Logan09

Thank you John! Was not expecting it to be Nanbokucho.

GI bringback. Is Wakizashi length but must have been used as a katana(Tsuka is 9" long) cleaned the blade as much as possible to see hamon. I believe it was a katana at one point in time. Nagasa is 19.5 inches Sori is 5/8 inches Thanks.

Yes, yet why this then?http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/7939-the-last-word-on-cast-iron-tsuba/

That's what I thought. There seems to be a lot of debate about cast iron tsuba on here though hence my confusion.

I recently got this Tsuba and it is clearly cast(I even found an identical one), and even the Mei which wasn't chased afterwards. Was this commonly done in the late Edo period?

Thanks, that is it!

Looks poorly chiseled to me. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

The Tsuka and the Saya are missing the Ito. Not sure if the strips are over the fabric. If they are they're used to give the Tsuka its final shape, and to make sure the Ito is flush to the Fuchi and Kashira.

I'm with Brian. Start small and see how it goes. I'm a member of many forums not related to Nihonto and have seen this before. Sometimes it goes well, but what happens when people buy tickets and the price point isn't reached? Going to be a headache returning everyone's money(unless you get everyone to agree on buying a ticket first before that number is reached) And who is going to do the raffle/pick someone. Better hope that person doesn't hate/like one of the ticket holders(just saying) Also, I don't know about some of the other members but I'm not a hardcore Nihonto collector. It's one of many hobbies I have. Nor am I rich.. Me personally, I'd much rather make a $500-$600 gamble on getting 2 swords on an auction site. They may not be special but at least I have something to show for it. But, I still like the idea but I think under $100 would be best.

Gold plated copper Tsuba?

I've heard some crazy made up stories about weapons but I think this one takes the cake. If anything it's a fancy meat fork used by a wealthy samurai to flip his Wagyu beef over on the grill.

I'm wondering if these were Type 95 hence the 26" average length

Maybe it's just the photos but it appears the blade was acid washed at some point.

Alright, after looking at the Kabutogane and Ito again I can see the Ito is bunched up/ overlapping in some spots. But why are we assuming this isn't the correct Tsuka. The one in the photos is cracked to heck and split. It's very possible it's sliding that far forward. I have personally halved 3 Gunto tsuka and repaired 2. You'd be surprised how non traditionally 2 were carved out for the nakago. Someone probably hammered(slammed it on the floor) the Tsuka onto the nakago. Would explain the Kabutogane.

I'm with grey. I myself have been looking to piece together mine for about 7 months now. It's going to cost me almost $200 to buy the parts if I can find them and I only need a tsuba, fuchi and some remaining seppa. Does the Tsuka line up with the mekugi-ana? It might be the correct one, your blade may have had 8 Seppa originally (some were about as thick as a nickel) I have no clue what is going on with the Kabutogane. The hole seems unusually high in your Tsuka. This is an easy fix though, just remove the Kabutogane, remove the Samegawa(probably separate pieces) fill hole, replace Samegawa, redrill hole. Also, yes the locking retainers aren't all the same. You can get by by filing one if you need to. Just make sure it is longer than shorter.

One thing I regret doing is selling my DSLR's because I told my self my phone is good enough. It is for certain things but getting close up clear photos is difficult. I know you're against it but you can get a DSLR on eBay for pretty cheap.

I am going to guess lacquered paper as well. If it was baleen that was naturally black it wouldn't have the light colored rub marks. I really don't think a Tsuka wrapped in baleen would have a piece of Samegawa pieced in either(above mekugi) Edit, here's a photo I found online of a paper one that looks slightly similar.

Check here. https://nihontoclub.com/search/node/Tomosuke

Well, I'll stop posting these then. I just figured you never know, it might help someone not make a mistake. Someone might personally know this Mr. Lee as well. I find it strange that someone who has studied in Asian art doesn't know the difference between a fake Chinese made sword and a "Real" Japanese made sword(in this case a Gunto) If mods want to delete it go right ahead.

eBay item 333270072201. Anyone know the "expert" that evaluated it? Sure looks like a Chinese made blade with a wire brushed/or etched hamon? Check out how perfectly the Hamachi and Munemachi line up! I honestly don't know how these get so many bids this fast.

They look exactly the same, even counting some of the scales they all equal the same. Quite interesting.

No one?

Trying to figure out what school to attribute these to. I have seen them before(especially the cherry blossoms) but none seem to be attributed to a certain school. Any idea would be appreciated. Thanks.

This sword popped up again in mid January and sold for $208 from another eBay member. So far this blade has exchanged hands twice in a month. I would personally avoid this. Something must be hidden in the photos.

Is this a Wakizashi? It appears this was listed on eBay back in January and sold for $330. The seller has horrible feedback and I don't know if it was returned. The blade looks to be in worse shape now(I can't get the eBay photos to show up big) I personally wouldn't pay over $200. Even if you wanted to piece it back together you'll spend a while looking for a habaki to "somewhat" fit. And it'll never be correct. Plus the cost of getting a Tsuka made etc.