Scogg

I made this guide recently to help folks take informative pictures of their swords. Taking photos against a dark and nonreflective background works best. As clear as you're able to. Also take a photo of the entire sword without fittings, centered from above - so the general profile of the blade can be seen from tip to tang. Tip north, and tang south. If you can get a good clear photo of all these things, it will help with identification. But keep in mind, that even perfect photographs might not be enough to definitively identify a blade, and expert in-hand assessment may be required (especially if condition is poor). But with the right pictures, the experienced people here can provide info and steer you in the right direction. Best of luck! -Sam

@Bruce Pennington appears to be happening to me again today

Hey Bruce, this exact thing happened to me late last week. Couldn’t figure it out. Eventually everything went back to normal by the evening As a precaution I deleted my cookies, restarted my devices, and made sure all my updates were.. up to date. That didn’t immediately fix the issue for me though. Glad things are working again. Bizarre though… -Sam

I'm sorry it took so long to let you know. I was reluctant to speak up for Jean; hoping he would address the inquiries about his wellbeing directly, or publicly. After a couple days of not hearing anything, I felt it was time to let you know - because I didn't want you or other members to continue to worry. You will always have my respect Stephen. Sorry things played out the way they did. -Sam

Sorry for reviving this old and long thread, but I spotted something on Facebook that’s relevant to the OP @Coldramen Seen on Facebook, here is a KEN mounted in koshirae with a very similar tsuba. So similar in fact, that it coincidentally is missing the same KIRI flower that my example is missing, even with the visible soldering underneath! Anyway, not trying to revive the off topic discussion, but this seemed relevant to the topic in question. -Sam

Here’s an unusual one of mine. Little mice/rats on what I think might be corn; or more likely millet. Can’t see their tails for ID. Hard to tell in the photos, but one is blackened, the other is brassy. Nothing spectacular, but something I can contribute -Sam

Thank you for clearing that up for me, Jacques Much appreciated, Cheers, -Sam

A swordsmith who signed Taira Shigemori is listed in my translation of FUJISHIRO KOTO HEN book. Does anyone who has a copy and can speak Japanese confirm? I only have the translation and it does not include oshigata. Page 502 SHIGEMORI TAIRA [MEIÔ 1492 BUNGO] SUEKOTÔ CHÛSAKU Signature: TAIRA SHIGEMORI Index SHIGEMORI TAIRA [MEIO 1492 BUNGO 221

Hi John, nice sword! Thank you for sharing. My records imply that your sword was made between June 1939 and September 1942. Other more experienced members on the forum may or may not be able to narrow that down. Yes, I can confirm that is a lightly stamped "TO" ( 東 ) on the blade. It is believed that the KOBE stamp with the "K" in flower, was dropped and replaced with the Ichi "-" in flower at some point in time. While the "K" KOBE stamp makes your sword particularly cool and scarce to collectors like me; the average Type 95 collector may not recognize it's relative rarity. Most have blinders on and only care to recognize the rarity and desirability of the copper handle pattern 1's versus the later paterns - and care less about the diversity of stamps and arsenals. I don't agree with this outlook on 95s, but it's what I see in the market, unfortunately. Hope that helps address some of your questions. Cheers, -Sam

Thank's ya'll for bringing this to my attention; and Chandler for the link. This is right up my alley! Looking forward to placing an order, and also the Yamashiro book. -Sam

Sorry for being a bit off topic. I was able to find a Taira Shigemori of Bungo listed in my translation of the Fujishiro books, although very little info is included. Same smith perhaps? Below in quotes: "SHIGEMORI TAIRA [MEIÔ 1492 BUNGO] SUEKOTÔ CHÛSAKU Signature: TAIRA SHIGEMORI"

Hi Joseph, I am the person who commented on your facebook post asking about the tsuka. And I am sorry for implying the sale might be a scam in the other thread that is linked above! I see now that you are an inquisitive owner of the item looking for information - and not trying to do anything nefarious. I'll edit my post on that other thread with a strikethrough to reflect my misunderstanding. Bruce makes really good observations that also gave me pause. I think a new set of photographs, including what Bruce requested, and of the tip of the blade, will help determine what we are seeing. Can we also see the spine of the sword, and the entrance to the scabbard? Anywhere there is wear-and-tear on the handle, does the metal look "silver/grey" or does it look "Brassy"? Cheers, -Sam

Thank you Yoon, I’ll definitely share when it’s all done, but it’s still likely years away. Here is a sneak peak of some of the better pictures I took. These are photos I took a while ago when I found it. Of the many pictures, these couple stand out. Photography of Nihonto, especially when the polish is not good, is really tricky. -Sam

My first Nihonto is one I inherited very young. The first Nihonto I purchased for myself was one I found at a gun show. Ended up being a good sword. Now it’s going through the long process of getting a new habaki, shirasaya, and hopefully polish and papers. Here are a couple of the photos I took when I first found it. I’ve learned a lot since then! Cheers, -Sam

Here's something more definitive. The copper tsuka pattern 1 Type95s had alternating ito knots at the fuchi like a traditional wrap; wheras this version has mirrored ito at the fuchi. The mirrored ito at the fuchi was later adopted for the aluminum pattern 2 tsuka. So this Tsuka certainly never belonged to an earlier blade, and I suspect a scam or a fake. I struggled to articulate this. Hope it makes sense. -Sam First two photos from facebook listing. Last photo with red circles around the fuchi and ito knot transition.

Thank goodness! I was fearing the worst. Hopefully he sees the visit from the police as confirmation that he’s got friends who care about him. Much appreciated for the update. -Sam

@paul griff Good eye! These DO look like two different tsuka. One being copper that has a mekugi added (not unheard of); and the other being one of the fake brass examples. (or both fake?) Some of the fake brass tsuka examples in particular have pretty convincing #s and stamps. Too many red flags. When I get home today I’ll compare to my archive and see if I have this one recorded. Cheers, -Sam Edit: new to my list, but I have several brass tsuka fakes listed in the ~13k’s. Tough call, and if a scam, a convincing one.

Hi @nihon I am familiar with this seller. He frequently sells very affordable items around the Facebook sword groups. His write ups and photos are thorough; so I recommend you study the pictures and his descriptions carefully. He has little patience for going back and forth with questions on items at these prices, and puts a lot of effort into covering his bases with photographs and descriptions. I’ve bought from him before. He’s honest and puts more effort into his listings than some would bother in this price bracket. He sometimes has great and affordable items, but you get what you pay for. -Sam

It’s my understanding that Brian has made decisions, and is working on it. The dustup with the site themes yesterday, might have taken priority. I don’t want to speak for Brian, but I expect to hear from him soon about the mods. Stay tuned! Cheers, -Sam

Jean has communicated with us here, in private message Still concerned about Dale though.

Woops, I forgot you’re in the UK. That complicates things, and I don’t blame you one bit. Based on your descriptions, and without diving into each individual smith, I think your 1-5 list sounds reasonable. You can always try the wanted to buy section too. You never know what’s out there! All the best, -Sam

Hi George, There is a wartime list that ranks swordsmiths; although condition, length, originality and other factors are also big market drivers. https://www.japaneseswordindex.com/tosho.htm Ray Singer recently had a nice probably Koto, Mumei mino blade in gunto mounts that might still be available if you message him. Nice length and active hamon. Otherwise your question is tough to answer, as so much comes down to personal preference. Personally I’d pick anything traditionally made first. If you want a showato, I’d maybe picked one made by a ranked smith for the paper trail. When I shop for swords, usually one will “speak to me”, so to say. So my advice is to keep looking until you feel that spark. Best of luck! I wish I were shopping for a sword right now -Sam

These fire service swords are pretty cool. A few different ones are featured in Jim Dawsons book “Swords of Imperial Japan 1868-1945 Cyclopedia edition”. I highly recommend the book if you’re interested in military swords of Japan. The author sells them direct via eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/116475828833?_skw=sword+of+imperial+Japan+1868-1945 One of the swords pictured in the book is the same style as yours (pg. 328). Dawson describes it as a “"D" guard fire service sword with folding tobiguchi hook in the scabbard tip”. He notes that of the three he observed from the Fuller collection, two had army company grade kyugunto backstraps, and one had a lieutenant level police backstrap. I’ve never seen one myself. Pretty cool! -Sam

@Dan tsuba I'm concerned too. Here is a link to the thread in the Izakaya section about it. There's some more recent updates there, but still no word from Dale.

Hypothetically, in a modern scenario; if you were to commission a shirasaya for your Naginata, then you could also request the craftsman make a tsunagi for the koshirae. Shirasaya makers often make tsunagi for the corresponding koshirae, so I see no reason why a yari or naginata would be any different - if that's what you want, and have the funds. Cheers, -Sam