Scogg

Hi @ChrisW, Is that last blade the one you got from me a while back? If so, I can confirm it appears to be traditionally made . I also suspect wartime manufacture, but I was a bit on-the-fence about it being possibly slightly older... Best of luck with your sales, -Sam

Unfortunately the other side is not shown. I commented and asked if anything can be seen on that side. Hopefully we get an additional picture

Spotted on facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1YzXYi6wt1/?

I wonder if the tip is just sunk into the carpet. These typically sell for between $750 and $1500 depending on condition. Yours looks in decent but not perfect shape. eBay "sold items" will give you some good idea of a fair asking price for your sale listing. Best of luck, -Sam

After consulting my notes: If the blade # did match the scabbard #, it would be the highest serial number brass tsuba that I have personally observed with the Sakura Ichi stamp; but it’s right at that transition in my records, so who knows . I’ve been trying to make out that scabbard stamp. Maybe one of these? 社 , 社 = SHA 各民間工場 Each civilian/private factory or 江 = e = Matsue Supervisory Unit of Kokura Army Arsenal. (Not sure I’ve ever seen this one) or 仁 = Jin = Incheon army arsenal inspection I’m sure Bruce or Kiipu will be along, who might be able to recognize it. -Sam

Everything looks good to me. Looks like a nice sword. Unfortunate that the serial number has been buffed away. It has the right stamps on the ferrule to theoretically match the scabbard #. But it’s also possible it was buffed intentionally because it didn’t match. Unfortunately we’ll never know, and that may hurt the value a little bit. All the best, -Sam

Maybe the horse who modeled for the artist was just really tired I’ve always found the cavalry stuff particularly cool. Thank you for sharing. Is the backside of page one the tack and saddle diagram?

Unfortunately, I agree with the above @Hrushev, and I’ll relocate this thread to the fake Japanese sword section. For some info on how to spot fakes in the wild, this is a good link: https://www.jssus.org/nkp/fake_japanese_swords.html Sorry for the bad news. Sincerely, -Sam

In my limited experience, sourcing the parts isn’t what takes the most time. In most cases, the parts are already gathered before a craftsman is even brought in to do the fitting. The real delay comes from the waiting lists of qualified craftsmen. Even if you find parts that almost fit, you can still expect a very long queue before a craftsman can get to your work and fit everything properly. It’s not simply a matter of “find the parts and someone will put them together.” It’s more like “find the parts, then wait years on a craftsman’s list until your turn finally comes.” All this is not meant to be a discouragement; but rather to prepare you - so you know what you're getting into. Hope that makes sense, -Sam

3 years and counting for me, on just a habaki/shirasaya It's a long journey. Be prepared for some serious patience. -Sam

Hi Connor @CarstairsCowboy, I will relocate your thread to the Nihonto section for more input on the signature. More photos never hurts, preferably on a dark non reflective background. Close ups of the tip, full blade profile centered from above, both sides of the tang. It’s best if pictures are oriented so tip is north and tang south. Welcome to the forum, and thanks for sharing your sword and family story with us. My journey into Nihonto started similarly; with a small nugget of a story and an inherited sword. Best of luck, -Sam

My guess would be: Kaen More photos may help, tough to see the kaeri

Hi Nick, Decent looking Type 98 with non traditional blade. You are conveniently located for some hands-on sword viewing. I would recommend maybe getting your hands on a few swords before you decide what you'd like to buy. I would first encourage you to read (so that you don't offend anyone handling their sword): https://swordsofjapan.com/nihonto-library/nbthk-etiquette/ Then I would maybe reach out to @ChrisW about his regional sword club: https://indianatokenkai.wixsite.com/indiana-token-kai Also, this is coming up, I'm not sure how close you are, but much closer than me! : https://www.sosovms.com/Show_of_Shows/ Best of luck in your search! There's no shortage of things to learn along the way. My only advice there would be to be patient, and go slow. Sincerely, -Sam

Here’s an example of a shallow Nagoya (名) blade stamp found on another genuine example. You can imagine how it might look after being chromed

A little tough to see, but the bohi and kissaki look good to me. On a lot of fakes, you see the fuller (bohi) end early, sometimes a few inches before the kissaki

Looks like the habaki was painted gold and some got onto the blade. I suppose that could be a reflection though. I’d like to see how the bohi terminates near the kissaki. Typically that’s a big tell for fake blades. I suspect the blade was buffed before being chromed. Just a theory, -Sam

Unfortunately these swords are often incorrectly identified. I’ve seen real one be called fake, and fake ones be called real. One of the unfortunate things on Facebook, is the impossibility of knowing which comments to value and which to discard. A few too many cooks in the kitchen sometimes

For $895 I think you could get a pretty good and untouched example. Id steer clear personally. While I don’t agree with much of the feedback on Facebook, I think that their reaction to the sword will be repeated if you were to ever show it off, or try to sell it someday. Which can be a frustrating reality with these swords. People are quick to skepticism. But for that price some nice examples are out there; and if you’re interested in the Type 95, I think you can find a good one if you shop around. All the best, -Sam

Hi Nick, I agree that it looks genuine to me, and I’m sorry you’re getting such a mixed response on Facebook. There’s a lot of nuance with these swords that few people fully understand. I’d like to address a few of the points that were raised there: 1 - All nagoya stamped blades have the serial number oriented this way, with the edge up. This is standard and not upside down. 2- The iron ferrule did not take stamps particularly well, and this specific range of Type 95s is known for weak or poorly struck markings. 3- There is some variation in serial number fonts, and the one shown here looks consistent and correct to me for this range. 4- the Nagoya blade stamp does look very shallow, but that’s also been observed before, and could be exaggerated by whatever has been done to the blade. What I think we’re looking at is an example that received some buffing, and then maybe been chromed; although I’d like to see better pictures of that spot for any level of confidence diagnosing what that is. I generally agree with Conway, that there are better examples to be had, unless the price is “too good to be true”. -Sam

Woody will be able to restore it to its true glory. Lovely sugata, and once polished properly; I imagine all that masame is going to be stunning. Sorry to see and hear what's already happened. Still, I would be excited for the future of this blade. Best of luck, -Sam

Raymond Yan sells a lot of affordable nihonto, and related items. He's a good seller, in my opinion. Beware though... He has very little patience for questions. He puts a great deal of effort into his descriptions, and he recommends you study his photos and writing. At these prices, he has no issue offloading items, and has little time to discuss each individual piece. I've followed him for some time, and I've gathered that he must like polearms. Lots of yari go through him. He also knows what he has; so you're not going to find a forgotten treasure or anything . You will find reasonable and fair deals. And as always, you get what you pay for. -Sam

Sounds like quite the book Maybe it could be published, and some percentage of the proceed could benefit the NMB. (just thinking out loud) Lots of work though... My 95 document alone is over 70 pages. I'd buy it -Sam

A very similar nakago feature was discussed recently in the thread below.

Hi @blueblue, Darcy, Thank you for the photos of the tang. You have an interesting WW2 non traditionally made blade. I would read into care and maintenance on this website to help preserve your item for future generations. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/faq/1-care-and-maintenance/ Now that we know it's all WW2 era, both fittings and blade, I'm going to relocate this thread to the "military swords of Japan" section, and delete that other one. Very nice sword, and thank you for sharing with us. All the best, -Sam