katanako

Huh? Sign off with my real name instead of my Moniker KATANAKO? OK, if I submit another article, will do. I hope no one thinks that I am an expert...because I am NOT!!! I just wanted to share what little knowledge I have with you all. I hate reading boring articles, so I add a little humor. Thanks. HENRY SAKAIDA

I did the attached article for the BANZAI newsletter. BANZAI is a group of Japanese WWII militaria collectors (guns, sword, uniforms, equipment, insignias, etc.) Every year, we go out to Wickenberg, AZ for a shoot-out and alot of guys bring their Japanese rifles, pistols, etc. and blast away. Anyway, I wrote this article for BANZAI, and since some of you are interested in Japanese sword tassels, I decided to present this to you for your perusal. I write tongue-in-cheek and I am definitely NOT an expert, but have done some research so I do know a little of what I write. KATANAKO Japanese ARMY SWORD TASSELS I - Copy (2) Banzai.doc

I wrote that I had written this article for a collector's newsletter where I use such words with no offense taken. I should have cleaned up my act when I submitted this article to NMB!!! My error and I apologize to anyone whom I may have offended. KATANAKO

I attached a story that I wrote for a collectors' newsletter called BANZAI. It's for people who collect Japanese WWII militaria. This is my second attempt at attaching this article. If it doesn't work, I will NOT ask my wife to help me... she said if she helps, I have to give up sword collecting. Thanks. KATANAKO AMERICAN RETURNS FAMILY SWORD TO OWNER.doc

SARUTE (Saru=Monkey, Te=hand) indeed does mean "Monkey Hands!!!" Of course! Now I understand!!! Thank you very much for your comments! I'm always amazed at all the new stuff I learn on his message board, thanks to you guys! KATANAKO

Does anyone out there know the story behind the Clasping Hands or Shaking Hands Sarute? I have 2 of them. Thank you . KATANAKO

Minatogawa Jinja swords are extremely rare...expect to pay around $8K+ for a VG one. I have one with the Kikusui mon and one without. A friend of mine bought one at the Northern Cal Sword Show last year for $7,500 and it was a very nice one. Hope you find your's! KATANAKO

This message board has saved me several thousands of dollars and grief! That is why I will donate every year. Yes, Mike is absolutely honest. He does have a disclaimer that he cannot guarentee the authenticity of any swords he gets from his suppliers in Japan. Once, I was interesed in a particular sword, and he steered me away from it because he didn't feel comfy with the signature. He is not a one-person Shinsa, he was just offering his own opinion. I was tempted with this Yasunori, but your second opinion settled it. Thank you guys for helping me save $10K!!! I think I will stick to dealers like ricecracker, etc. KATANAKO

There is a Yasukuni Yasunori blade in shirasaya on ebay, with an ONSHI habaki. Item number: 160344342167 The seller is absolutely honest. But I have reservations about this blade. The signature doesn't match the signature in the Yasukuni sword book, and the kanji on the habaki doesn't match a photo that I have showing a real Onshi inscribed habaki. The rust in the signature bothers me...it just doesn't seem old enough. The seller will include a large framed photo of a group of people sitting with the Imperial Palace in the background, with a small photo of Emperor Hirohito inset. Is the framed photo supposed to give "authenticity" to the Yasunori blade? Any comments will be appreciated. I do not intend to bid on this sword. Just curious to know if my hunches are right. KATANAKO

Hi Juyo; Although I am 57, yes, I am kinda new to collecting. I don't know enough to collect the real old Samurai blades, so I mainly stick to Gendaitos. Thanks, guys, for the comments concerning horimono. I also thought the same: some were used to disguise defects while I have heard that some were carved on crappy blades to sell to GIs. Just wanted a 2nd and 3rd opinion. I'm still waiting to see a nice horimono on a "Japanese" NCO sword from China! KATANAKO

I've finally worked up the nerve to ask this question: Why would anyone have carved a horimono on a garden variety Showato and/or gunto? Some of the carvings are poor quality. I suspect that it was to hide a flaw in the blade. But would a horimono hide a ware or kizu? Thank you! KATANAKO

I'm 57. I'm addicted to katana. I need serious help! I got my first blade when I was 15 years old when I bought a "Samurai sword" through SHOTGUN NEWS in a classified, for $15. It came in a black wooden saya, a brass hanger, no tsuka, with a rusty civilian tsuba. It had a Seki stamp on it and the sword maker was an unknown. It used to whack down tree branches with it (!!) and I was surprised that I didn't chip the blade! I gave it away to a collector about 12 years ago. Since then, I started to collect the better stuff, mainly guntos: Minatogawa Jinja, Yasukuni Jinja, Mantetsu, Emura, and Nagamitsu. And my prized possesion, a large katakana, a real "National Treasure" signed "Hizen No Kuni Tadayoshi GINSU" and inscribed on the other side: "Hontono Hocho Tetsu." Har, ha!

I recommend Fred Lohman for removing those light scratches. He has polished 4 of my swords. I would NEVER send him my Yasukuni or high end Samurai blades. But for Showatos, Mantetsus, no problem! I once bought a junker wak on ebay for $400 with the thoughts of learning how to polish. Then I realized just how difficult it would be, so I sent it to Freddie. This blade was a real dog, with scratches, rust, and a couple of shallow chips. Lohman had it polished and remounted. Then I took it to the Northern Cal Sword Show to get an opinion, but I did not tell anyone at first that Lohman had polished it. The remarks I got ranged from "nice job" to "not bad" and "decent." Then I told them that Freddie had polished it, and they were incredulous! And the next question would be: "How much did it cost for the polishing?" For guntos, doggie blades, and junkers, Fred can polish it for around $700. I once sent a junker wak blade to Japan for polishing and it cost me $2K to get it polished. Far superior to a Fred Lohman job!!! But, it was like putting a $10,000 paint job on a rusty 1973 Pinto. I was in the doghouse with my wife for a long time on that one. KATANAKO

There is an "Emura" gunto on ebay in which the signature reads MURAE SAKU. I've never come across a swordsmith misspelling his own name!!! Japanese WW2 SWORD SHIN GUNTO GENDAITO BY EMURA SIGNED BY CHOUNSAI EMURA Item number: 220420126389 Has anyone ever run across such a thing??? Either he was drunk when he or his student signed it, or it is a forgery done by a Gaijin who doesn't know kanji! It's funny...and as of now,there are 10 bids on it!!! KATANAKO

Thank you everyone for your comments and opinions! I'm always learning something new and useful from this site! KATANAKO

I got my kanji dictionary and it came out to: SHINO ZEN SHINO ZAN And a native Japanese says: JYO SAN and he added "These kanji don't make sense." Thanks!

Sorry, I forgot to add this: Japanese Samurai Sword: LONG Katana with Gold Mei 32.2" Item number: 140304220257 Thanks. KATANAKO

Ebay seller Komonjo is offering this blade, which intrigues me very much. I had several people look at the mei and they told me that the kanjis don't make any sense at all. It isn't a sword maker's name or even a Japanese surname...the two kanjis simply don't make any sense. So why go through the trouble of the gold inlay??? I don't plan to bid on it, but I am curious about the blade and it if is gendai. Thanks.

Thank you Brian for your kind response!

There is an Emura gunto on ebay. I have never seen an example of the signature on the tang, in reference sources on the Internet. The mei looks funny, but I just can't put my finger on it. The style of the signature reminds me of a Nagamitsu signature. What are your thoughts? Has anyone come across a fake Emura? Thanks.

Points well taken! Thank you very much to you all! KATANAKO

I have a Yasuyoshi. I found a gunto koshirae yesterday amongst a few that I had bought a few years ago on ebay...it comes with a nice tsuka and unpierced solid tsuba, but the peg hole is misaligned. I took out the wooden insert, and split it in half. There is old cosmoline gunk and I will use a woodworking chisel and sandpaper to scrap away the gunk and sand it down smoothly so that it will not scratch. You are correct...if I simply shoved a newly polished blade in there, it will scratch the blade. I think I will try my hand at working the soft wooden insert...and it should fit nicely because last night, I laid the blade down on one half of the wooden insert and laid the other half over it, and it fit. I will send it over to Freddie Lohman, ask him to take off the hardware off the tsuka then rewrap it. Fred does a fantastic job at wrapping tsukas! The metal scabbard is very nice, but some of the paint has chipped off. I will ask on the board if anyone knows the process of repainting the scabbard. This board is great! Collectors offering their opinionis and experiecnes in an honest fashion. Thank you very much! KATANAKO

I have a polished Yasukuni Jinja blade which I want to dress up in traditional gunto mountings. I found a gunto koshirae including tsuka, but the tsuba is unpierced. I can't recall ever seeing a high end sword with unpierced tsuba. So my question is: Have you ever seen a Yasukuni sword with an unpierced tsuba?? I can get a pierced tsuba, but the unpierced one fits perfectly. Thank you. Katanako

Yes, I have written several WWII aviation books dealing with Japanese aces and war in the Pacific, the giant I-400 submarine with two co-authors, and the Osprey series of books! Thanks for asking! KATANAKO (HENRY SAKAIDA)

Thank you all for your kind responses! This website is great! KATANAKO