Kolekt-To

Thanks guys! Bruce, what is the width of your sarute? I used digital calipers to measure the width of the one gunto I have that has, what appears to be an original, cord sarute attached. It's attached to a Kai Gunto and the width of the cord is approximately 3.0mm with a dark brown color that nearly matches the color of the Ito.

Hey guys, I read the 2018 NMB thread about Cord sarutes and I wanted to know the thickness measurement of the typical rope used - 1.5mm? 2.0? 3.0? And, Bruce, for reference, I have included a photo of the tsuka of your Mantetsu - a close-up of the cord sarute replacement you attached (as mentioned in your post from 2018, all that was left of the original cord sarute was a "nub"). And, where did you acquire the cord? Thanks, Geoff

Studies show that the age of female that men find most attractive is 22. The age range of men studied was from 18 to 70 years. Didn't matter the age of the man - age 22 was the most desirable. Men are innately wired to seek signs of youth and fertility in potential mating partners. It's just our nature. When it comes to Japanese swords, however, most of us would take a nice 500 year-old. Lol

Well, he want's $5K USD for the sword, so that's a bit above my price range, currently. I may help him sell it. Or, if it goes unsold long enough, and he's willing to come down on price, then I may have a shot at it. The one draw back for me, other than price, is that the blade has some serious nicks to the cutting edge and the full extent of those were not revealed in the photos I posted. Anyway, we'll see what happens.

I'm in negotiations now. I don't believe the seller is aware of the sword's value - he just believes it's one of his grandfather's old war souvenirs. But I'm not out to take advantage of anyone and I let him know that it is indeed, an older blade, and from the highly reputed Bizen school. I want him to get a fair price and, of course, I want a good deal. I'll keep you guys posted. Thanks for the help!

So, the sword is of the Osafune Bizen school style and the swordsmith name is most likely Sukesada?

Photos of the Saya:

More photos of this Bizen blade in Type 98 mounts:

Thanks guys! So, Osafune, of the Bizen school, would be the smith and August 1526 is the date? Or is Sukesada most likely the name of the smith? Here are more photos:

Hi guys, Not sure if I should post this here, or in the Translation section. Since I'm exclusively (for now anyway) a Gunto nerd, I almost always post in this section and I'll start here. So, I recently purchased a Type 97 from this guy and I really like my new Kai Gunto - more will be revealed about that in a future post. However, I just learned that he has another of his grandfather's swords that he is willing to part with and this time it's a Type 98. The mounts are nice, but the blade is a little beat up with some very noticeable nicks on the cutting edge. It could have a traditionally-made blade and I'll explore that later. Right now, I just want the kanji on the nakago translated. Perhaps this is the work of a Seki smith? An RJT smith? A smith from an older era? And, the date may be chiseled on the other side of the nakago - there is kanji on both sides as we typically see with gunto. Attached are some photos of the nakago.

And we saw a Zoheito blade, albeit in nice Type 98 mounts, sell for around $2000.00 on an auction side recently. It was discussed on a thread on this board about a month ago, if my memory is correct. Apparently, some find value in these examples.

There are some interesting and mysterious examples out there, as the one being presented here suggests. The search for the Truth continues...

I think many of us believe likewise Bruce. Lol

This one sold for $2500.00 on eBay today.

Bruce, being a newbie myself (started collecting Gunto earlier this year), you guys taught me to take notice of Damascus steel as one of the more obvious signs of fakery. In fact, that was the first thing I noticed about the sword in question. Thanks again - I'm learning more all the time! And, posts like Robert's reinforce our understanding of fake versus real, and the information shared can help newbies avoid making costly mistakes. Remember, no sword is worthless, it can always serve as a bad example.

John, I posted the photos in the thread you mentioned. Happy collecting! Geoff

I usually post in the Military Swords of Japan section on this board since I'm a Gunto nerd. However, the exceptional sword I saw and handled during a recent visit with my local mentor may be worthy of posting here since it, is in fact, Nihonto. This sword had been in Japan for months waiting to be papered. My mentor received it back last week. It was a most enjoyable experience holding this sword and viewing it up close, especially for a newbie hobbyist like myself. Behold the Sanemori!

Per request, I will post photos of the Sanemori sword here - originally posted earlier today under the "Show us your high-class Gunto" thread in Military Swords of Japan category on this board. I had the pleasure of visiting with my local mentor again recently and this is one of the swords he showed me. This sword had been in Japan for months waiting to be papered. My mentor received it back last week. A fine Gunto indeed!

I had an opportunity to visit my local mentor again last weekend. This is one of the swords he showed me. He recently received it back from Japan where it was papered. I really enjoyed holding this sword and seeing the beauty of it close-up!

Be cautious in buying from Show22 - not the best reputation. Read the posts on this board. Just trying to save you from making potentially costly mistakes. And, the tsuba you mentioned is probably over-priced.

But the blade doesn't look good. The description even states that it is pitted. I would save funds for a better example. Also, that auction house is going to most likely add their "Buyer's Premium", plus you will have tax and shipping to pay - all will drive up the cost and possibly add another $300-$500 AUD to the price you will pay for the sword. Think about it.

Apparently, Obi-tori refers to the actual hanger ring(s) attached to the Ashi/Haikan - a component of the Ashi/Haikan. Thus, the officer's belt clip would attach itself to the Ashi/Haikan by way of the Obi-tori (ring).

Thank you Chris and Francois! After reviewing the posts and photos, I believe I can better discern Oil-quenched blades from Water-quenched. In one of the posts, the question was asked about Acid-etched hamons. So, I am interested in being able to spot those, as well as artificial polished-on hamons. What are some thoughts on these types of hamons, and how can we differentiate them from water-quenched and oil-quenched? Are there 4 different types of Gunto hamons: Water-quenched, Oil-quenched, Acid-etched, and Polished?

What are some tell-tale signs that a Gunto has been oil-quenched versus one that has been water-quenched? How can we be confident of one versus the other when considering a blade? Information, thoughts, and photos are appreciated!

Removing the tsuka (and tsuba) of a Type 95 versus removing the tsuka (and tsuba) from other types of gunto (97's, 98's, and RS/Type 3's) is not the same. The general rule is to not remove the tsukas from Type 95's (as you have stated, as well as many others here, including Bruce) because 1. Nothing to see of any value on the nakago, and 2. May cause the tsuka to loosen and to not fit as snugly. Regarding the other types of gunto, don't be afraid to remove tsukas as needed. The nakago may provide important information as to the age of the blade, the swordsmith, the date in which the sword was made, etc. And, you may need to remove the tsuka to add seppas, replace other fittings, facilitate repair work/restoration projects, etc. And, as to what the crazy Monkey does with his swords, that's anyone's guess. He attacks just about any edged weapon he gets his hands on.