John C

I agree with Ron. Post the sword here first to get honest, unbiased feedback before taking it to anyone. John C.

That's part of the Ebay game played by ALL sellers. Gendai-to just means "new sword" so technically it's correct. Trusted sellers who are frequently recommended also use terminology like "samurai" sword when describing a ww2 blade or "suicide" knife when describing a ww2 tanto. These too are inaccurate, however they are ubiquitous when trying to attract buyers as key search words. Ignore the verbiage and just look at the blade. John C.

My guess is no. But if you are going to practice cutting things, this is an affordable option without the risk of damaging a real nihonto. John C.

I was referring to this. A registration document swords must have in Japan. It will have basic info about the sword. John C.

Josh: There is a torokusho visible in the nakago pic. Is it for that blade? In general, torokusho are not issued for fake or mass produced, oil quenched blades. John C.

Right at the limit. Donated/family swords had to be a minimum of 21.5 inches. Some so called "crew/tanker" swords were this small. John C.

Interesting, Bruce. All of the smiths' names start with K, except one. Was that a seki thing? John C.

Not sure if this exists in Japanese, however a chapter on the entire WW2 sword making process, illustrated, from A-Z - including lists of shops, smiths, military inspectors, polishers, etc. My only concern is that it would put Bruce out of business . John C.

Try putting pressure on the bottom of the tsuka (pushing or tapping up toward the tsuba) to take the pressure off of the stuck piece then push out with a thin tool. If it isn't for some reason lined up, try a stick pin or needle. Push it into the mekugi wood (like a mekugi popsicle) until it sticks, then pull it out. We really need to see a pic of the problem. John C.

William: On some of my saya inserts, the number has matched the rest of the fittings. Is 27 stamped on any of yours? John C.

Looks as if the seller had it off so it shouldn't be stuck. 1) After removing the mekugi with a chopstick or thin punch, look through the mekugi-ana. You should see daylight. If so, ensure there is not a second mekugi hiding on the tsuka before forcing the tsuka off. 2) If you don't see daylight, try a thin punch or nail until you do. Since the tsuka has been off recently, it really should come off fairly easily. John C.

Conner: If you are still looking, another affordable option can be found at this site. Japanese "style", hand forged and water quenched. You would need mounts. https://www.ebay.com/itm/145776485768 John C.

Steven: If that's the only "bad" spot, you could accept the blade as is. Only a polisher could tell you if it is repairable, however pumping another 2,000 into that blade to make it perfect would extend beyond its value. I don't think you are going to find a perfect rig at an imperfect price. Either accept that blades at this price will have flaws or be prepared to dish out another 2 grand for a perfect one. For me, if he is offering a discount, I would take it and have a decent deal. Others may only collect perfect specimens and return it. John C.

I was seeing "Subadir" so took a guess that who ever wrote it didn't spell it correctly, however you could be right. I couldn't find any references for Subauer. John C.

If the scrawling on the first one were spelled a little differently (Subedar) it could be a military rank in South East Asia. Roughly equivalent to warrant officer. John C.

In defense of Bruce, it was Chris Bowen that mentioned it was 1943. But I think you're selling your chart a little short, Bruce. I think the Gifu connection does help because it's a consistent result. You may be able to narrow down a list of shops from that piece of info. John C.

@Bruce Pennington Bruce: Did you notice during the sword making video (at about 16 minutes) they were talking about the Yamato-den (school) and showing three dots in the shape of a triangle? They were on a variety of tools. Hmmmmm.. John C.

My initial thinking was letters assigned to manufacturers. But I also wonder if it were a dating system, a la the way letters are used in the UK to date silver objects. John C.

Sorry about that. I misread which kanji were missing. John C.

Mike will ship promptly and it will be packed well. The origami is current and seems legit. He does mention the tsuka, and so probably the rest of the mounts, is mismatched. The only real question is whether or not something has happened to the blade since it was papered. You'll have to take a close look at it when you get it. I can't speak to value. John C.

I believe the third radical in line two refers to "fish". The fourth radical may refer to type of fish. John C.

I believe the top mark (cross in a circle) is the Shimazu family crest. Dai Nippon on the right, Satsuma in the middle, not sure about the left side (style perhaps?). John C.

The last word in the sentence is obscured (disposal), however the swords were to go to Nippon Steel as scrap (which, interestingly is possibly buying US Steel for 14 billion). John C.

I wonder if any of the Yasukuni swords ended up in US museums re: the last line in the note? John C.

Dennis: I wouldn't use a detergent oil or one designed to "open" pores (e.g., 3-n-1 or WD40). I use food grade mineral oil. Sword oil is 98% mineral oil and 2% choji (clove) for scent. Sewing machine oil is fine as well. In addition, some internet folks use olive or canola oils. Stay away from these as they are fatty oils and will eventually go rancid. John C.