John C

All of my kitchen knives are German, however I like baking so I bought this Gude (7431/32) 13 inch bread knife with olive wood handle. It's a beast but doesn't flex at all when going through the toughest crust. John C.

Remember too that wood is organic - it changes with time and humidity. If the tsuka were to swell or shrink, that may affect the position of the hole slightly as well. John C.

Sorry if you have mentioned this already, however have you measured the exact distance between the holes on the tsuka vs the holes on the nakago? If they are not the same, the problem may not be with the habaki. John C.

Thank you! I really appreciate your time and effort. I was hoping for a sense of who may have used this and you provided just what I was looking for. Thank you again, John C.

@Bugyotsuji Piers: On the seven arrows spoke wheel mon I posted above, do you know if there is a list of family names associated with it? Would Ya be the first syllable. Thank you, John C.

I've seen similar ones that were the names of battleships, if that helps. John C.

Shiny, maroon colored leather. A bit thinner than normal with cross hatch design on the collar. The whole thing seems custom made. John C.

@Bruce Pennington Another one: a Hidetoshi with numbered nakago here: https://www.ebay.com...9:g:eewAAOSwoHtl49OT John C.

@Bruce Pennington Another Toyokawa (??) with the Ka stamp. But is it hand signed? https://www.ebay.com/itm/404825057339?itmmeta=01HR15ZSRKDP5J56180VBR857Q&hash=item5e4174283b:g:924AAOSwGOpj-~0G&itmprp=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwGu%2Bij8VgDtUtnUS8UCvQgi32Igboplh3YvIUeVSEfARZbPU0rjciWZ4CXz7iFsurOa2FeLAIFfI78SDZJusHddpZFHF%2FLIWyfr4BDDyzaT0uwrjOd7KwioJQGt%2F67Z3Ajr3IkASZPlmJxwQtWVTGtCox9wnN9g3pW97Ne6VqrmS9fYD7I1HyoWCwM7dBVRy6%2BNBRspcWyVYSGJTCT6XMSFjgcEhS2R5qwsP8Lt8IphwKW4%2BkZYsVB50jUgf7wp9BQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR7Kc_6XAYw John C.

Is that Masamune? It looks very manga to me. John C.

I can see part of a nagoya stamp, so most likely machine made (is there a star stamp?). You can match the mei (signature) to known examples, however there would be no need to fake a signature on this type of blade, so most likely genuine. John C.

Hello: Trying to figure this out I was coming up with names like yoshi, moto, or maybe nobu. Couldn't figure it out, then thought maybe it's not a name but a word. It sits next to Daikoku's mallet. Thank you, John C.

I was hoping someone could help with this one (sorry, not on a sword but a yatate). A seven spoke arrow wheel in the family group "Ya". I've included a pic of the page from my mon book, however it doesn't give a family name. Thank you, John C.

The stamps and sword are legit (type 95 Iijima Tokyo 1st), however the blade is in terrible shape and last I saw it was at 751 dollars, which is way too much for the condition it was in. There were no pictures of the serial numbers so not sure if they match the scabbard; black tape is not original as well. I had sent a message to Goodwill with this information, however they didn't post it. Regards, John C. p.s. Please see Bruce Pennington's excellent stamp document in downloads for more info.

That's why I was curious. Obviously he only sells "scratch-n-dent" merchandise, but thought the carving was worth posting if it were an attempt at covering a flaw. John C.

What are your thoughts? John C.

I too think it looks like Showa 18 (1943). John C.

Wow. You guys never cease to amaze. There is no way I could have figured that out. Much appreciated. John C.

Hello: I'm not sure if the marks on these yatate are writing or just scribble. Not sure if it is in the right orientation, either. Best pic I have at the moment. Any help would be appreciated. John C.

Steve: In that one particular auction from Eric you referenced above, he mentions the word "minty" 9 times in the description, though he is not selling mouthwash. He also uses the word "samurai" in the title when he knows perfectly well it was not and could not have been used by a samurai warrior. As Bruce noted above, sellers use words that attract unknowledgeable buyers to increase viewer traffic. So his use of NLF and other words are for marketing only. This is the "overly loose" use of words to attract buyers. Hope this helps, John C.

This does not look real to me, however I was unaware type 8/19s were faked. https://shopgoodwill.com/item/191940374 John C.

Hello: For anyone who collects yatate or other type of sagemono, have you seen this large style before? I have it pictured with a "normal" size yatate. Could this be an over-sized tourist piece; a "desktop" model/paperweight; a store sample/display?? It's a beast (12 inches long, 3 inches tall, and over a pound), made of bronze or brass. I can't imagine anyone carrying this tucked in an obi. Doesn't appear to have been used and is not marked. If you know, please let me know! Regards, John C.

I'm not an expert, however it seems fake to me as well - the "grinder" style bohi; the dremel nagoya mark; the poorly faked fuchi stamps, etc. John C.

Hello: According to google app, the phrase is "framed inscription." As to general info on origami, here is a good reference: http://www.nihontocr...se_sword_papers.html John C.

If it is Nihonto you are interested in, a good and reasonable jumping off point would be The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords (currently 47.75 USD on Amazon). https://www.amazon.c...Swords/dp/1568365810 This book will give you a good overview of the different schools, hamon, hada, etc. John C.