Scogg

No shipping information yet for me. I’m not too worried, as the Yamato book arrived without issue

Much appreciated John, also Bryce and Conway for your help. A very exciting surprise! -Sam

Yes, although it appears to me, to be unpainted under the other metal fittings and existing haikan. So if one was removed, even with protecting leather, it would be the only metal part on the saya that was painted underneath. Unless the paint has just rubbed off under these parts. But to me, they appear to be painted around and not under. I’ve been wrong before though, and certainly will be again. I could be misinterpreting what I’m seeing. -Sam

Thank you Bryce. I’ve taken it out to inspect and photograph the saya. Unfortunately, I do not have a high level of confidence that the saya paint is original. Also, it is in poor shape. It appears to have been painted “around” the metal fittings in a fairly crude way. Some paint overlaps onto the fittings themselves. I cannot see any evidence of there ever being a second haikan, but maybe that area was painted over after it was removed? Just a thought/theory. I had assumed the saya was a more recent repair job, but I am open to all thoughts and opinions. I traded a type 95 in similar condition for this sword. Thanks for everyone’s input, -Sam

None visible. It appears that the saya may have been repainted at some point (there is some of that green paint on the metal haikan itself). I will investigate more closely when I get home today. The existing haikan is unusually thick. Also, it is able to wiggle on the saya a little bit; either misplaced or from shrinkage of the wooden saya Condition aside, I like the sword quite a bit. It was a fun one to find locally "in the wild". -Sam

Sorry to bring this one up again, John@PNSSHOGUN, but I am curious of your opinion on my sword. I had assumed it to be a Type 98 simply because of the single hanger. Is there a possibility that this is actually a Type 94? Single hanger, center chuso, thick pierced tsuba, wooden saya, and with a long Shinto blade. All the best, -Sam

Wow, Trystan @BANGBANGSAN!!! That’s the earliest aluminum tsuka I’ve ever seen (6756). The latest copper example I have recorded is 6561, which places the transition from copper to aluminum tsuka within just 195 units. Incredible! Thank you so much for sharing this. It's incredibly satisfying to be able to add such a critical datapoint in this range. I really like these early suya 95s with the mekugi puncturing the aluminum ito. Do you recall if it had a matching saya? Was this something you found in the wild? Thanks so much, -Sam

I've got that one listed too, and included the asking price in the notes. Probably matching saya, but missing that third digit: 40_4 For reference, you could get a very nice gendaito for these kinds of prices. And for 8k+, i'd probably pick a tokuho nihonto... That being said, I only have about 100 copper handles recorded. How many are out there? If the number of surviving coppers is in the hundreds or low thousands, then maybe the price is justified. Hard to know, -Sam

Yes, it's the scarcity, I would say. For reference, (these numbers are rough figures from my head, and not precise): There were around ~200k Type 95 NCO gunto swords produced. Only around ~6600 were the pattern 1 copper handle version. And even fewer survived the conflict. Nobody knows exactly how many remain. So, these copper handle 95s are few and far between and therefore very desirable for militaria/sword collectors. -Sam

These copper handles are demanding insane prices these days. The #161 copper that Marcin is referring to, was sold in a goodwill auction for $3001, and then put on eBay ~48 hours later for $9k. It sold on eBay in early august for $8,999, plus delivery ... Craziness if you ask me... And I really want one too! -Sam

Nice, that's a good one! I have a particular affinity for those early suya Pattern 2 swords. (in this case, probably a pattern 2a by my catalog list, meaning it likely has offset ito and the mekugi puncturing one of the ito knots.) All the best, -Sam

I encourage you to read through the threads I shared about this particular seller. Whether or not you had problems with the transaction is beside the issue. There you will find many stories of putting swords together from bits and pieces to maximize profit, amateur restorations, acid etching blades, and he has even been accused of shill bidding. These kinds of accusations have been going on for quite some time (like more than a decade). Something you should be aware of if you’re buying from him and reselling. I’d hate for any forum member to be associated with such unethical handling of swords. I say this with your interests at heart. -Sam

First and foremost, do not do anything to the tang (nakago). It’s very important that area remains unmolested. Otherwise, just a light cleaning and oiling is what you will want to do. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/faq/1-care-and-maintenance/ I would skip any use of uchiko. It ends up causing more harm than good unless you’re very familiar with what you’re doing and have high quality uchiko. Best of luck, -Sam PS. When in doubt, do not hurry. The blades have survived long before we were alive, and they will survive through our lifetime and beyond. So if you are uncomfortable with anything above, don’t feel bad to wait until you can do more research. If Nihonto has taught me anything in life, it’s patience

Looks like Teruhide to me. See image below (B.) for comparison. The images are recognizable as being from a problematic seller. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/12191-ebay-seller-showa22/ https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/showa22-again-711022/ Buyer beware... -Sam

PS... Sorry to ask for so many very specific photos. It’s just the nature of the beast in this hobby Your photos are actually quite well done, but for the more knowledgeable members to give good information: very specific angles and details are necessary. Even then, photographs of nihonto are almost always limited in what they can reveal. Often, the best way to get truly accurate information is to have the sword examined in person by an expert. Best, -Sam

Thank you for sharing your blades. Unfortunately, it's difficult to provide meaningful feedback based on the current photos. Because your swords are mumei (unsigned), we must rely entirely on their sugata (overall shape), hamon, hada, and other physical details to offer reliable feedback. I’ve attached a visual guide (see below) outlining how to photograph a nihonto for the most accurate feedback, please: - Photograph the entire blade (sugata) from a straight overhead angle, with the tip pointing north and tang pointing south. - Remove all fittings, including the habaki, to expose the full blade and tang (nakago). Also close-ups of: -The kissaki/boshi (tip) - The hada/hamon (grain/temper line) - The hamachi/munemachi (notches of the edge and spine @ the nakago) - The nakago/mei (tang/signature area, even if unsigned) Against a dark background is best. From what I can see so far, your blades appear to be suriage or osuriage mumei katana with extended kissaki, very likely pre-WW2. However, clearer and more complete images are needed for meaningful feedback. Can you discern a visible hamon in the kissaki area (Boshi)? Cool swords! All the best, -Sam

I recently picked up a sword, that similarly has what appears to be an intentionally/selectively removed menuki. I suspect Bruce is correct, especially if the missing menuki had the family mon on it (in my case, a possibility). Which would increase its perceived value. Just a theory about missing menuki. -Sam

Looks like a 3-5-3 kirimon Interesting sword! Yes, could very well be 1500s. The fittings are WW2 but the blade is older. Welcome to the forum All the best, -Sam

Hello, I_Kendo_It / E.N, Interesting sword! Just a quick reminder, as part of our forum guidelines, we ask that all members sign their posts with at least a first name. It helps keep the community friendly and personal. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/27534-welcome-to-the-forum-please-read-here-first-before-posting/#comment-277750 Welcome to the forum, and thanks for sharing your sword with us! All the best, -Sam

Not that it applies to this specific sword... I agree with Bruce, that your blade appears to be Chinese. But, threaded nakago are sometimes found on kyu gunto, and other 'wartime' sabers. So it's not always the "red flag" it might appear to be at first glance. All the best, -Sam

The problem with adjusting the search function restrictions, is that the search function can be easily bypassed via google. For example, if you type into google "Nihonto message board hakikake vs kaen", a post of mine, with the same title from a few years ago, is the first result. If you type "hakikake vs kaen" into NMB's seach bar, it's the third result. I actually don't use the NMB search function because i'm so used to "rapid fire" searching, that the pauses it gives me between searches becomes a hinderance. Instead I do it through google with the same or similar results at a faster pace. -Sam

Club update: First meeting is officially scheduled! Sunday December 7th 2025, 3pm-6pm, in Tualatin Oregon. Please message me for the address if you have not received the club email. A big thank you to the Multnomah Aikikai, who allowed me to visit their dojo with some of my collection, and talk Nihonto with their members. It was a great time, and fun to see others swords. Photo below. Looking forward to getting this ball rolling! -Sam

These days, NMB isn’t the only place people turn to for Nihonto information. Free communities on Facebook and Reddit are active and often feel more approachable to newcomers. Many of us use those platforms too. The challenge is: why would a new collector choose to support NMB financially? Longtime members understand NMB's value, but for someone just starting out, that value can be hard to see. Especially if their first experience here feels more negative than positive. I sometimes see derogetory comments about NMB on other platforms, usually stemming from early interactions that left a bad impression. That’s concerning, and likely a barrier to growing membership. We can still be honest and maintain the highest of standards; but with a more encouraging tone for those who are still learning. My first ever boss once told me: "A person with a bad experience will tell dozens of people. A person with a good experience might never mention it." Creating a more inviting environment will go a long way toward helping NMB grow subscriptions in the long run. That’s how I see it, anyway. -Sam Edit: All good ideas above. Banner adds wouldn’t bother me either

If you search this forum for that eBay seller, you will find many concerning testimonies. Buyers beware https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/12191-ebay-seller-showa22/page/3/

Yours is the “pattern 2” variant, with aluminum handle and brass tsuba, which is desirable. A mismatched scabbard hurts the value a little, but it is pretty common. I typically see matching sets go for between $750 and $1250, and sometimes more; so I would think around the lower end of that range. They are pretty collectible, and make for great displays. Depending on condition and the motivations of the buyer it could go for more or less. All the best, -Sam