Scogg

Perhaps the blade is older than the Satsuma Rebellion. My non-expert collectors guess; I would say no earlier than shinto period. The hamon, sugata, and nakago, give me a strong shinto to shinshinto impression. Other opinions may vary... Take mine with a grain of salt. -Sam

A pleasure Darcy! Welcome to the forum. I totally understand your reluctance to dismantle it. I myself, owned an old katana for nearly 20 years before I had the courage to take it apart; due to my reverence for history and my grandfather who gave it to me; also inexperience with Japanese swords. You are not alone in that hesitation! But like Rohan said, it's totally safe, and normal to take it apart. My advice would be to take some good photos beforehand, so you can be sure to re-assemble it correctly. (sometimes people mix-up the seppa (washers around the guard). Be very careful, and understand it might be a little "stuck" after being mounted that way for ~80 years. Just go slow, and be careful. Kind of a long video, but worth watching before you try: (Skip to the 6:30 mark, for disassembly of a sword in fittings)

Hello Blue, is that your name? We do ask members to use at least a first name so we can address one another politely. We're old school like that As Rohan mentioned above, there’s unfortunately very little we can determine from the photos. For more info, you’ll need to share clear images of the tang (nakago) and the blade removed from all of its fittings. That said, based on what is visible, you appear to have a World War II era Type 98 Shin-guntō. Notable features include a scabbard with a leather combat cover, what looks to be a surrender tag (the white cloth with writing), and a company-grade blue/brown officer’s tassel. At first glance, everything appears consistent with genuine WWII-period components. Seeing the tang is critical. Swords mounted in WWII fittings like yours can house: 1. An arsenal-made blade. 2. A traditionally made wartime blade. 3. A traditionally made older antique blade (often referred to as a “family blade”). 4. Or something else entirely . The blade and the mounts are two separate components of a WW2 Japanese sword, and the tang will reveal a great deal about the blade part. Best of luck, -Sam

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I also believe both swords are not Japanese. But still, they hold memories of your father and his friend with a shared interest in martial arts. So that’s something to cherish. Sincerely, -Sam

Speaking entirely personally, the Sho-Shin website took some time to get used to. The variety of fonts and colors, and unclear what is and isn't a link, felt very busy at first. I’ve gotten the hang of it now, and it's an awesome resource. Your project would be much appreciated, and it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time. Looking forward to it! It already looks great. -Sam

Thank you so much. Mine must measure 4.5mm. I was curious what was meant by “diameter” so I measured everything I could. I hope this is the right area. Much appreciated for your continued help. It means a lot. -Sam

Can you help me understand what the “Chyukan” is? You said the “U shaped part”, but I’m having a hard time identifying what/where this piece is. Is it this recessed area, the area that holds the spring, that I’ve highlighted with red?

Thanks @Kiipu, I’ll have to edit some things in my notes for more proper terminology. Here are photos of the top and bottom of the ferrule. No stamps or numbers that I can see, and the top has a curious circular grind/scratched pattern. Other than the latch assembly, the rest of the ferrule material appears to be copper, and is not magnetic. Does not appear to be plated.

And here is 300207 I think, a very long time ago, @PNSSHOGUN had asked if a consecutive number had ever been seen. This is the first i've encountered.

Thanks to Bruce's help, for the first time I have encountered consecutive serial numbers. These are on wooden handle pattern 6 swords, with the wooden saya that has the metal chape. 300207 ヘ 300208 ヘ Pretty cool to have the surrender paperwork with it too, showing it was taken in Korea in October 1945. Thanks @Bruce Pennington! -Sam

Maybe old news to some of you, but I found it fascinating how the tension spring for this latch was engineered. I put together an infographic to show how it works. The “spring” is a small, hardened piece of metal. There’s no solder, glue, or fastener involved. Instead, it’s precisely sized and held in place by tension and geometry; and can only be removed when the fuchi is separated from the other fittings. It’s no surprise that this piece often goes missing on some examples. Another good reason not to disassemble the Type 95 Gunto. (This is from a loose tsuka and fuchi that came to me without a blade). -Sam

My thinking was that the more modern gimei and explicit intention to deceive makes this one dangerous, and worthy of the fake section. Not your everyday gimei. -Sam

Hi Shane, @shanel82 welcome to the forum! Well done on the photo and orienting it correctly on a dark background. That helps legibility a lot. I am going to relocate your post to the "translation assistance" section, becasue I think you will get a faster reply there. Is there anything on the other side of the nakago? All the best, -Sam

Hi Joshua, and fellow Oregonian. While it's not specifically Japanese focused, you might be interested in the following Portland militaria events. http://www.oregonarmscollectors.com/gun-shows.html Lots of good guys with knowledge about guns and other various militaria. I often see Japanese bayonets there. I won't be at the January event, but I will be at the following February event. If you'd like, feel free to send me a message and I can bring along a book that covers some bayonet and stamp information. Best of luck, -Sam

Being a diagnosed dyslexic myself, makes this stuff pretty challenging. Even keeping word order and spelling straight in English can be rough. I usually reread my posts 5-10 times before I finally catch mistakes that other people notice almost immediately. Sometimes I don't even see those mistakes until I leave and come back with a fresh perspective. It gets even harder when kanji are involved, especially counting strokes. A lot of that comes from just not being familiar with another language, but it still takes a fair amount of effort. I've done it before, but I don’t really like using dyslexia as an excuse, because it’s just part of my everyday life. It’s very common, and most people who have it don’t even know, and those who do, often don't lean on it like an ailment. I literally don't even know what it's like to NOT have dyslexia . As I understand it, there's varying levels severity with dyslexia, so I must have the more common mild version... So it may be the cause for mistakes in spelling here and there, but it's typically no biggie. It makes me a slower and more careful learner, and I think that's a good thing. I even read slowly, which is how I was flagged to then be diagnosed while I was in school. I still have to google MENUKI and MEKUGI half the time, so I don't mix them up -Sam

A big part of me really wants to take some soft-metal jewelry classes, and try my hand at habaki making.

Good question Jean. This pattern of the Type 95 is secured with a barrel nut where the sarute is located. On later patterns, they added a mekugi in the more traditional location. Nice looking Pattern1 Copper hilt type 95. For those who may not know, they made less than 7000 of this pattern, making them pretty rare. Best of luck with the sale, -Sam

Hi @Nazar, very shiny! Yes, unfortunately this is a fake. The biggest tell aside from the brass tsuka; is the bohi terminating early. Also the stamps are oversized and incorrect. Among other incorrect fetures. I have personally never seen a genuine Type 95 with anything carved on the habaki. If one does exist, it would have been done after manufacture. All the best, -Sam

Hi @Bendy, Unfortunately this sword is a fake, and not made in Japan. https://www.jssus.org/nkp/fake_japanese_swords.html Thanks to @Bugyotsuji's translation in the other thread before it was split, he stated: "Ishii Tarō 石井太郎 A random name added for decoration I would guess." When I split the thread, many of the comments did not carry over unfortunately, but this basically sums it up. Apologies for the bad news, -Sam In an attempt to clean things up for now, i've hidden the posts on the Mantetsu thread. Apologies @Hector @Bruce Pennington . Maybe Brian can merge them here in time.

Steve, this resource is only worth getting if you actually intend to use it. To be blunt, your forum history shows a consistent pattern of ignoring recommended materials and coming back to have the same information spelled out for you. At this point, it comes across less like you’re here to learn and more like you’re here to avoid learning, by outsourcing the effort to others. If that doesn’t change, there’s no reason to believe these books will be any different from the resources you’ve already ignored. I genuinely hope that pattern changes, but only you know your true motivations. -Sam

That’s one of the three books. The links provided above by eternal newbie have all the books. There’s three links there for three books

These links to the hard copy books are great, and I prefer hard-copy material myself. That being said, the Ebook is awesome for it's accessibility. It's very convenient to be able to type in keywords. The link for the ebook (containing the material of all three hardcover books) is below: https://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/e-swordsmiths-of-Japan/ebook/product-22166224.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqeQBaThZ2o0X085aNFYw5Y1q5GldfPJ53UVvmFiQ0_z2vRxLxn&page=1&pageSize=4

Spotted on Facebook this week. This pattern1 copper hilt Type 95 once appeared on an Australian list from Donald Barnes over 20 years ago; and is also listed in Jim Dawsons Cyclopedia. In all sources, the 501 number forward the habaki is noted. What makes this one extra interesting, is that it’s the highest serial number pattern1 that I have on file. Obviously, there are probably higher serial numbers out there, but this is the latest that I've ever personally seen and cataloged. Pretty cool to see it surface again. Sharing is caring! Seasons greetings, -Sam Copper tsuka pattern 1 Type 95. Serial number matching saya 6561 , with 501 forward the habaki: (Not my photos)

Great eye @Curran, yes it was a marvelous brass tsuba; and if I remember correctly, early edo period. It was overlooked by most because of all the blades, but it really was something special. I have not focused on tsuba very much, otherwise I’d have retained more information about it. A high class piece, no doubt. We’d love to have you, and I hope you have a safe and easy move out here! It’s a wonderful place to be. Let me know when you’ve settled in. Would be great to put face to name -Sam

It does not appear Japanese to me. Even in the very unlikely event that it was once Nihonto, one has to ask why someone would alter it so drastically; especially in a way that closely resembles common Chinese reproductions. Even amateur or at home restorations typically don’t replicate the consistent features seen on Chinese forgeries like the nakago and mei. I apologize for any bluntness, but that is my honest assessment. Best regards, -Sam