gun addict

I am looking at a Katana with this maker and it wears a set of all matching koshiare that's also signed, any assitance would be helpful, thank you! http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa4 ... mei001.jpg http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa4 ... 1353983147 http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa4 ... mei001.jpg

A local seller of a family sword has contacted me and unfortunately the sword is partically rusted and missing the habaki. The tang interests me though cause i have never seen a tang with so many remounts/nakago ana. What can you scholars tell me about the age of this particular blade and if its worth the $500 the seller is asking? Thanks http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa4 ... ing021.jpg http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa4 ... ing020.jpg

Thank you guys, this is the exact kind of answer im looking for. As someone novice to Japanese armors like i said i had no idea where the pricing starts or ends, i'll run away from the deal and move onto greener pastures this time

I see, i have no idea how "cheaply" would mean as i imagined that armor would cost more than swords of a relative condition form the same era. Perhaps im wrong. I'll look up on the informations you've given so far, thanks

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/grd/3376376562.html I will admit i have no clues when it comes to Japanese armor and this is the first set ive seen locally. Please let me know the value on a set of armor such as these before i travel down to the seller's place and take more dtailed pictures, thanks!

that look somewhat like the seki smith stamp. I may have to go back sometime and make a rubbing of the tang. Is is unusual to find late war blades with 2 nakago ana?

apology for the bad kenji writings but this is what i was able to copy down from a rusted out nakago today off a late 1944 era katana. If anyone could help me with the smith's name it would be greatly appreciated

price is of one consideration, what to do with it afterward........best possible course of action is to just sent it to a restoration service and have a custom made tsuka made for, not sure if possible by how short the nakago has been sawed off. Who the heck in their right mind would do this?

still hasnt gotten a reply from the seller yet. Any way to determine the age of the blade now that the nakago is ......gone? By the style of the blade and the tempering perhaps?

as most can see from my previous posts i am a very new collector and am excited by any nihon-to in my local area which is hard to come by. What is the opinion of this blade/style/hamon? Should i stop on by and take a few more better pictures of the blade? I am not sure if i have the skill to make a shirasaya but it this blade is worthy of such a mount and i can get it for cheaper i suppose that's also possible

http://columbiamo.craigslist.org/atq/3228313527.html ouch This is an ad posted in my home town and i was just wondering if there are some, if any saving grace for this blade with a saw off nakago. Could a shriasaya be made for this or is this a totally ruined peace?

"know your own warmth and cold"

of course, 名古屋, slipped my mind

took the sword apart again today and had more careful looks, besides the serial rack number i found the symbol 名 which could mean "name" or "famous", does that have any significance ?

i do not see any arsenal stamps or indication of non-traditional making marks. Is it possible this one is a gendaito vs a Showato since Kaneniro made both? One could always hope......

Its too bad about the condition on some of the spots on this blade. The pawn shop owner definately handled it as how you'd expect a pawn shop owner to handle a "cheap chinese sword" my question is is it possible to get some of the dark spots off with repeated gentle cleaning using rice paper and powdered ball or is a "full polish" (too expensive) the only way to go?

wow that was fast, thanks! Is there anything particular about this smith or is he just an average Showa era smith?

I just started collecting couple months ago and has has great lucks so far! Went to a really inner city ghetto pawnshop today and found a Type 98 Katana for $100. This blade isnt perfect by any means with a few dark spots and rusts down the spine of the blade but everything else is perfect. I believe this is a water quenched blade and it is double signed on both side of the nakago with no arsenal mark One side translates: Showa 18 year month 8 (august) The other side if the name i need translated. Thank you very much and looking very much forward to opinions and comments after i get a better camera i will try to capture the kissaki, hada, and the very active hamon better!

I did not intend to buy it for resale but more of a collection piece as i havnt seen many naval Wakizashis around. However the reshaped kassaki is definately a no go for me and the condition of the blade is in is again a deal breaker Thanks for all the help

Did the translation and it comes to Bishu osafune sukesada , the tip of the blade has been rounded due to heavy use but i dont think there is any doubt on it being a nihon-to. But then agani, my opinion only, and am open to all opinions http://nihontoclub.com/smiths/SUK946

Was at a pawnshop today when i came by this naval Wakizashi. I could not get a rub of the nakago so i wrote down what i can of the mei. Need some expert's help out on this blade, granted that the pictures are atrocitous but i only had a phone on me at the time. The owner was asking $400 for it which i thought was fair as the mountings are all in good condition, except the missing ray skin cover , menuki and wrappings

sorry, at the time of posting i thought the blade was a Gandaito. Anyway looks like someone had a steal (steel) at $50, if only i had done my homeworks faster. The same gentleman selling the blade has 6 more Nihon-to but from his pics it looks like a majority is in WWII mountings and he's more than 2 hours away

and.........it was gone within 10 minutes, oh well, restoration would've been costly

thanks Brian, forgot about that. I texted the seller hoping he would have rest of the fitting. We'll see though. The pictures ive got from his online ad does not look too good due to the excessive lighting

the other side says 昭和辛已春, i can speak, read and write Chinese so i suppose the best translation would be spring of Showa 15 which is 1941 is im not mistaken