Scogg

I've never seen an oil quenched Showa-to with Shirasaya + oshigata. I'm sure they are out there, I just haven not seen such a nice display for a showato. My guess is water quenched, but I will look forward to more photographs! The Oshigata appears to show more hamon activity, but even that is hard to see and blurry. I will be looking forward to more pictures! My beginner two cents, Cheers, -Sam

Ive seen a few of these pop up on eBay over the last few years. I assume: they are oddities, meant to entice collectors into thinking they're bidding on an "ultra RARE and unusual item" maybe worth lots of $$$. When in reality it's just mixed parts pieced together. Just my two cents, I'd love to be proven wrong, if anyone has a historical precedent for such an item! -Sam

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/47942-ai-and-nihonto-chatgbt/#comment-497930 Here's a thread I started in the Izakaya in February about ChatGBT, with the prompts and answers that I fed it. Cheers, -Sam

I've used chatGBT a few times in this hobby, in an attempt to clarify some vocabulary that I struggled to differentiate. (Example: difference between hakikake and kaen boshi) I found it a little helpful... One thing I've noticed and worry about, is that it pulls from ALL internet information. Both reputable and less reputable. I've used it with mixed success, but it's given me some pretty misleading and incorrect information too. All in all, I've stopped using it entirely when studying Nihonto. I found it confused me more than it helped, and the time it took me to fact-check it's information; was the same amount of time it would take me to learn the info from the source anyway. If I stick with Markus Sesko publications, for example, I get a much better and more trustworthy understanding of what I am looking for. A crazy new world! I wonder what AI will be capable of in just 10 years. Cheers, -Sam PS. Using it to look at photos is an interesting exercise. I wonder if it takes information from for-sale listings; we all know how accurate those can be

Very cool and congratulations. Very neat and interesting kashira! Thanks for sharing, -Sam

Forum noun 1. A place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged. If not for this forum+books, I would have surely ruined a blade or two in my time collecting. Thank goodness forums like this exist, otherwise how many Nihonto would have ended up on the belt sander because people didn’t know better? For what it's worth, I inherited a sword at 11 years old. I didn't even know the word "NIHONTO" until I was 21. Thanks to books and this forum, I know much more now; and I am more prepared to appreciate blades in hand, when I am fortunate enough to view them. @Jacques D. your overly idealistic views on sword study totally neglect those of us who simply don't have easy access to swords, experts, polishers, and maybe most importantly: wealth. We simply can't all have those privileges. With all due respect, -Sam

Hi Connor, and welcome to the forum! My favorite three beginner books are the following: - Facts and Fundimentals of Japanese Swords: A collectors guide by Nobou Nakahara translated by Paul Martin - The Connoisseurs book of Japanses Swords by Kokan Nagayama - The Japanese Sword by Kanzan Sato All three of these books are in English, and they cover much of the same material with slightly different perspectives and writing styles. These are my personal favorites for beginners, but other opinions may vary. All the best, -Sam

I enjoyed the video, and thank you for sharing! Whether we like it or not, on an internet forum, we are forced to share videos and photos; and there's nothing wrong with that. I think that's why a lot of us are here. Maybe someday, someone will invent a method to teleport blades through a computer - so we can finally solve the issues of viewing a sword on a screen . Until then, Cheers, -Sam

Unfortunately, I believe this is a fake. The profile and the look of the tang appears crude and not right. The shinogi into the kissaki looks off to me. More than likely not Japanese. I hate to be the bearer of bad news… And a second opinion never hurts. -Sam

Hi Mike, Any chance you can get us a photograph of the tang (nakago)? This will reveal a lot of information about how the sword was made. Nakago photos will be best with the tip facing UP, and the butt of the tang DOWN, preferably against a dark background - and well focused / clear. The reason I ask = is because if this is a traditionally made sword, then theres really NOTHING you should do at home to restore it. Only a highly trained professional should attempt such a restoration. Often times with most WW2 swords, there's nothing to be done. They are as they are; a relic from the war - and it's often recommended to leave them as-is. Just my two cents. Cheers, -Sam

How neat! It’s been about one year since I acquired that wakizashi in the previous comment from Lewis. A really interesting piece in ww2 fittings that I enjoyed owning. I no longer own that sword. I sold it to partially fund a project blade I’m having restored. I was able to sell it to one of its previous owners, which made me happy to reunite blade and collector. Anyway, I still have my (novice) notes. I believed it to be original length (ubu), and maybe late Muromachi period. For comparisons sake: Kiri yasurime. Iorimune. My blade had muneyaki and hitatsura. Nagasa: 41cm Nakago: 11.5cm Total length: 52.5cm Motohaba: 30.2 mm Sakihaba: 24 mm motokasane: 6.8 mm sakikasane: 5 mm All the best, -Sam

I’ve decided I’m going to list this sword for sale, along with the wakizashi shown in the link below. I will donate a small percentage of the proceeds to NMB for the generous help y’all have provided in translating and identifying (thank you @Spartancrest @Matsunoki and others in my tsuba thread). The rest I will put towards a new sword more tailored to my tastes. I hope this is the ethical course of action as I have no intentions on being a dealer - but I want to turn these over to support my collecting habit. Cheers! -Sam

Here’s some photos of the sword. Pretty weird collab of fittings. Weird tassel too, and it might be a fake, made from bolo tie? I’ve never seen one like it. Waiting for a tassel thread to post it to, but I’m not convinced it’s Japanese @Bruce Pennington I got this sword, and a wakizashi at a local gun show for what I think was a very affordable deal. Cheers, -Sam

Thank you Mal, that’s super helpful! It’s nice to have a well documented smith to look into. This sword has a 69cm nagasa, and bohi. It has a well defined Showa stamp. Certainly not one of the other less common stamps I see on some of his swords. I understand this means it’s not traditionally made, and I think it looks oil quenched. The sword is in lower-end civilian fittings, without a WW2 component to speak of. I suspect someone might have pieced it together for martial art practice. I’ll get a photo soon. The yakote has been polished down a little unfortunately, but it can still be seen. Cheers, -Sam

No apologies necessary Colin and Peter! I’m here for exactly this kind of discussion and I appreciate your feedback. Everything you’ve said Colin makes a lot of sense; and I think you’re correct! I got this item at a local gun show, and like mentioned above, I do like it personally - even if it’s bits and pieces. I like the color scheme and blade. But don’t worry, my feelings won’t be hurt by the truth Full transparency here: I sold a non traditional showato in type 98 fittings. With the money I got another showato that’s particularly long in custom fittings, and also this wakizashi - in addition to taking a few hundred dollars home. So two swords for one, and some extra cash - I think I did OK, maybe not great . Cheers, -Sam

Yes the menuki are indeed crude. Like mentioned, they do the job from a distance I would be very surprised if this were fake or a tourist item. The blade is ubu with a nice hamon with lots of nie - in nie deki. High shinogi, and 23 inch Nagasa. I’ve handled a lot of fake swords, and this doesn’t give me any of those vibes. It was my assumption… That this is a late edo wakizashi, maybe for a merchant. It has lower end (especially the menuki) but properly fitted fittings. Possibly fitted even more recently. Im no expert, but this was my impression of the sword. BUT I will always defer to the more knowledgable if ya’ll think otherwise. Thank you all, I appreciate the discussion! Cheers, -Sam

Oops double post*

Thank you! I liked it too. Its no showstopper, but I thought it was a really nice package for the trade/price The Menuki don’t appear particularly fancy or ornate to my (novice) eye, but they are large!

Thank you Dale! That’s very helpful and informative. That makes sense because I believe it is on what is a late edo wakizashi, and it fits pretty well. I thought the koshirae was an attractive set. Much appreciated!

Thank you so much! Much appreciated All the best, -Sam

I am again interested by another tsuba; found on a sword I received in a sale/trade. It has a nice rich color to it. I was hoping for your thoughts about it. Is it of any quality? What is the motif? All constructive discussion welcome. Let me know what you think! Cheers, -Sam

Was hoping for some help translating the mei on this non-traditional WW2 showato. I did not apply the chalk - it was already there. Thank you! Cheers, -Sam

Recently got a couple swords in a trade. One had this dragon themed fuchi, and I was hoping for help translating. Thank you! Cheers, -Sam

That seems a likely scenario! Previously I had wondered about the possibility of suicide or hunger. I wonder how Marcus Sesko aquired his death-date, and if any other info was available. You've caused me to go down a rabbit hole of the bombing campaign in July before the big bombs were dropped; very interesting! Thank you! -Sam