Scogg

Nice examples guys. I'm enjoying reading along, and it's really incredible how affordable some of these sabers can be. Not to derail anything - but just something I can add. I once purchased what I thought was a parade saber, that had a black horn mekugi, company grade backstrap, and a button lock for the saya. I cannot remember if it had one or two hangers. The nakago was mumei and had a Seki Stamp above the ana. I wish I had taken photos... I ended up trading it at the same event that I purchased it at - for a nihonto wakizashi with green ito in civ gunto mounts. Wish I still had that one, because now it's lost to time . Cheers, -Sam

Well, he's an archeologist with a professor sister, plays high level chess, and regularly emails people from Argentina to Turkmenistan... Something tells me it's not poor translations, and he's telling us exactly what kind of person he is. I commend the zen patience being displayed in this thread

Hi John, I am not so sure that is an outer layer. To me, it looks like when the blade was cut it then had the edges/corners filed slightly. Presumably to make the area less sharp. Hard to tell for certain though. Cheers, -Sam

Just got done reading through this whole thread again. Quite eye-opening! There are a few of those brass handle examples in the earlier pages. One thing that I noticed in some of the early pages, something not otherwise mentioned as a "fake identifier" - is that some of the fake swords have a pretty steep / exaggerated IORIMUNE. And this feature is mirrored on the scabbard mouth. The ^ shape on some of these fakes is steep; while the genuine examples I’ve encountered it’s not. Just an observation that I'm curious if anyone else has noted. -Sam Different fake sword’s saya below:

Much appreciated Trystan, that really helps me wrap my head around this. Amazing that so many swords were made prior to March 1940. A good chunk of the 95's I encounter bear the Kokura Cannonballs I cannot express how much I appreciate your and Thomas's help (Kiipu). I've learned a lot really fast, and I am still digesting it all. I owe you guys one! -Sam

As someone who appreciates and values art, and therefore Nihonto - It's really baffling to me too. I have had a table at the monthly local Militaria show. You'd be amazed how much interested my 'not for sale' Type95 gets, over the Type98 Showato I had, or even my Hozon papered Wakizashi in shirasaya (sudo kunitsugu). Militaria collectors look at the Papered Wakizashi with distain! It's like they scoff at the fact it's been polished after manufacture, and the shirasaya screams to them "not original fittings". Meanwhile they try to offer me crazy money for the 95 (near 2k). Honestly, I just don't get it. I don't host tables at these shows anymore - and instead just attend as a guest. Ray's example with the Tokyo 1 Star, is in really great shape. I'd jump on it, if it were reasonably priced! Just my experience. Cheers, -Sam

I’ve actually seen this fake before, with identical serial numbers. Hard to know if it’s the same exact fake sword, or if there are many out there with the same number. I suspect the latter. When I saw the thumbnail of the whole sword, I clicked to see if it was one I could catalog. So at first glance it fooled me! But only for a moment, until I saw the other photos and saw them full sized. Ive begun keeping a separate list of some of the regular fakes that I see too. -Sam

Thank you Trystan, that's very helpful and interesting. Does that mean every Type95 sword with the 4 cannonball Kokura stamp, was made prior to March 1940?

It’s crazy isn’t it? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I have my theories: Gendaito and Nihonto are works of art, and with that, comes a large and long learning curve. I think many militaria collectors are intimidated by Gendaito, and even showato. They have to settle with the fact that they cannot translate Mei, and they may struggle to fathom who might have carried the sword in the war, and what rank. They also require more careful storage and handling. There’s also a large scale of quality that they might find difficult to perceive. Militaria collectors like things that are standardized and can be more easily researched. The Type 95 better fits this mould. They are serialized, so it’s easy to fathom how many may have been made, it’s easy to imagine who might have carried it, and it’s easier to confirm if it’s genuine, from their point of view. Militaria collectors are many, Nihonto and Gendaito collectors are relatively few. Sometimes I wonder if 95s are being bought up and stored in long term collections, increasing their rarity in the market. While Gendaito and Showato are experiencing a sell off in comparison. Just my thoughts on the matter. Nothing for certain. Cheers, -Sam

Spotted on eBay. What are your thoughts on this one? Looks right at a glance… Convincing even from afar. Then you dig a little deeper and see those oddly sized stamps (especially kokura cannonball stamp), and crusty looking tsuka. A funny looking washer on the mekugi. Also, it doesn't align with swords that I have listed with near serial numbers. The more I look the more it looks wrong. Beware! -Sam

Yes, I am confident this is a genuine example. Does it have a matching saya number? Cheers, -Sam

Hi Glenn, welcome to the forum! Congrats on your sword purchase, I think these type 95s are ultra cool. I regularly see type 95s sell for between 800 and 1500 dollars on eBay - so I think you did maybe not GREAT, but pretty good . Especially having matching scabbard numbers. Your fuchi has the Iijima stamp, the TO 東 stamp, and the four cannonball kokura stamp, and your blade also has the 東 stamp after the serial number. Your Type 95 is the "pattern 2" type - featuring the 9mm brass tsuba, copper fuchi, and aluminum cast handle. It appears yours is missing its sarute (but that's really no biggie). I cannot help you with a definitive specific date of manufacture - but I believe it was made between 1940 and 1945. (the really early ones were made in the late 30s) Cheers, -Sam

Hi Bruce! I'd love to share the story, so here goes nothin'! Sorry, but I suffer from being a long winded storyteller On January 26th, I flew home from the Vegas Sword Show, and promptly jumped in my car to attend a local Militaria show. There's a local group in Portland, called "Oregon Arms Collectors", and they host Militaria sale shows about once a month at the Armory. On January 26th, the theme was "Arms of Japan", so I didn't want to miss it. I often attend these shows and "treasure hunt" for items that spark my interest, or fit my collection. Funny enough, there were more Type 95s to catalog at the Portland show than there were at the Vegas arms fair . At the Jan26th Porltand show, I encountered the Parade Saber. I was initially put-off by it's straight blade and double fuller, but intrigued nonetheless. When I got home, I promptly opened my Dawsons cyclopedia, found the closest matching parade saber I could find (E&F Horster), and posted my questions on NMB. You and Conway were the first to reply and help me identify what I was seeing. So, I then had to wait until the next Militaria show, and HOPE, that the saber was there and still available. Thankfully it was! So I bought it, along with some cool wartime Japanese magazines. I have no intentions on parting with it, because I think it's about the coolest parade saber I'll likely ever find "in the wild". Cheers, -Sam http://www.oregonarm...s.com/gun-shows.html

Double Suya Stamp - on my recently acquired E&F Horster Type 19 Field Grade Kyu Gunto - dress saber. Cross posting here because I’m still excited to have found it Cheers, -Sam

I went back and forth writing a detailed response to the original question, but I decided to leave it short and sweet instead: I simply hope for the best, but make sure I am prepared for the worst. Cheers, -Sam

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate your help, and my friend who has this sword, is beyond excited to have found something 'so old'. ( he usually just collects militaria rifles ) Should I assume this piece to be gimei? Or is the rather specific mei, a good sign for zaimei? Cheers, -Sam

Thank you Ray! You’re the best! -Sam

Thank you Ray! You’re a huge help. He took some more photos, but not sure if they are any more clear. He’s very excited to have got it! Much appreciated, -Sam

A friend recently got this wakizashi in a bulk purchase, and I helped walk him through getting the tsuka off. He sent me these photos and would love to learn more about it. Cheers, -Sam

Thank you Conway! Would you say that mine is field grade? Because it’s not tortoise shell, but a dark wood like material instead? After seeing your Horster stamp, I took another close look, and can confirm it’s either not there or rubbed off completely on mine. Do I see a double suya stamp on yours, too? Thanks for all your help! I think it’s a cool sword. -Sam

Good question Bruce, I am not sure! I’m not super familiar with these and am having a fun time thumbing through my books. The red circled area looks a little different to me. The cherry blossoms are 10 pedal.

As promised, here is the straight blade parade saber I had my eyes on. I purchased it today for $200 USD. Unfortunately there are no German markings on it that I can find. Although, the double suya stamp is cool! @Conway S @Bruce Pennington Some observations: Straight blade, plated. No edge. Double fuller. ”Wood” grip material? Ornate back of handle. Double suya stamp. Single scabbard hanger. Approximately 33 inches long from where the handle starts 32.2 inches long from where “edge” starts. I like it! I think it’s neat. I plan to hold onto it as an example in my collection of a cool and unusual parade saber. The magazines in the photo I also got today. -Sam

I think that price is reasonable and fair. Best of luck with your sale. Im not sure about forum reputation and sales, and there’s also the part that this is a machine made blade rather than a Nihonto. @Brian , our moderator, can help answer those questions, if he’s willing. I will say you will likely have more views and interest amongst militaria collectors over Nihonto collectors. But there’s also a bit of overlap between the two

Not sure if I’m seeing this correctly, but it looks like the tongue moves

Of the swords that I have listed, the highest serial number sword without fuller is 216064. Wood handle, metal scabbard, stamp undicernable. I only have that specific feature (or lack of) mentioned on 5 of the swords I've cataloged. Anyone have a higher serial number example? Cheers, -Sam