ChrisW

They're usually made of unhardened iron or steel for the tourist trade back in the day. Its extremely rare to encounter an actual nihonto in carved mounts. Most of the time, these kinds of pieces are valued for the carvings only, I have a wakizasho/tanto pairing that are in carved bone mount, but they're not true nihonto. You can easily find out by the lack of a hamon; and when inspecting the edge, you'll find spots where the metal has 'rolled' over due to it being soft. True nihonto have hardened edges that will chip and crack, but never roll. @Peter and at the very least, you all in Arkansas are known for the Arkansas 'toothpick'! Heh.

There's a good chuckle.

Dang, the poor thing. To imagine what it may have been...

Sheesh, someone had a burr on their backside.

An absolute summation of his selling practices. I hope any members here take this seriously and avoid this seller.

Wonderful work!

Regardless of origin, it is still very beautiful and very deserving of preservation!

I've read in many sources that Choji oil is typically anywhere from 90% to 99% mineral oil and 1% to 10% clove oil by composition.. with both serving complementary purposes of denying oxidation/moisture accumulation.

Nice collection! I think my favorite one is the top one in picture three with the four mekugi-ana. Former tachi?

Thank you very much!

Ah, so.. what would the complete translation be? Is it just a very long signature, or is there a date in there too?

This guy just gives me the wrong vibes with how many warning threads have appeared about him and his wares. I'd almost say he might be a rather clever forger. I've seen more than a few of his repeat listings with the same stock photos. I'd advise people avoid him for fear of being defrauded. I mean, if he is bringing listings down after people notice it here, he is definitely watching and there is definitely something going on with him.

Hey all, I have another wakizashi of mine here with an unknown mei that features 8 kanji as part of the signature/date, I'd love to know what it says. I appreciate any and all input on what it means as well as any information you can give me about it! I am nearly positive this blade was o-suriage as indicated by the two mekugi-ana. Its definitely thick enough to have been a katana, so I'll also be looking for a suitable tsuka or shirasaya to put this one in, as all it has is just the saya but no tsuka. Thanks again! ~Chris

Honestly, I've no idea if its real or not. The aging seems appropriate and from what you said, the wood type seems correct (it matches the type you just told me in terms of color and grain). However I am not an expert, so I cannot make a call on its authenticity. As for the shaft being cut, its a clean cut so it was either broken and then cut off OR it was cut down for transport and then the other part was lost/never reattached. I'll try to get some better pictures for you!

An excellent article, just read it, and it confirms what I was taught about metallurgy with respect to differential heat treatment.

That nakago looks as if it were burned chemically or something, the deep pock marks are reminiscent of acid burns, especially with the irregular coloration. Are the remaining file marks the highest points on the nakago? A trick I learned here from the guys is to put talc powder or some sort of inert white powder that is easily blown off to highlight the signature better.

My apologies, where and what can I photograph better to assist identification?

That is a VERY wide hamon, he's right about it being brittle.. Doesn't matter too much today as these are all art swords. But if it were used in its current condition back in the day, I can imagine a catastrophic failure occurring simply because there's not enough pearlite steel to support the hard martensite edge.

As a note about fradulent sales on eBay, they have adopted a very draconian stance on feedback which does make it way harder for negative buyer feedback to stick. But once it does stick, its nigh permanent. And people who do buy on eBay pay really close attention to that. I got into nihonto from a military collector standpoint. My first Japanese sword was a gunto (very proud of it, haven't shown it yet), but it opened up my tastes to the larger world of nihonto and while I cannot currently afford an honest nihonto katana yet, my hope is someday I can. I know I would be severely disappointed if I bought any sort of nihonto that had been altered with intent to defraud or deceive. I am also very glad someone mentioned the Ohmura site as a good reference point for guntos! Its what I generally look at to make sure of what I am looking at in a gunto. I think eventually guntos will be accepted more and more as part of the nihonto family, even if many of their construction techniques are not traditional, much like how the kyu guntos are finding acceptance. I am not making assumptions of anyone in this community, its just what I've noticed in regards to overall attitude throughout the internet to guntos as being inferior. The good ones will survive, the lousy ones will not; much like how mass produced traditional blades tend to not survive as long as good-quality ones. In any case, I am so very glad to find an English-speaking nihonto community with such a deep wealth of knowledge. In regards to this thread's main point. I agree! Do NOT trust Showa22, I've seen him 'sell' some pretty spurious stuff that gave me pause too. So glad I haven't bought from him!

Definitely something special if the habaki is that different from standard issue! Family blade mounted in gunto fittings perhaps? Perhaps reach out to the museum to find out?

Can we see a picture of the blade itself too? And from what I see, the saya belongs to a Type 98 Gunto. Seems to be standard, but may be optional? Older NMB thread here: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/5787-gunto-with-aluminum-scabbard-opinions-and-translation-help/ Ohmura Study on Gunto Sayas here: http://ohmura-study.net/909.html

Thanks! Oil quenching does make sense, so.. its not completely traditional then. My mistake.

Thanks Hoanh, I'll have to look into some different setups so I can photograph these things properly. I do have some parts and pieces that I could show here, such as my two cloissone tsuba and etc. I've actually already posted pictures of them, feel free to see that thread and give your opinion on them if you like!

Which model of camera would be good for a novice? Thanks for all the help Hoanh! If you're ever in Indiana, let me know, and I can show you what I have in terms of nihonto/other blades.

I tried... unfortunately, I can't seem to get them to show up. I'll have to get a better camera at some point. The picture appears out of focus and doesn't show what I need for it to show. What are your feelings about the nakago? It has very prominent file marks on it that match what I've seen of other guntos, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is. Though, that's my gut feeling.