Gardawg

Hello All . . . I live in rural Eastern Ontario and there are plenty of Estate & Farm auctions during the good weather months. With the kids moving to the cities and aging parents, some of these rural properties are up for sale and all the substantial household, tools, farming equipment are being sold or auctioned off. I like to go a bit early to view what's up for sale. There was an area off to the side with plenty of hunting / fishing gear & accessories. Towards the back was a good sized box with numerous mailing tubes of various diameters. I opened a few to find topographic maps of Northern Ontario. I rummaged down to the bottom of the box and found a much heavier one. I opened one end and there was some newsprint stuffed in. Then I saw the distinct Type 98 Tsuka ! It was one of those rare moments when your heart races and time seem to slow . . . I looked around and was pretty sure nobody say. I tried to keep calm and keep cool . . . but my mind was in a flurry. I placed the tube back in the bottom of the box and covered it over with the other mailers. I wanted so badly to inspect it but had to wait several more hours till after the auction to finally take a good look at the sword and the rest of the lot . . . Not quite sure what it is yet . . . but . . . happy with this score. This just doesn't happen very often ! .

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Further Pics . . .

Hello All, I just found this interesting sword and not quite sure what it is ? This is exactly how I rec'd it . . . I have included several photos to help. The Saya is made of wood with a slightly lined texture pattern and painted black about 29.4" long with no Tropical Leather cover. The metal mouth top area of the Saya has the cut out for the retaining hook and no hook is present on the Tsuka area. The blade is in decent polish and has a fair bit of Sori curve. It appears to be a hand forged blade. It's Hamon has a slight return at the Kissaki tip. The Nakago area appears hand shaped / filed and has Kanji writing on both sides ? There is no Army Arsenal paint or stamp / markings / SN# anywhere on the Nakago area. It doesn't appear to be a "stock" machine made sword. Any and all help / assistance in identifying the kanji script , maker and any other info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, "G"

Thank's Brian & Ray . . . So much to learn ! This script is from a Wakizashi tang. The blade is approx 18" or 46 cm and made of high carbon steel. It's differentially heat treated with visible hamon. But, will make a pass on it as not a true Japanese Nihonto. The rest of this swords Koshirae was throwing me off. Glad I checked with you kind gent's first before I pulled the trigger so to speak. Once again . . . Domo Arigato Gozaimasu, "G"

Any help would be appreciated, Domo Arigato, "G"

Maybe This Will Help A Bit !

More . . . I just did some careful measurements with my Vernier Calipers and here are the dimensions . . . Blade Length - Nagasa = 68 cm Blade Curviture - Sori = 1.1 cm Habaki Blade Width - Moto Haba = 2.85 cm Kisseki Blade Width - Saki Haba = 2.2 cm Blade Thickness at Habaki - Motokasane = 0.72 cm Blade Thickness at Kisseki - Sakikasane = 0.60 cm Kisseki = approx. 4 cm long I have several bayonets / knives and have seen bad forging, poor welds, fissures, cracks & gaping holes in steel. I have held and had the opportunity to closely inspect numerous swords over the decades and this "Mystery" blade is quite well done IMHO. The proportions / dimensions are close to other true Japanese blades and the workmanship upon close inspection (Jeweller's 16X loupe) tells me the blade is made from forged / folded steel. I'm not sure what the nicely burnished area atop the Kisseki Mune area is called but it is present and the blade is razor sharp too . . . Not sure if this sheds any light on things but now I'm curious to know the "W5" of it all ! "G"

It probably is a "Gimei" . . . Many Thanks for your insight. If you gent's are collecting Yoshimichi and have experience with them, you will know far more than me. I was reading that this practice of fake signatures has been an issue with Japanese swords for almost two hundred years and nothing new. It does pose a problem for newbies though. I didn't "sell the farm", so all is not lost. I'll learn as much as I can along the way and will look for "papered" items in the future !

Below are few more close-up's of the blade . . .

Hello All, Firstly . . . I am a brand new member and a "Rookie" when it comes to all things Nihonto. So please bear with me if I make a mistake or use the wrong terms. Some background . . . Trained as an Industrial Machinist / Mechanic, so have a basic familiarity with the various trades. With this comes some exposure to heat-treat, fabrication and metallurgies. I also enjoy the arts / music and working in my shop. I have always loved blades since I was a kid and have collected a few Gerbers, Pumas, & Ontario knives over the years. Last year saw most of us sitting at home with far too much time on our hands, I started watching lots of Martial Arts flics and something just "Clicked" . . . Which leads me here ! I have a few blades now and reading kenji script is not my strongest attribute. I had a friend in Japan translate this Mei but I cannot find a signature on line that closely matches this one. Is it a "Gimei" blade ? Any help / insight would be greatly appreciated. I believe the Mei reads "Tanba No Kami Yoshimichi". The middle character seems to indicate it's from the Kyoto School with the 10 o'clock position. But, with 11 generations of Yoshimichi swordsmiths from both Kyoto and Osaka it's complicated. The blade is 68 cm long with a rather slight Sori of 1.1 cm. The blade is in fabulous condition / polish and has a nice visible hamon. Thank You in advance for any and all help with this . . . Please everyone . . . Be Smart . . . Stay Healthy . . . & Stay Safe ! "The Journey Is The Thing" . . . Cheer's, "G"