Scogg

No. I have never seen a genuine Type 95 with a serial number that starts with zero. I do have many fake examples cataloged that start with a zero. The example in the photos below are an example of a well-done FAKE. This exact example has appeared on facebook 4 times now, from the same individual, over the last 6 weeks. Varying commenters falsely proclaim that it's legit. Unfortunately it's not real. -Sam

Had a photo session this morning and was able to get some better photos

While I don’t have a time machine, and cannot confirm with certainty that these marks are battle damage. I suspect that at least one of them is kirikomi. At the very least, it is fun to think about. O-suriage mumei katana. -Sam

Some collectors describe certain wartime mei as “chippy” because the strokes appear to be done quickly and lack precision. This can make them difficult to read and translate. Your sword is a good example of this type of signature, which is why matching the characters can be challenging. Best of luck, -Sam

Good eye John! Thank you. I’ve been sitting here with a flashlight trying to get good photos. The seam is very hard to spot from the outside, but where you note, and on the inside, it is clearly a two piece construction

Hi @Kiipu, To my eyes, the wood insert appears to be one solid piece. Although, some splitting and scratching on the mune side gives me pause, and makes me second guess that judgement. The aluminum tsuka also appears to be one solid piece, with the only casting seams visible on the interior. If there is a tell-tale way to determine if it’s been cast as one, or joined, please let me know and I will check. I’d be happy to mail it to you if you’d like to check it out in-hand. -Sam Edit: Wood insert is a two piece construction

I was given this tsuka over the weekend. Just the tsuka and fuchi, no blade. I disassembled the barrel nuts and removed the wood insert. I thought I’d share here. It is not recommended to disassemble type 95 swords, so I figured this might be an interesting image for those of you who have wondered how it looks. This specific example has the four cannonball stamp, Nagoya 名 stamp, and Gifu 岐 stamp. -Sam

More of his photography can be found on his related Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/share/1DAqLdB2Cn/?mibextid=wwXIfr

I was given this tsuba over the weekend along with some loose type 95 and 98 parts. It has the Gifu in Sakura stamp on one side, and a partial seki stamp on the other

@drb 1643, amazing! Thank you so much! Now I only need the one more example to complete my photo needs. Wooden handle with bohi. If I see one for sale anywhere, I will let you know. Thank you again! You’ve been a huge help. -Sam

Only two more variations and I should have all the photos that I need. Thanks everyone! Pattern# = Handle type - Tsuba type - Latch - Bohi - Ito - Saya - Kiipu variation number. *Pattern 3 variant blade without bohi (Suya) = Aluminum handle - Top Latch - Steel Tsuba - No Bohi - Symmetrical Ito. Metal Saya. variation 6.* Pattern 5 = Wooden handle - Steel Tsuba - Side Latch - With Bohi - Metal Saya with drag - (NA名). variation 7.

I see those unsigned flags go for around $100 at the militaria shows. Sometimes more, sometimes less. You've got 5 of them there, plus, I presume, some kind of liner. In my opinion that's around $500 in flags, maybe $50 for the liner. ~$550 in materials alone. Add the "cool factor" of it being a sword bag and accessory to a gunto? I agree with Bruce, that you can probably choose your price. I would not be surprised to see something like that go for around $1000; or add a premium to the sword. IMO, As someone who really likes these kinds of accessories. -Sam

Thanks @ChrisW! I hope to attend the Chicago show either this year or next. I still need to do the Orlando show too. Trying to do all the USA based shows at least once, and then hopefully to DTI In the short term, looking forward to the Vegas show. -Sam

Each member had a table where they could display their items. Rules basically were, you have to ask to handle anything, and it's up to the sword owner to decide how that happens. Etiquette was instructed when necessary due to the wide range of experience of our members; ranging from people I consider expert, to entry level individuals with questions about their inherited blades. There was a huge variety of items, and some very high-end blades; including probably the best Aoe blade i've ever seen, and also a Tametsugu. Huge thanks to the more seasoned members and attendees for bringing such incredible swords to study - my only complaint is the lighting in the venue that I chose, and that I didn't have more time to admire those blades. I hope to smooth out those wrinkles on the next meetup, and be more prepared. I'm very excited people were able to make it, and support my efforts to get a club going out here again. Feeling very grateful, and humbled. -Sam

The first meeting was a huge success! Big thanks to everyone who made it, and brought swords to show. Hope to have our next meeting this spring/summer 2026 in Washington state

Had our PNW Token Kai this evening, and a friend of mine and club member has what I believe to be a wartime sword bag. The owner noted that it’s made of a very similar material that he’s observed on some Japanese uniforms. It definitely appears to have some age

@drb 1643 great collection! Those are great photos, thank you so much! This helps me very much and nearly completes my lists. Yes, I’d love to see your ito wrapped example too, if time permits. Thank you again! I owe you one! These will go into my document promptly. All the best, -Sam

@Nazar, I’m always amazed when people remember what books I’ve got in my reference library Yes, I’ve got what you’re looking for. I only found Kiyonobu in one of the three, and it’s the same one from that old thread. I’ll include all the pages relevant to Kiyonobu below. Something that immediately grabs my attention, is the abrupt change in nakago-jiri on the arsenal setting example. I hope this helps, Best regards, -Sam

Both sides were definitely ground down, for reasons I fail to imagine. Bruce's theory makes as much sense as any, but then, why stop half-way through the conversion? Have you seen any others with this "machi-okuri situation" @John C?

Spotted on eBay https://ebay.us/m/HpCkpX

I saw him at the SF show, and he explained that he does not come to the forums much anymore. Although, he had heard through the grapevine that I admired one of his swords; and let me study it under some lighting. He’s a real great guy. So if you’re lucky, in time, he may hear of this thread and reach out to you. Best of luck, -Sam

This is terrible news… I had recently gotten to know Richard via email correspondence, talked about photography, and hoped to put face to name someday as we live really close by. He had said he was recovering from a procedure. His photos of tosogu are really stunning. Condolences to his friends and family. https://www.rkgphotos.com/articles/ktk_photo_document_2019.pdf https://m.youtube.com/@rkgatteleport/videos

You can probably imagine how difficult it would be to draw a sword straight off your back over your head/shoulder. Try the motion now: reach behind your head as if grasping a tsuka, then raise your arm as though you’re pulling a blade free. You’ll notice your arm doesn’t travel very far. With anything longer than a short blade, a significant portion of the sword would still be stuck in the saya on your back. The longer the sword, the longer your arms would need to be to clear the entire blade from the scabbard. Here's an example. You can see that even video game animators struggle with the physics of how this might work: (Note: this is just a silly video game, and is simply demonstrating how this would look and how challenging/awkward the action would be. Sorry about the song, I recommend muting it... not my video .)

Sounds awesome, David! If you are able to upload it to your website, I would love to share it with the PNW Token Kai members. Best of luck, -Sam

That really depends on the boshi. The kissaki can certainly be repaired, but it’s unclear whether it can be repaired without compromising the boshi. If the boshi is absent, it's considered a fatal flaw. Can we maybe see some close-ups of the nakago? -Sam