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Dirk, It looks like a real nihonto to me. Wakizashi. The signature will need to be checked. Hoanh

Oh, so that's how miracles happen Hoanh

I have the same experience as Matt's and Stephen's. I just shipped a sword to Australia six weeks ago. $60 for USPS Priority International, insurance included. Hoanh

Tom, A nagasa of 25" is not atypical for WWII-mounted swords. The weight seems to be on the high side for this length, though. Does that weight include the tsuka or not? Hoanh

Thank you Ludolf. I will look him up in Haynes' Index. Regards, Hoanh

Hi, I recently bought a mumei wakizashi attributed to Hisamichi of the Mishina school. As you may recall, the wakizashi has been making its rounds here on the board recently. To my pleasant surprise, the tsuba that came with the wakizashi is actually signed. I don't recall hearing that fact either from the seller or the person who sold it to him. In any event, it brightened my day. Can anyone help me out with the mei or give me any idea regarding the tsuba? I took close up pictures of the wakizashi and will be posting it on the "Nihonto" forum. Regards, Hoanh

Tom, Your blade seems to be in good shape, except for what looks like an umegane in pic 5.jpg. The scabbard is not exactly desirable, although the tsuka is in good shape. I would guess may be $700. Regards, Hoanh

Justin and Chris, The nakago is not in good shape at all and it doesn't help in dating the sword. There must have been a lot of pitting and the previous owner did his amateur "restoration" job, sigh... If (and this is a big if) the sword is Shinto, I would think Fukuoka Ishido would be a good bet. Here is what Nagayama-san said about the Fukuoka Ishido School: "Hamon: Choji midare which somewhat resembles that of the Ichimonji school, but which then becomes saka choji mixed with an unusual midare shaped like a squid's head. The width of the hamon is not regular. In the narrow area, the hamon becomes ko-choji midare with ashi, and in wider areas some yakigashira of the choji midare reach the shinogi. There are hataraki such as ashi and yo. The main difference between the Fukuoka Ishido and the Ichimonji schools are that the choji midare of the Fukuoka Ishido school is not in pure nioi deki, but tends to consist of nioi and ko-nie, the yakigashira is hard, the hamon is mixed with togari-ba, and masame hada is noticeable in the ji." It doesn't sound too far off from what I see in this sword, except for the missing utsuri, which should be there if this sword were from the Fukuoka Ishido school. Thanks to you guys, I pretty much concluded that even under the best circumstances (that the sword were Fukuoka Ishido), it's not worth the $3k trade in its present state: mumei, altered nakago with lots of pitting, in need of a professional polish. Once again, thank you very much gentlemen. I appreciate your time, your honest assessment, and your vast knowledge as always. I'm sending it back. Regards, Hoanh

Justin, Hataraki are activities within the hamon such as ashi, yo, etc., not the shape of the hamon. Regards, Hoanh

Hi Geraint, I don't know if this sword is still available, but I can try to contact the seller. Regards, Hoanh

Tom, Definitely traditionally made. Pic 17 shows a hamon, but you will have to control the lighting and angle a little more to get a better picture. The shape and the nakago suggest no older than shinshinto. Other than that, I don't have anything else to add. Regards, Hoanh

Sebastien, There is no ara nie that I can see. I can see lots of ko nie, though. The macro pictures are made under high magnification. Regards, Hoanh

Chris & Josh, If it's in fact shinshinto or gendaito, mumei with an altered nakago, ... definitely the kiss of death. I'll call the other party tomorrow and arrange to send the sword back. Thanks a bunch, guys. Regards, Hoanh

Very sharp eyes, Bruno. School, period? Regards, Hoanh

Dear Chris, The daito comes with shirasaya, and the total trade value is about $3k. Your opinion about the sword and school, please? Regards, Hoanh

More pictures Regards, Hoanh

Hi, I have been offered a trade with a seven-day inspection period. I would like to get your highly regarded opinions, please! I'm undecided on whether this is a good trade for me. To my dismay, I was told that the previous owner did his own polishing. So, I apologize for the condition of the sword. Because of the amateur polish, I can't tell what the hada is. It's all obscured. By the same token, I can't see any hataraki in the hamon other than saka ashi. Other features may or may not be there - just can't tell. I do have the blade in hand, so if you need more pictures, please let me know. To start the discussion, I'm leaning toward Shinto, Ishido school. Osuriage 2 mekugi ana Yasurime: kiri Nagasa: 64 cm Nakago: 15.3 cm Motohaba:3 cm Sakihaba: 2 cm Motokasane: 6.3 mm Abundant ko nie. Hamon: saka choji. Saki ashi Boshi: Ko maru Regards, Hoanh

Thank you Grey. I concur it's not worth the drive. I'm glad I asked you guys before heading out. Regards, Hoanh

Thank you John. It's very helpful!!!! Regards, Hoanh

Hi, Is this a Kyugunto? Can anyone give me some background on this type of mounting? The sword is 60 miles from where I am. I am heading out tomorrow to see what's under the tsuka. Also, how does one remove the tsuka on this type of mounting. It's uncharted territory for me. Regards, Hoanh

The top one looks like an insect of some type. I think I see antennae. Hoanh

Brian, No, I don't see them in the first picture. May be you can zoom in to these features and repost? The rust on the tang of your sword is not normal. Most likely, there was some water on the tang that was not removed prior to storage. A normal tang on a Japanese sword will have a dark, smooth patina (like the color of a well seasoned Dutch oven), not active rust. Even 700-year-old swords won't have rust on the tang if stored dry. Also, Japanese swords have very specific tang shapes, very specific end shapes for the tangs, and even the file marks on the tangs are very specific. You can browse the "Nihonto" forum. There should be lots of discussions with pictures of tangs on the threads of that forum. The tang on your sword seems to be done on the spur of the moment, hence my use of the term "last ditch." Regarding the question of quality, generally, swords made before WWII or early in WWII are of better quality. As the war dragged on, resources became scarce, and the quality of swords declined. Some officers opted to refit their heirloom family blades in regulation mounts. Some officers were from affluent families and could afford more expensive blades, etc. Some blades were actually not made in Japan, but made in occupied territories under Japanese supervision. Some of those blades are of very high quality. Some blades were made with prison labor, under supervision. Again, some of those blades are of high quality. If you are interested in learning more about Japanese swords, we can suggest fairly inexpensive books with lots of good information. Regards, Hoanh

Scam for sure, but I can't figure out the angle. I agree with what Chris said in his post Why waste time and effort if there is no hope of any monetary return???? I'm sure he is not doing this for fun! Also, the seller , but he expects people to drop $10K based on those very same tiny photos? What kind of logic is this? I guess sometimes, one can't place logic on everything. Hoanh

Brian, The pictures you mentioned did not come through. Can you repost? The "round flower" might be an arsenal stamp to indicate it was accepted into the armory. The pictures would help. Please don't attempt to clean the rust in the tang area at the risk of accidentally removing the patina. There are ways to clean the active rust without removing the patina, but if I were you, I would leave it alone. For area above the tang, I would just wipe it down repeatedly with rubbing alcohol with clean paper towels until clean. Then, just wipe it down with gun oil (or mineral oil) for storage. Don't attempt to polish it or sharpen it by yourself. That's the quickest way to ruin a Japanese sword. From handle and the scabbard, it looks like the sword was made for a Japanese Army Officer. I think it is safe to say the blade is machine made (not traditionally made by repeatedly folding the steel). The nakago (tang) is usually the first indication of a sword's quality, hence our request to see a picture of the tang. The tang looks beaten without care - not a good sign. As for the purpose the sword was made: it was made to be a weapon, pure and simple in this case. I don't know that there is much more I can tell you. Regards, Hoanh P.S. Please sign each and every post. It's a rule in this forum. I'm just a messenger.

Brian, It probably is Japanese-issued, but not terribly well made. I hate to use the term "last ditch" sword, but for lack of better terms, ... Regards, Hoanh