OliverP

Thanks a bunch. A treasure trove. Sorry for not using search before asking.

Good evening, After many years of lurking and asking the occasional silly question, I have used the time during the pandemic to study Nihonto. What I have been wondering about lately is how some brokers take their pictures of the bare blades (eg. AOI) and have arrived at the conclusion that those might not be photos in the traditional sense but rather images taken on flatbed scanners with relatively high depth of field. Has anybody got some insights into this and can tell me if my assumption is correct ? And if so, do they use really big flatbed scanners or just regular ones and then stitch them ? Any insight into equipment and process would be appreciated. cheers Oliver

Hi guys, Thank you for the advice and sorry for not responding here earlier. Turned out it was actually one of Komonjo‘s „gimei“ blades. @Greg, to answer your question. There are mainly two reasons for that: a) to connect myself to the history and tradition of the art b) most Shinken from China only have a nagasa of 71-73 cm, which is too short for me

No further info available.

A (very likely reliable) source told me lately, that all Gendai blades sold by Komonjo come from the same Korean Smith.

I am cutting with a number of swords (Tenshin Ryu Battodo) including mid- and high end Chinese shinken. It is not unusual to use Gendaito for tameshigiri.

Gentlebeings, I am currently in the market for a new Katana for Iai/Battodo practice and came across this auction: https://auction.catawiki.com/kavels/28899779-Japan-seki-ju-masanao-saku-gendaito-lange-katana-blade-schwert It would fulfil my requirements in all ways regarding Nagasa length and a shallow Sori as it suits my cutting style. Currently the blade is at 1500 EUR and I am considering to place a bid on this myself. Do you think that this is real ? The Nakago looks strange to me (maybe someone polished it ?) and if this not a “fake” or gimei, would you recommend buying it? And if so, at what point would I be paying too much ? Mind you, not for collecting but for being mounted for Iai and Batto. Any thoughts are very welcome

Thank you very much guys for helping me save a guy from wasting his money. And sorry for wasting your time with such an obvious fake. As a matter of fact I know next to nothing about Gunto swords. So thanks again for bearing with me

Thanks guys ... I thought the tsukamaki might just have been a shitty rewrap but the mei also put me off.

Hi guys, I am definitely not an expert on military swords. This one was offered to a friend of mine. The Fuchigashira look somewhat odd and the white same also looks also quite strange. Mei looks odd for a military sword too, no ? ... any opinions if this is a gen Kai Gunto, a replica or simply a mix of various parts to build something that looks like a Kai Gunto?

The blade was bought from a renowned seller and is not gimei. And it has actually (almost) the measurements that Nakamura Sensei mentioned in Tameshigiri no Shinzu: 69cm Nagasa and 1.8 cm Sori.

Dr. Joe, Thank you very much for your advice and I completely understand that the majority of collectors would shriek at the notion of altering a historical piece. The blade in question was forged by Kiyotsugu Minamoto in the mid-80s. I am studying Toyama Ryu and Sensei, being asked, also told me that, if the tsuka was well fitted, 1 Mekugi would not be a problem but neither objected to my idea of adding a second Mekugi. As a Gendai school Toyama seems to somewhat indifferent towards the swords being used and I have seen other students with swords of „other“ provenance. Banzan

Gentlemen, I have just acquired a preowned Shinsakuto (my first !) for Iai and Batto-do. This sword has only one Mekugi. I am now pondering to have a second Mekugi-Ana drilled for safety reasons. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on whether that would negatively impact the value of the sword ... Cheers Banzan

Haha ... that explains a lot Thanks guys, you rock ! Oliver

Hi all, could anyone please help with identifying/translating the below mei ? Cheers Oliver P.