Scogg

Hi @Esaiah1391, I’m going to relocate this to the general Nihonto section for now. Our for sales section is not for discussion, and it’s required by rule to have some specifications and an asking price. Let’s start elsewhere for the discussion for now. Your sword looks strange to my eyes… I’m struggling to make sense of what I’m seeing. Do you have more photos? Particularly of the entire blade without fittings? Regards, -Sam

One of our members here wrote the book below, and it also has a supplement. @mecox "Mino-To: Swords and Swordsmiths of Mino Province and Mino-To Supplement by Malcolm Cox. 1993." I'm not sure where it currently may be listed; but this is the first book that comes to mind. Best of luck, -Sam

Indeed Jean, maybe "cleaned" was not the best word choice for this situation. "Abraded" or maybe "grinded to oblivion" would have been more appropriate -Sam

Apologies for drifting off topic a little, but it looks like this one was so aggressively cleaned that the spine has gone from iori-mune to maru-mune or mitsu-mune. Amongst wartime Gendaito and Showato, do we ever see maru-mune or mitsu-mune? I’m not sure I recall ever seeing something other than iori-mune. Best, -Sam

I agree with Grey, that the chip is more than likely the result of mishandling. Battle damage usually looks pretty different. This sword was sold in January on facebook from a well-known seller. That seller did not state in the description anything about fire damage or re-tempering. I believe that this seller would have mentioned that, because i've seen him sell blades with fire damage before (if i remember correctly). Best, -Sam Description from that facebook seller in January:

Hello @Deba lover I separated your post from the other topic; because that topic was about an entirely different item from several years ago - a katana that had a cutting test. Best of luck with the translation. -Sam

Wonderful write-up Tom, thank you. @rebcannonshooter Generous input like that is what keeps the forum spinning. Thanks again and hope to chat soon, -Sam

Thanks Conway and Bruce. I’ve dug out my copy of Dawsons to refresh my memory on these police sabers. @Ghaad47, according to Dawsons on pages 300-313, your sword with that half-decorated backstrap is a sword for police lieutenants. The police logo on yours looks like what Dawson describes as a 16 ray badge, found on lieutenant and superintendent swords. Whereas a sword with a fully decorated backstrap (similar to the army field grade counterparts), are for police superintendents. These are shown on dawsons page 314-315. *Dawson, Jim. Swords of Imperial Japan, 1868–1945. Cyclopedia ed. Newnan, Ga.: Stenger-Scott Publishing, 2007. All the best, -Sam

The backstrap looks like the police logo to me. Could be a police super intendant dress saber. @Conway General grade would have the tortoiseshell handle material. I think yours would be company grade or field grade, although I'm not confident how those rankings work within the Japanese Police forces. See similar logo, on this sword sold on the forum years ago:

There's no information with the original post. We don't even know if this is his eBay page or tsuba. As far as we can tell, with no supporting information, this is simply a link to an item offsite. If the original poster would like to elaborate a little, then maybe it belongs elsewhere, but even still - rules have to be followed for the For Sale section. One of those gray areas. To me, it feels more appropriate here because we can't have everyone just posting their eBay links to the for sale section and bypassing the rules there. Ultimately, Brian makes the final calls. -Sam

Hi @Octavian2115, I will relocate your post to the military swords of Japan section. No need to take it apart. Unlike most Japanese swords, these are challenging to dissasemble and theres nothing illuminating on the tang of this specific type of sword. You risk damaging parts or having difficulty putting it back together again; especially if the wood liner inside the tsuka is compromised. So best to keep it assembled. What you have is a Variation#4 (aluminum hilt + steel tsuba) Type 95 Gunto with Nagoya inspector stamp on the blade. Based on the serial number against my interpretation of my records, I beleive yours was made around 1941-1942. That stamp near the serial number is: 名 = Na = 名古屋陸軍造兵廠監督課, Nagoya Army Arsenal Supervisory Section. All the best, -Sam

The For Sale section is intended for members selling items directly through the NMB. The Auction section is reserved for external auction listings, online sales, and related discussion. A moderator or administrator relocated this thread from the For Sale section because it did not include photos, item details, or an asking price. Those details are required by rule for that section. If a post consists only of an eBay link with no supporting information shared on the forum itself, it belongs in the Auction section. In this case, this forum member chose to list the item through eBay rather than sell directly through the NMB. Best, -Sam

A little snapshot of my "Fake Archive" around this serial number range. Disclaimer: I record these with much less diligence than genuine examples. I primarily just like to get the serial number and what makes it fake. This faker seems to really like the serial numbers 7, 2, 1, and 0. -Sam (Columns in order left to right: Serial# - Tsuka and pattern - tsuba material - ferrule material - ferrule stamps - Scabbard # and notes - source - Notes.)

Will have to wait for @Brian for this one. I don’t have mod privileges of this section (or the izakaya). Best, -Sam

Very much looking forward to it. Will be my first Orlando show. It’s the Yamato masterpieces that really made me want to make the trip this year. Hope to see some of ya’ll there. -Sam

Making progress! But still shopping for variations. Right now, the following are my main targets: -Variation 3, (Aluminum hilt, brass tsuba). -Variation 8, (Wood hilt, no fuller, metal scabbard with drag). -Variation 9, (Jinsen. Wood hilt, scabbard with chape). PM me if you're interested in selling. -Sam

SOLD! With donation made to the board. Will archive in a day or two. Thanks to the buyer, and to those who showed interest, All the best, -Sam

This is new to me... I wonder what would have happened if it were a General Grade Type 19 Kyu Guntō; that have hawksbill tortoiseshell handle material

Marcus Sesko publications are widely considered the best available in the English language. I have several of his books, and really like each and every one. The only issues with his material that I ever encounter, is when it goes beyond my current level of understanding. A good thing, in my opinion; because I continue to learn when I reread and revisit his books. I don't personally have the book you mentioned, but it looks like what you’re after based on the description here: https://markussesko.com/2013/02/14/koshirae-Japanese-sword-mountings/ Best of luck, -Sam

Hi James @foxfire, welcome to the forum. I’m going to relocate this to the Military Swords of Japan section. There’s more people there that will be familiar with this type of sword. What you have appears to be a Field Grade Type 19 Kyu Gunto dress saber with a German blade. It looks real to me. Ive seen many of these with a huge variety of blade types; and a wide range of quality. I have one myself that also has a German blade. I would wait for further input, because these are outside my main focus. -Sam

Are they more, or less radioactive than a banana? For context: It's a little ongoing scientific joke to compare latent radioactivity to a banana; because banana's have a slightly elevated level of radiation compared to other everyday objects/foods. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_equivalent_dose

I am offering for sale one of my Type 95 swords. These are machine-made blades, entirely NOT traditionally made. Produced during World War Two. This example was made later war in 1944/1945. It is in particularly excellent condition with matching scabbard number. No chips or bends in the blade, and no rattle in the fittings. The blade may have been polished at some point, but is original and in great shape. I believe the paint is also original, but fading away. Variation #4 Type 95 Military Sword with Aluminum Hilt, copper ferrule, and Steel Tsuba made by Suya Shōten with Tokyo first army arsenal (TŌ / 東) inspector stamps and SHA stamp on the drag of the scabbard. Type (Tachi, Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto, Naginata, Other) : Machine made military sword of Japan / Katana Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage : Ubu Mei : (Mumei, Signature) : None Era/Age : Later World War Two / 1944-1945. Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? : Full original koshirae. Nagasa/Blade Length : 26.4 inches. Hamon Type : No hamon, non-traditional, machine made. Jihada : No hada, non-traditional, machine made. Flaws : Some light rust in the fuller/bohi, and paint faded over time. Sword Location : Oregon, USA. Will ship to : USA only. Payment Methods Accepted : Paypal Friends and Family, preffered. Price and Currency : SOLD, Free Shipping in USA If sold here, I will donate $50 to the board. Suya 株式會社壽屋商店, Harp Logo = KK Suya Shōten = Suya Shop Co., Ltd. 東 TŌ 東京第一陸軍造兵廠監督課, Tōkyō 1st Army Arsenal Supervisory Section. Tokyo 1st Star 東京第一陸軍造兵廠標識 , Tōkyō First Army Arsenal trademark. Stamp on drag of scabbard = 社 = SHA = 各民間工場 , Each civilian/private factory.

Here is an interesting one, of a style/type that I have not yet encountered. With the numbers 1 1 1 1 stamped inside, or maybe four uppercase I’s. Thoughts on authenticity? Looks aged enough, and those numbers are a pretty subtle detail. https://ebay.us/m/T6AGNX Best, -Sam

@Rawa, the kobuto-gane is kind of ugly? You often find these "Civilian Guntō" with weird kobutogane situations. The older swords that were converted often did not have a way to secure a tassel; so a way to add a tassel was fabricated by either adding a crude kobutogane, or by other creative means. I've even seen some with the tsuka drilled through and a sarute added to the "drill hole". Best, -Sam

Tsukamaki gets messed with so frequently, it should not be the by-all-end-all identifier. I once found an Kamikura period blade in military mounts, and the tsukamaki was terribly done and super loose. A lot can happen in the 80+ years post-war. Like Vajo said above, likely an older blade converted for military use. During the war, to supplement the need for sword production; many older swords were sourced from the public to be fitted for military use. They did this by adding a hanger and leather cover to the wooden scabbard, or making a new scabbard with leather cover + hanger. You often see this type of configuration referred to as "Civilian Guntō". If you google that, you'll find some more similar examples. I think @Bruce Pennington has more understanding about Gunzuko and what they carried. There are many possibilities, it's hard to know for certain. -Sam