Ontario_Archaeology

I agree with Thomas, it looks a lot like a light weight Type 98. I own one that is similar. Just the proportions make me think it is a light weight.

Stay tuned, maybe I'll give it my best shot 😂

Hi Steven! That's a great start, unfortunately I don't know who the consignment seller is. I just have that auction link to go off of. If you wouldn't mind sending me the Instagram page for his grandson maybe I'll contact him. It would be a great surprise if the description turns out to be accurate! Thanks!

Hello everyone, I recently bought a decent navy Kyu gunto on Jauce and the description seemed more like a creative writing exercise than anything else! I bid for the quality of the sword and koshiere not The story as many of us learn early on. The package itself is decent as you can see by these pictures. Now for the fun part, in short, the description states that sword belonged to vice Admiral Michiaki Kamada. I am wondering if anyone can contact the seller on my behalf to try get any further evidence of their claim. Jauce has refused to do so. The whole description as well as a link to the auction page is found below: Imperial Japanese Navy Officer's Long Sword, Two-handed Gunto (Early Model), Command Sword, Military Sword, Ceremonial Sword, Short Sword, Shark-polished Scabbard, Different Hawk Feather Family Crest, Regular Sword Cord Included. We are consigning and selling on behalf of the customer. Background: A relic with a complex history and story - a two-handed Navy Meiji 19th Type Gunto owned by Vice Admiral Kamada Michiaki of the Imperial Navy. It is not just a sword, but a symbol of an era and a testament to having witnessed a series of history. Vice Admiral Kamada Michiaki was an officer of the Imperial Navy and a hero who achieved military success, leaving a deep mark on the history of World War II. This item is a single sword of the Meiji 19th Type, standard for naval officers, handed down to the Kamada family of Ehime Prefecture, and the Kamada family crest is inlaid in gold on the handle. The blade is a famous sword passed down through the family, and its details are as follows: ●Blade This is an anonymous sword with an old sharpening, and the blade pattern is a medium straight blade with some irregularities, giving it the feel of an old sword. The surface is a forged texture with a mixture of grain and wood grain, and although there are scratches, rust marks, and scuffs, there are no sharp edges or bulges. The blade was registered as a daimyo in 1957. The above is merely my personal (amateur) opinion, so please look closely at the photos and make your own responsible bid. ・Blade length 2 shaku 2 sun 9 bu 0 rin (69.4 cm) Curvature 3 bu 5 rin (1.06 cm) 4 eyelets (2 filled) ・Butt width 2.9 cm (amateur measurement) ・Butt weight 0.6 cm (amateur measurement) ・Tip width 1.9 cm (amateur measurement) ・Tip weight 0.5 cm (amateur measurement) ●Mounting (Imperial Japanese Navy Officer's Long Sword, Two-handed grip (early model)) Black polished shark leather wrapped sheath, no cracks or chips, in good condition. Considering the age, there is little damage to the plating of the metal fittings, etc., and I think it is in relatively good condition. In addition, the carp mouth (outer diameter) is large at 4 cm, and overall it is impressive, and seems to be a custom-made product. The handle is made of large, uniform shark leather, and although the gold wire and metal fittings show dirt and rust marks from the age, there are no defects, and I think it will look good with some polishing. The above is only my personal opinion (amateur), please look at the photos carefully and make your own responsible decision before bidding. ・Total length 96.4 cm (amateur measurement) ・Handle length 21.3 cm (amateur measurement) ・Koiguchi (outer diameter) 4.0 cm length x 2.3 cm width (amateur measurement) ・Habaki (silver-plated Yujo) This sword has survived all kinds of wars along with General Kamada's military career, and has imprinted the era full of hardship. It has been drawn on the battlefield many times, leaving many scars as evidence of fierce battles. Now it stands quietly, as if speaking of the sorrows and joys of those passionate days. Every time I pick up the sword, the big waves of the Pacific Ocean and the heroic figure of the hero come to mind, and this sword will play a role in conveying the heroic spirits of the country to the present. It was discovered when the family was sorting out the belongings of the deceased, and this sword is being sold by a consignment agent https://buyee.jp/item/jdirectitems/auction/v1189243888/detail Thanks everyone, I hope you enjoy the story as much as I have, and I can't wait to think of the big waves of the Pacific ocean when I finally get this in hand. 😂

Thank you everyone. It's definitely something very different, and for sure something I had never seen before, it's why i had to have it 🤣. The koshiere with a nice Mon menuki is also a nice touch. I'm suspecting someone spent a good chunk of change to have this all done during wartime (opposed to after). My next question would be is it possible to hunt down Hiraga Morikuni, a search of the forum and he is a bit of a mystery man, I assume it takes some skill to cut down a blade and re-sign it as it is. Thanks again, it's really a fun experience learning about this.

Those are some big names on there. Would that mean it maybe a gimei?

If the kanji is hard to make out I can try and play with the resolutions of the pictures to try and bring it out more if that is helpful.

Hello Everyone, Looking for the full translation on this nice dirk I just picked up! Looking forward to finding out more! Side A: Side B: And a little eye candy: Thank you!

There was nothing else to go off of as reference other than a 2 week old thread. The forum doesn't revolve around your posts, not everyone is going to see that.

That wasn't even in this thread, maybe use the same thread to post about the same seller to avoid confusion.

you use an old slur against Japanese people and then play the victim?

The language in the title is more than enough for me to avoid this user more than the sketchy seller 🤣

Link to thread and my photo with 2 real and one reproduction tassels.

Buyee can be great as there is much more selection and you will find that there are ebay sellers that list items on eBay for 3x as much for the price on buyee, so sometimes you cut out that strange middle man. Obviously there are no returns so you have to be sure what you're buying. Goodluck !

It might be the lighting of the pictures but it looks far to shiny. Similar to a fake I used to have. There are photos of it in a general tassel thread I believe.

I own it, but I would like to hang onto it, is there any pages you would like me to photograph for you ? You can shoot me a DM if you would like.

Here is a tanto

Here is the thread I was talking about https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/31619-generals-tassels/page/2/#comments

If you want more entertainment, he has a YouTube channel I have not watched any of these videos, view at your own risk.

If someone wants to link past tassel threads there is a lot of great information in them. I think one is about general tassels and another might be a more general thread. Really if we were to have one pinned thread so all the information can be easily found it could become a really good resource. As I've said before in other threads, good consistent lighting and photos of both old "new" stock and used tassels will make spotting fakes easier for everyone.

Thanks Dan! I do have an imperial household Kyu gunto that has 7 silver chrysanthemum mons throughout the tsuka This one is much different from that.

Here are some quick ones I took, as well as some from the auction.

Here is something I happily just picked up. A Kyu Gunto with ray skin saya. It also has the 3-5-3 paulownia which can either indicate a government position or a family mon. Any other information would be appreciated. Enjoy.

Finding fittings to match a blade they were not made for us difficult. It is less time consuming and around the same cost to just buy a full package. Even if you find a saya and parts that are the same length and curve as your blade, it might not curve in the right places for your blade and still fit funny.

It might be that they are just uncommon in western markets, lots might be stuck in China.