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The swords look reasonable, I'm sure they will go higher. There is some scarce and desirable headgear, priced within reason. Steve

A beautiful sword in outstanding condition. Thanks for posting it. Steve

Just a heads up, Morphy's has some nice swords and fittings in their May 10 auction. Begin at #3390. I have no idea of the accuracy of the descriptions, but they seem quite detailed.

I have a copy I bought back in the day. A lot of information and beautiful photographs packed into that little book. Steve

Wow. Seeing the diversity of opinions, I don’t feel so bad about being stumped. Now I have further avenues to research. Thanks to all. Steve

Usually I am able to crack these but this one has me stumped. It’s a gunto, has the small Nagoya stamp. The blade appears to have grain, but I think the hamon is faked in. I believe the signature to be either Kanechika, Kanemichi, maybe Kanenao. Any ideas?

One of these in kaigunto mounts just sold on ebay.

Nope, never fired either of them. I live on an island which has become so overdeveloped there is nowhere left to shoot. A far cry from the days when I could step out my back door and commence firing. I don’t worry about it, I had plenty of automatic fire back in the day with M16s and M60s. Never got too into sniper rifles, although I have owned a scoped G43, a K98k with the Zf41, and a K98k high turret that was missing the scope. Sniper rifles are expensive, there is a lot to know about them, and they are a minefield of fakery. I decided I already have enough rabbit holes to go down. Steve

I do have some Japanese arms as well, these are a couple of my Type 94s I happen to have photos of.

I mainly collect firearms, with a focus on the First World War.

Is there any among us who hasn't learned something from his site? A giant in the field.

Very nice Type 38, looked like a good buy to me. The two piece stock is correct. If the bolt number matched the rifle, it was a real bargain. Steve

Didn’t someone buy one of the missing National Treasure swords on ebay a few years ago? I also saw a Gassan in gunto mounts with a General’s tassel that really was picked up on Iwo Jima and could very well have been Kuribayashi’s sword. Obviously there is a lot of junk on ebay and you must exercise extreme caution, but I don’t discount it completely. Steve

Brian, I would also be willing to assist. I have some familiarity with firearms and reloading. I am in Massachusetts. Steve

Brian, Good for you! I have been collecting arms and militaria for over 50 years. I have owned everything from 14th century Japanese swords to WW1 machine guns. I like it all, from flintlocks to M16s, much to the detriment of my bank account. In my time I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of collecting and dealers. For some reason, the Japanese sword world seems to have a higher proportion of unscrupulous dealers than any other, with the possible exception of Third Reich dealers. I think the prospect of finding a rare sword with the potential of a large profit has pushed some people over the edge, or maybe that is what attracts them to the market. I am not saying all sword dealers are like this. I enjoy this forum because of the scholarly and friendly sharing of knowledge, freely given, especially by the dealers here on the forum. The forum is also a reflection of your personal values and standards, and I for one appreciate them. Thank You. Steve