John C

Are you recording the showato Katsumasa as well? John C.

My tastes are simpler, albeit impossible: just two shots of each of my swords. One with the smith making it and one just after original polish. John C.

Carrie: The road to possible papers would be two-fold. The first step would be to have the sword polished. As it is now, they would not try to evaluate it because the hamon cannot be fully seen. That would be about 1,800 to 2,200 as a guesstimate and probably take at least one year on the waiting list. Then the sword would need to be submitted to a NTHK shinsa at a participating sword show. I'm not sure how many times they have shinsa during a given year, however it is not many. And after all that, it might fail to get papers if the sword is gimei (fake signature). So while it is possible to have the sword professionally evaluated and papered, it is a slow and expensive process. Just something to consider. John C.

Carrie: You are correct that the stacked canon balls represent Tokyo arsenal. As for the other marks, I have not seen them before on a bayonet. The mark on the barrel lug is "hara" so person's name or school name perhaps? The other marks I'm not sure about. The habaki on the sword (with the serial number), consequently, is a common fake. John C.

Wow. Cobbled together piece. The tsuba is hand made from a thick piece of brass, much thicker than normal The kanji on the collar is "lan", or orchid. Not sure what that came off of. The design on the backstrap is reminiscent of India, possibly China. John C.

Andy: I think Grey and I are actually on the same page. And he had a furniture restoration business so he knows what he is talking about. Since the crack is on the seam, I would attempt rice glue. The good thing about rice glue, as Grey pointed out, is that it can be taken apart later if necessary. I have found, however, that if the wood warps at all, the glue won't hold. You can make the glue easily from instructions online. Just note that it sets up quickly so have all the parts ready. Also, make sure you scrape or clean the old glue off the seam before applying the new glue. An exacto knife or razor blade might work. Just be careful not to cut into the wood. John C.

Luca: One other thing to add. Given the era in which this was made, I suspect some sort of spray shellac or lacquer was used. I can see a shine in the picture. If that is the case, then it is an easy fix. BUT if any of the veneer is peeling, you will need to address that first. I would also expect a more modern glue was used, in which case an oil or wax finish would be fine. If, however, a traditional rice glue were used, the oil or heavy wax could possibly dissolve the rice glue and make it worse. I would have someone knowledgeable in woodworking where you live take a look at it to determine what kind of glue was used. John C.

Luca: I'll offer my two cents as a hobbyist woodworker. Depends on the original finish. Can you tell if the original finish is oil, shellac, or lacquer? (Note: A very small amount of rubbing [isopropyl] alcohol on a cotton swab dabbed in an inconspicuos place can give you an answer. If it gets sticky or tacky, it is shellac. If nothing happens, it is either oil or lacquer. Dull and still a little rough would be oil, smooth and shiny would be lacquer. If the original finish is oil, it can be replenished with a very light coat of tung oil (but be careful as this could also darken the wood). Shellac and lacquer can be resprayed. But in any case, a light coat of paste wax rubbed into the finish will protect the surface and not do any permenant damage regardless of the finish. It can always be rubbed off with a cloth if necessary. But I would first try to determine the original finish before doing anything else. John C.

Andy: As a woodworker, I have used home made rice glue on shirasaya, however the paste is relatively thick. I'm not sure it would go through a syringe. Considerations: 1) Where is the crack? Is it along the original seam or along the grain somewhere? If on the seam, I could see using rice glue. But if on the grain, something stronger will be necessary. 2) How wide is the crack? Rice glue will only work if the crack is not too wide AND the two sides can be held together tightly for it to set. 3) Are you trying to be as original as possible or just make it presentable? Remember that rice glue was not the only glue available to Late Edo period woodworkers. Hide glue, which you can by at a big box or hardware store, was also available and is much thinner and stronger. So it would still be "authentic" and work much better. Just my two cents without seeing the extent of the damage. John C.

Ha. I still practice EPAK after 40 years, however I too have to slow down the kicks. Can't risk sparring anymore either. John C.

Agreed. I also read the characters for Katsutoshi can be read as "victory" so maybe a play on words and not a living persons' name???? John C.

Hello: This sword is signed Chikuzen (no) kuni Katsutoshi. The way the kanji are formed, however, is confusing. For example, the one stroke on "zen" is not where it should be. Also, I cannot tell if the "kuni" character is trying to be the new version or the old version. It should be the older version. Has anyone seen this style of forming the characters before? Is there any region where forming the characters like this is common? Thank you for taking a look, John C.

I can't look at that without seeing sargeant stripes, especially on the shoulder. John C.

@Scogg Sam can give you more details, however it's a nice early example of a type 95. Now you just need to source a leather tassel to complete it. John C.

Don't be. We have a saying in collecting: you pay for an item or you pay for an education. Either way, you get something out of it. John C.

So it ended at the top end of my estimate. BUT, you then tack on shipping, auction fees, taxes, and you are probably closer to 1200. I think you can do at least that well if not better by waiting. You may pay 900, however it will be for a better rig. Also note that it is best to find one with an original tassel because they are hard to get. Those are 2-3 hundred dollars by themselves. With tassel, you could be in the 1100-1200 range. John C.

Jeff: Hello. Not sure what is going on with this one. I do not think the handle is from a late model 95 (see pic). The knurls should be flat not rounded and the decorative "menuki" used as a screw set is missing. No habaki but a pierced tsuba. Seems cobbled together to me. But need shots of the tang to be sure. If it were a type 95, it would have a serial number near the tang. The leather cover and brown tassel, if original, makes me think gunzoku if the rig is legit. More pictures of the entire blade would be helpful.

Hoshi: I would also add as a control the particular judges for any given shinsa, as their evaluation is subjective, this could influence the number of K or TJ issued. It is possible one set of judges are more forgiving than another set. John C.

Very nice display of everyday natural items being used for a utilitarian purpose. John C.

Not sure about the blade, however I find the cover unusual. The burlap seems new and the use of suede leather is very unusual. In addition, the end of the cover is not finished like I would expect (just cut and sewn rather than rounded). To me, the cover looks newer than ww2. And the steel barely passes the magnet test? That would concern me. Even an island sword would be real steel, albeit roughly processed. As for the mold smell, I find it common for things from Japan. I have multiple books from the 70s and 80s that all smell like that. Maybe the seller's estimate that it is a reproduction is correct. Just my two cents, of course. John C.

Thank you, Ron. This gives me a good reference for distinguishing between the two. John C.

Ronald: I've heard of toggles, however never studied them. Are there any key indicators of the differences between toggles and netsuke? I have seen some toggles online but cannot tell the difference straight away. John C.

Hey Colin: I'm not arguing the point just want to offer a definition. In sociology circles, we call this "conspicuous consumption." The goal of the rich here is, not to own and admire an artistic object, but rather to display their wealth to the rest of the "proletariate" as they see us. John C.

Adam: I have some that have the assembly number written on them and I have seen them with the maker's name. My guess on this one would be maker's name. John C.

@Iaido dude Steve: You may be interested in this piece. John C.