PNSSHOGUN

You are a luckier man than I am, Dave!

Julien I'm not sure what options are available in France, perhaps some other members can recommend someone, but if there's a good koshirae maker you may be able to get some army mounts refitted to your blade. It won't be cheap, as you'll have to purchase separate mounts which aren't getting any cheaper these days, but it may be your best option if you really want it back in wartime condition.

Considering the Kikusui on the blade and habaki it's more likely to have kai gunto mounts than army ones. Like today, Navy and Army are fiercely independent branches, even more so in Showa Japan, to the detriment of the war effort in fact. It's entirely possible it had army mounts originally, but personally I would assume it was in kai gunto mounts simply due to how staunch the Army/Navy rivalry was then. In any case finding replacement army mounts would be a bit of a wild goose chase, I naively tried once and the sword is still in shirasaya......

Those mountings are in very good condition, especially the tsuka ito. I believe this would be a very beautiful blade in full polish. You got a very fine deal on this piece, thanks for sharing.

Could be time to get the shirasaya split and adjusted accordingly if it doesn't even out as season changes.

An ''approved'' seller list would be very handy however it is open to problems in itself. Some have no issues with one seller while others have nightmares. It's entirely subjective sometimes and that can be difficult to tally. Doing your research first is the first point in buying any high price item, no exceptions! Even if you're purchasing from Christies you must research it thoroughly. Usually the problems I have encountered were from trying to get a cheap or "good" deal. Buying from trusted, reputable dealers who have been in business for years is often more pricey, but usually precludes any headaches. But I agree, a pinned topic with the most trusted and well received dealers, websites, ebay sellers would be handy for those unsure or new to collecting.

Great blade, authentic signature or not. Shinsa could be a gamble on this one.

Priced quite aggressively considering those flaws. Certainly this swords last polish.

Yes generally a mei inlaid in gold is perhaps more reputable than one simply inlaid normally. However this practice is sometimes viewed negatively by some as more of a "showing off" of the appraisers skill. If a sword is of such quality or made by a famous smith surely it can be identified by the fine qualities of the blade alone.

Can we have a peek in that katanadansu, if we ask nicely?

Fake but won't look too bad on display, unless one of us collectors comes around!

I nearly bought a Koa Isshin that was in poor condition with the intent of having it polished, it was not battle damage but post war abuse and neglect I suspect. The cost of a full polish would've probably let me buy another Koa Isshin in good shape. Especially in Australia there are mighty few options and I'm not really sure about those either in terms of price or quality. Sending it overseas with the weak AUD ATM means even "cheap" polishers are prohibitively expensive and infeasible beyond only the very highest quality pieces.

Fully lacquered wood saya is too time consuming. Aluminium can be used in same dies or tooling as steel in case of shortages. Officers with combat experience perhaps ordered these or requested them. By taking SEA Japan gained access to enormous reserves of Bauxite for Aluminium production, making them the 3rd largest producer of it in the war. In this case Aluminium was in perhaps deemed less vital, even though it would've been in high demand for aircraft manufacturing. Neil what years do you think these swords were made generally? I think if we can find when the blades/fittings were made we can get a better idea of why Aluminium was used.

How extraordinary, I have only seen an example only remotely similar on the saya of a Tachi, seen here: http://www.emuseum.jp/detail/100490/000/000?mode=detail&d_lang=en&s_lang=en&class=&title=&c_e=&region=&era=&century=&cptype=&owner=&pos=641&num=6 Perhaps a very late war materials solution?

I'm not saying it is fake, I'm not an expert on NCO swords by any means. I'm of the opinion if there is any suspicion in a sword, stay away.

The saya has absolutely been repainted which is alarm #1. Proceed with caution.

Wow, that Generals sword is as good as it gets, the tassel alone is worth ludicrous $$$. A jewel in any Japanese army sword collection.

I believe there is definitely more interest among younger generations for Nihonto, but Japanese military swords are certainly a niche. The interest is there but often the financial backing is not, so often people will look at Shin Gunto as a cheaper alternative. Slowly this will bring proper interest and preservation of the history as more and more information about this unique period and developments of the Japanese sword become available and goes beyond us few madmen. I tell my family and friends who show any interest enough history and information about my collection so they appreciate these items and my passion for them somewhat. If we can all do this I'm sure these pieces of history will be cared for and not used as impromptu garden tools by enthusiastic grandchildren!

Looks chinese made, the kissaki is always a dead giveaway. It's a nice blade but under false pretences.

Thanks Alex, looks like you came to the same deadend that I did for the later generations, there really isn't much information around. Well at the end of the day it's a nice sword in good polish for a nominal price, regardless of mei. Though if anyone can confirm it's 1st generation Moriie.....drinks are on me

The Yasukuni-To are probably the most revered of the WW2 Japanese swords, followed by examples like above. In terms of WW2 history there are swords in the Australian War Memorial that were used in battle, found in the midget submarines used to attack Sydney and Famous Generals and Admirals swords that were surrendered. These are the most important for many reasons. The Koa Isshin swords are certainly very interesting historically, but a regular grade shin-gunto that has nicks in it from battle damage and the story behind it are worth more to a historian. Like most WW2 collectibles the value is in the history of the item, if it was used in a certain battle or famous person the value skyrockets. Anyway, value is in the eye of the beholder

Yes, I agree, however the mei isn't a match for any of the famous or highly rated Moriie generations that I have found so far. I don't mind either way as the sword itself is quite nice. Hopefully someone can recognize the correct generation or period. I have some high res shots now, please find them attached:

Thanks Alex, I'll get some better shots when I can, these were the sellers photos. Here are the specs Nagasa:46.3cm(18.2in) (all length 66cm(25.98in)) Sori:1cm(0.39in) Motohaba:25mm(0.98in) Motokasane:5mm(0.19in) Sakishige:about 30mm(1.18in) Mei:守家造之 Hada is O-Mokume, hamon suguha and very thin, there is a slight bend in the blade as well, so it has been used on something tough in its lifetime it seems. Two meguki-ana. The blade has certainly been polished a few times, as there are a few openings but the steel is still bright and the last polish was a good one. Overall for the price I paid this is in excellent condition. Hope this helped, thank you.

I recently bought this wakizashi on ebay, with a Moriie signature and dated "Muromachi" era. Now I have done some looking myself into Moriie, there were quite a few it seems, ranging from the famous Hatakeda Moriie to standard Muromachi smiths. Can anyone help me identify or give me a better clue as to which generation Moriie this could be? There was a note on the registration card from a previous owner that thought it may be 2nd or 3rd generation Moriie, but at the price I paid I sincerely doubt that as those smiths have very high Fujishiro, Toko Taikan and Hawley ratings. The sword itself is in very good condition, and seems to have been polished quite a few times in its life due to the thin hamon and two small ware. Please find attached images of the sword, with the mei seen on the middle. Thank you for your help.