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For those interested in the link. 55k US. Ouch: http://www.ebay.com/itm/EDO-Japanese-SA ... 2eb637f2e1

Very interesting. I like the stiffens blade, for a given weight theory. Over at SFI someone recently posted a cross section of niku with bo-hi. Does look i-beamish: http://www.swordforum.com/forums/showth ... o-and-niku

Welcome "Hoss". A few things. 1. Please sign with a real name last initial, as per forum rules. 2. Looks like an officers sword rather than an nco. 3. You should repost the nakago/tang pics vertically to help those with skills translate. Tip/kissaki pointing up. Complete kanji newbie here, but looks like a cursive/grass kanji. 4. I could make out no stamps. A good thing generally. May be real gendiato. The hamon look a little lifeless so may be oil quenched. Others here can confirm. Nice find, and again, welcome. Regards PS> If any doubt please read the faq on care and handling. Never clean the tang, only light oil on blade, etc.

Barry, I too have heard of the "apply uchiko to mune" theory, the thought being the heavier bits will tend to fly clear of the blade via inertia, leaving only the finer powder to remain. Then again, perhaps one should use better uchiko if chunks are in fact present.

Andrew, any updates, or are you still waiting for the acetone? The MDSS for goo gone state it can have up to 85% or so petroleum distillates. I'd wager its naphtha/lighter fluid with some citrus scent. That said, naphtha is a fair bit milder than acetone, and is used for wet sanding lacquer. Might be worth a trip to the smoke shop if none on hand. Regards

Eric, nice score on the dirk. I have a soft spot for those, and seems you netted a very nice price. Sorry I missed that one. I read that blade should be placed to the right in time of peace. Else, it reflects a martial atmosphere, as one can easily reach out and be slashing in no time if the tsuka is to the right. Then again, with so many not-wars all the time, hard to fault anyone for the placement shown. Cheers

Lacking any real honoki, I hear that poplar is a good substitute. No need for fancy grain, especially on a tsuka that ends up being wrapped anyway. You want something soft and low on sap/acid. Soft so it gives rather than cracks under a shock. The upside is very cheap and available at hardware stores in the US. Regards

Was going to suggest denatured alcohol, but the 99% (or is that 90%) iso should be pretty close. Maybe some wd40, which is a good solvent. If its a cosmoline like substance/grease they should all work. Hoping the best for this blade. And, feeling glad the wak I bought from you was not shipped in such a saya. Best regards

The second peg seems to have no function at all, in this case. I would discard or retain for artifact completeness, but there is no traditional function for such a peg. The NCO style tsuka used two screws. Some say because of "battlefield experience" showing a single screw was a weak point. Others feel its really more a side effect of the lack of quality in the fitting of the mass-produced ncos, such that it helped hide rattles and secure what would otherwise have been an ill-fitting tsuka. Traditional nihonto used a single retaining peg, typically made from bamboo. Some nakagos have more than one hole, but this is typically because of alteration (shortening) or fitting into new koshirae. For modern swords there is a debate as to whether two mekugi are better. Most agree that proper inspection and replacement is better that simply using two of something. It takes a fair bit of skill to angle the holes so that the pins do not end up fighting one another. In general, two mekugi are found on low-end production swords. When the tsuka is properly fitted a single retaining pin is just fine. I suggest a single properly tapered bambo peg for your sword. In theory the palm side ana should be larger in diameter to accept the taper. Regards

George, interesting facts about the mount designations. I always wondered how the type 94 related to 1934! Thanks for posting. Best regards

Hey George, Rikaichan says "ancestral shrine". Not clear what the repetition means. Both ancestors perhaps? Interesting thread and great pic. I assumed such large blades never left a shrine. Regards

When will this guy just change his name? Clearly the Pawel cat is out of the bag. And yes, very well known for scamming new collectors of WWII materials as well. Regards

Humbly adding that the state of polish, or lack of, can play a big role in seeing the hammon and other activities pointed out by Chris. A traditionally made blade could be buffed to a chrome like shine (or worse with a grinding belt as an aid to "sharpening") making it hard to tell what it was. Unfortunately a traditional polish is very expensive. This is where folks may mention getting a window opened, which is to say having a small section of the blade correctly (professionally) polished, so that you can tell what you have and if it worth continued investment. A "wartime" polish, such as seen on a star stamped gendiato, is not be the best as far as making activities clear as they tended to be rushed (done by women) and somewhat shiny/bright (IIRC). Never try and polish a blade yourself if there is any doubt that it may be real/nihonto. More harm will invariably occur. Best regards

There are many online kanji flashcard services. In addition member Grey Doffin sells a set that are mei/nihonto focused. I might just have to throw down on a set of these, come to think of it. Here is an old link; for some reason search was not locating the more recent threads. http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/niho ... e9391efb60 Regards

Nice pdf link KM. Thanks much. Regards

Regular mineral oil from drug store should be fine. Its sold as a laxative, btw. But, oh how nice that clove smell is. Regards

I obtained mine via amazon for $120 or so. A very good read as others have noted. Hope to meet Trever at the August show. Regards

I love it also having learned recently from Chris. Only complaint, and I voice this under hope its just user ignorance, is that it does not provide a pronunciation guide. Take saku for example: 作 rikaikun makes it clear what it means but I really find the reading to be useful: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BD%9C gives: Readings On: さく (saku), さ (sa) Regards

Eric, I should go shopping with you; always such interesting stuff. Thanks for the tip on irfan view. Been using windoze office pic manager for the same and its weak. Cheers

I have a blade in type 98 mounts. Was toying with the idea of upgrading the tsuba with a cut out one (delux) one. Glad I asked the seller, as it was 2x the thickness of the one I planned to replace. I tried adding an extra seppa, 1/32", to cure some rattle and found the saya lock no longer caught. Not all that interchangeable IMO, despite being standard issue.

Thanks for the great info Keven, et all. I learn from this site every day. Regards

Thanks Mark. Regards

Curious if the members here agree with the description of this item as a occupation sword: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... ink:top:en I am not interested in buying this item as I already have a similar item with the same 5/7/5 mon and leather saya. Mine has a silver bullion knot, but no habaki/seppa, however. I could find no exact match in fuller/Gregory military swords of Japan; in fact silvered knots are not even mentioned there. I believe I saw a thread here that silver was for diplomatic/governmental official use. If you agree to this sellers description then I can avoid posting a thread to identify mine. Thanks

Thanks Kevin, I have heard that some Swedish steel used for rails has an inherent hada as it was manufactured in a fashion similar to tamahagne (folded anyway). http://books.google.com/books?id=c7YeN0 ... &q&f=false

Nice box though. As others stated need better pics, of the kissaki/tip and the nakago/tang with the hilt removed. The menugi/peg should pop out from one side to accommodate removal of the tsuka/handle. But if Grey says its bad then likely this is all moot. Regards