Henry Stewart

James, Hi Very many thanks for the three links you have given me; they are indeed what I seek; Kind regards Henry

Thanks Kevin; I'm given to understand they have a particular type of inscription on the nakago; Is this correct?? Henry

Gentlemen Just to put a preliminary toe in the water; does anyone know of an example of the Manchurian Railway sword which may be in circulation for sale? Henry

Gentlemen; Thank you Milt for the contribution,your answer to your questiion is affirmative; though I do take Brian's point. If you want further contact Milt ,I can be found on stwreev@aol.con or stwreev1@hotmail.co.uk; save blocking up the forum; Rgards Henry

Gentlemen Thank you KM and Milt for your kind agreements; The fakes I seek go alongside the genuine article so the viewer may see the difference.I buy only the shall we say good fakes,before anyone jumps on me I recognise it is a contradiction in terms,but some of the good fakes have caused many a row and taken ages to detect.As for Kanji,we are all aware it came from China,and the Japanese still use some of the original but what is generally little known are the various styles of Kanji and that most technocrats in Japan make very little use of most of them.I have to advise; learn about the steel,the appearance, does it please you; do you know that nioi can be faked but nie cannot.. I was entertaining hopes of putting together a small pamphlet containing some of the home truths about fakes in the hope it may do some good,but there seems to be one or two scholarly tomes already on the web; Henry

Gentlemen.I had not gone far into my studies several years ago when I came across the fondness of Artisans for replication, the nearer the better,and it did not just apply to weapons.I am reminded of thelate Mr.William Hawleys comment that some 98% of named smith signatures from an era were probably forged;(see his paper on marks on blades)To all of us who work primarily with our hands comes the urge occaisionally to copy the best work amongst our peers,neither is it confined to the Japanese nation,or indeed Nihonto. Of course I do not include in this the counterfeiter who seeks to profit at the expense of others. I have noticed since commencing to collect Nihonto that the counterfeit blades on sale are steadily becoming more sophisticated. Now it takes time to actually make a good copy,the better it is the more time it takes. I have seen examples where it has taken a great deal of time effort and not a little skill to complete,and as the price approaches nearer the real mccoy,one has to wonder is it worth it.The collector starting out should be very careful. Henry

Thank you Dirk;

Gentlemen One of my primary interest is fakes,especially the steel. Ive several good examples. Ive just bought this one so we will soon know;( I havent told the seller). The only thing I can say at this moment is that the signature is rubbish,but we shall see. Henry

Thanks Martin The only mystery left is who or what is "Sa" in this context; Henry

sorry in the "signature" it reads Sa Motte Nanbantetsu Kitae No.' I forgot the KITAE Henry

Gentlemen Thank you Moriyama san and Martin H. If I can illucidate; I bought this blade from Tokyo engraved "Sa Motte Nanbantetsu No. The dealer said this signature is not reliable and the blade looks like Mutsu Kami Kaneyasu; are you saying the first signature is a description and not a signature at all? kind regards Henry

I have aquired a Wakizashi with this legend engraved in kanji on the nakago. Can anyone please help with who or what is Nanbantetsu. I cannot find him in Hawleys? Date around 1600 to 1700. Henry

Good gracious me, AT LAST a Nihonto I can fit on my rifle ?? HenryStewart

Hi Anthony If you are interested I have a copy of Roald Knutsens book on polearms for sale. But regret rather expensive.Good conditiion, Henry

When I have dealt with Kazushigae Tsuruta san of Aoi-Art in Tokyo,he with most of his swords also sends an Attestation sheet showing type and history and his signature. If you purchase anything from that scource,why not ask him to send you two sheets,by letter mail in advance of the sword, and submit one as a means of proof to customs. Henry

Gentlemen I have just received a naval Gendaito after shinsa. I was somewhat surprised to find my name written in the body of the token in english, in the same ink used on the rest of the token I have had several tokens with blades but this particular space has always been blank. Is this usual or can anyone throw some light on the practice for me please. Henry Stewart

Ian Sorry ,no offence intended; just call it a 'senior moment'. It was the Ian.B. that threw me.Whilst I'm on would you or indeed any other have any idea what the Conservative Party 'take' on this issue is. Lets face it this whole thing has more to do with politics than facts,most of which they've got skewed anyway. Perhaps you may be of the opinion that a few letters might help our hardworking representatives come out into the open with a few 'transparent opinions'.

To Ian B. Rather difficult to allocate titles when corresponding neath cover of pseudonyms isnt it? However I agree with what you say,although this is nothing new. I remember from yesteryear as a beat 'bobby' ,the local teddy boys on my patch all wore their uniform and a good proportion carried italian style 'flick knives' Italian stilletto spring loaded,button operated things rigid, with 6 to 7 inch blades. I knew that some of them had them and they knew I was aware of the fact and they were very careful when I was around or anyone who might contact me. They also knew that anything untoward no matter how slight would mean serious trouble for them. I knew their parents,relatives and where they all lived,any stranger being spotted instantly.But there was a mutual respect,built up over years.Its no good saying law enforcement deserves respect; respect is earned and with it comes trust. No gun or edged weapon ever killed anyone,as you infer its the person behind it. The Home Office and its various agencies need to get their act together over drugs and the American style gang culture thats come with it. Banning in this country and others has been clearly seen to have no effect at all,in fact has exacerbated the problem it sought to handle.

Gentlemen With respect I think you will find the devil will be in the detail. There will always be a correlation between the amount of legislation and an increase in activity against that legislation,it has ever been so. During the arguments on the gun ban the authorities were told if you ban guns only bandits will have guns,and so it has proved ;gun crime up over 400%. I agree,your average Policeman wouldnt know a genuine nihonto from a bulls foot and more importantly neither would he care. We have become the target of a political populace red herring exercise and can perhaps hope for a grain of sanity to survive the hot house of the parliamentary chamber. To those who campaigned I say well done!It would be naive of us to think as this is the culmination of the exercise,it is in fact only the beginning! HenryStewart

Gentlemen Genuine collectors of nihonto would appear to be safe. However remember these are politicians we are dealing with supported by the association of chief police officers who rely for their very existence on the MPs at the home office and who can properly be considered as an arm of government. However we shall see; so far so good. Henry Stewart

Ian B. Thankyou for posting your email; I look forward with interest to Mr.Coaker's comments. Henry Stewart

Paul Many thanks for your mail.Government departments are always failing to honour their commitments, especially the Home Office. What with asylum seekers,immigration issues,bungled security matters with numerous other cock-ups,the list goes on ad infinitum; we awaiting another MP's deliberation s stand little chance of hearing very much. Still never mind,even an MP like Mr Coaker may get a pang of concience to deliver what he promised. I am reliably informed God moves in a mysterious way!! Henry

One thing for sure I think,is that we all should see something proposed by weekend..We assume the Ministers involved will at least do as they say and publish by the end of the month.though I do wonder just where will they publish? Henry

Hello Remzy and Reinhard; Many thanks for your comments; I do so wish that this was a genuine consultation and not a smoke screen to con the public as it clearly is,the politicians having already made up their mind and sod what anyone else says. Look at the record; I can remember the Labour Minister for Post leaving his clothes on an American beach giving the impression he had drowned only to be found alive and well;conversley the Conservative Minister sharing a bed with a lady not his wife who later shared the same bed with a top Russian spook,or the politicians jailed for committing perjury (lying),or the strange case of the party mystery donations!! They then have the cheek to ask for respect.I could go on but whats the point. You are right we have squandered millions of lives in the name of freedom,but then I need to look at Westminster and ask 'who's freedom?and for what' When you become an MP and pick up £100,000 in salary and expenses and a generous pension and dont need any qualifications to get the job,what the hell do you expect to get?Someone to care for the interest of others!!Grow up will you!!! Henry

Gentlemen I have now received a reply from Rosie Cooper MP,in which she sends me a copy of a letter from the Home Office. It is from a Vernon Coaker,Minister responsible for policy in this area.He continues to refer to "Samurai Swords" being used in violent crime. I suppose we should be grateful that they are now quoting theswords in inverted commas. In my opinion its quite clear there is no evidence relating to genuine samurai swords in relation to the Offensive Weapons order in this respect,hence the inverted commas. He continues to say he will publish responses he has received by the end of November. We await with interest! Henry