if it had a chance, the seller would have sent it for papers. Nah....no ways.

Menuki will never sell without a picture of the backs. This is as vital as the nakago of a sword is.

All good, and thanks for the clarification. Seems to be a deal of a deal for someone even if likely gimei

Mark, is this the same sword listed in another AUS site at far higher? Given the confusion, can you provide a few more details on the ownership and also maybe a decent verification pic of the sword with a note with your name and date? Just to set anyone's mind at ease. Thanks.

Well done and thanks Rohan! May I add it to the downloads section?

That is very sad. He was a legend when it came to fittings photography and the KTK, and really knew how to capture the soul of tsuba in images. I knew he was battling with his health. This is a sad loss. RIP and condolences to his friends and family.

I'd reach out to Roger Robertshaw, his opinion on this is highly regarded. @omidaijo

It's real. But it has been polished so many times in its life that it has lost a ton of metal. You would need to check very carefully if the temperline is still complete all along the edge and doesn't drop off anywhere, as that is a fatal flaw. Fittings are nothing special. This appears a very mediocre piece and has poor shaping. eBay price back then is around current value or maybe worth a little less

Bruce, In this case, you were probably following a section of the forum where this was incorrectly posted originally, and it sent you the notification as it should. But once a mod (or myself in this case) moved it to the correct section, you are seeing it in a different section to the one that sent the notification

If anyone is having trouble accessing the forum, one more thing to try. Please check if you are accessing via www.nihontomessageboard.com/nmb or www.militaria.co.za/nmb If one is working and the other isn't, please update here so I can investigate. The second link is the primary one and recommended one, the other is a redirect.

Check the top of the forum, there is a menu for image resizers.

You are likely uploading directly from a phone? Edit the pics, and without doing anything to them, save them again. That will "lock in" the orientation. It's the cellphone that is saving the incorrect orientation, and servers can't read that info. Just edit..save. Done.

If you mean the one mentioned above..have you checked the downloads section? If you mean a full translation, no-one has confirmed one exists.

Don't forget what I consider to be a huge influence on the above: The internet and availability of a huge number of swords from a wide variety of sellers. In the past, you heard about swords being available on auction, or you traveled to a seller. You had to fight other buyers for a decent sword as auctions and sales were the primary source of Nihonto. Now you just log onto the internet, and can choose from thousands of swords. Sellers aren't guaranteed a captive market. They need to be competitive and aattractive to buyers. The more the internet makes good stuff available to a wide audience, the more prices will have to adjust to lure the customers. It's no longer "Buy that sword because I don't know when a better one will come along" Now it's "Let me compare 10 of the best examples available on the net and decide which interest me" I think in a market like that, it's only natural that prices remain competitive and sellers are under pressure.

I'm going to take responsibility and host it, with the caveat that it will be taken down if there are any objections from anyone connected to the book. It will only be of use to those with the book, and may even lead to people buying the book, so there is no downside to the publisher. Let's see. Will upload later today.

I won't claim to know the legal answer, but considering the scan isn't for sale apart, and is useless unless you have the original book...I would be willing to give it a try. Plus it's for non commercial educational use.

Yip.