John C

Hello: I just picked up an inro that has a gourd shaped NLO and matching ojime. I was wondering what the name/theme of the gourd is called and what it may represent? Additionally, does anyone have a guess what the gourd would typically be made out of? It looks a bit like bakelite to me, however I'm not sure how old it is. The gourd is very cold to the touch, a bit like stone would be, heavier than it looks but not as heavy as stone, and the stopper emits a very high-pitched squeak when screwed in. I don't see any lines or grain that would indicate bone or ivory. Any help would be appreciated, John C.

On this one, as well as several others he had, l thought the random placement of "residual gold foil" looked a little too non-random to me. Spots of gold evenly spaced, not scuffed but gleaming, gold left on high spots but not on low spots - the "wear and tear" just didn't seem natural to me. John C.

I'll asterisk the two for now with a note and see if any confirmation pops up in later searches. But thank you very much for the research. John C.

Thank you for the scabbard numbers. These are listed in Dawson pg. 116 as blades only. Note: I may have the scabbard for 575 on my blade. There could be part of a 9 in front of the 5, however even under a loupe it's difficult to see. John C.

Tom: Thank you and congrats. You have one listed in Dawson pg. 116. I will update my chart with your cite. John C.

Is the number one a variation of one of these? I can't seem to find a reference for the way it is written on the nakago. John C.

Thomas: Note that the 8170 scabbard for this blade matches the 8170 serial number (presumably a blade) listed in Dawson, pg 116. John C.

Thank you Trystan. These are helping to establish some patterns. John C.

You could be right. Most folks don't have one. This is a quote from the auction site: "A metal analyzer suggests that this is about 3/4 copper and 1/4 silver." John C.

Still trying to learn. While looking at a seller who sells tsuba for 100 bucks, this surprised me. What would indicate this as a tsuba that valuable? The seller also listed the metal analysis as 75% copper and 25% silver. Thank you, John C.

Thank you for the serial number, and I agree that some folks may not understand the nomenclature. I have widened my search and haven't seen anything new yet. @Brian Could you please move this to Military swords? I used the wrong forum. John C.

Thank you guys for the tips - I thought everyone might get a kick out of the second one. Not sure how that is being sold as "original Edo period". John C.

Just picked this up (mainly for the ojime) and thought it was interesting that a Naritasan Temple Protection amulet was being used as a netsuke-like object in place of a tabako-ire. Was this common or do you think just assembled by the seller? John C.

Hello: I've been trying to read through the amazing threads about tsuba originality before buying, however I may not be getting it yet. I would appreciate some guidance. The seller of these two tsuba has the first one listed as a replica, while the second (with the "animals") is listed as original. I'm thinking it's the other way around, that is, the first one with the udenuki ana seems legit to me. What am I missing? Thank you, John C.

Hello: I'm tracking the serial numbers and inspection marks on type 25s and I have exhausted my available resources (Internet, Dawson, and F&G). So far, I have come across a total of only 27 different swords! I would appreciate help in finding more. If anyone has a type 25 not listed below, please attach a pic of the serial number and the inspection stamps. I would really appreciate it. List of known serial numbers: 325, 575, 1539, 1996, 2379, 3397, 3587, 4077, 5578, 5988, 6251, 6784, 8170, 8572, 10781, 11448, 13121, 13197, 14013, 14323, 14408, 15383, 15773, 16019, 16065, 16416, Unk serial number sold on Worthpoint. Brief history of the type 25 from Nick Komiya: https://www.warrelic...avalry-gunto-781783/ Thank you very much for taking a look, John C.

@Bruce Pennington Any thoughts on this? John C.

Tyler: The tsuka looks legit, however something about those marks on the fuchi bother me. I have not personally seen that combination before (which doesn't mean much) and the Ijima Token Seisakusho stamp doesn't look right to me (see pic for comparison). Wait for someone more knowledgable than me to chime in before buying. John C.

@Bruce Pennington FYI...

Jason: I just picked up a very similar udenuki-no-ana tsuba, though in much worse shape and mumei. Would you happen to know what the style and shape (aorigata?) are called? John C.

Frank: Saw this on ShopGoodwill a few weeks ago and wondered the same thing...what does the tang look like? John C.

This may only help with the origami in hand, however you can examine the one you have to determine if the entire origami is a forgery or if the original was altered. http://www.nihontocr...se_sword_papers.html Also, I too believe you should aggressively pursue legal action. If not criminal action, then at least civil remedies. I think you have plenty of evidence. John C.

Ron: I'm pretty sure this part says pray for good luck in battle. These are pretty standard and are usually signed by school kids or co-workers. John C.

Another all brown tassel on a type 98, however no way to tell if it's original. John C.

There is another possibility. Firstly, tamahagane comes in grades based on carbon content. But this should not make much difference in weight. But it's possible the shorter one has a denser core steel and would therefore weigh as much as a longer sword without a core. It's far more likely, however, it is simply a matter of the amount of steel used. Exact measurements (width, thickness, length) of the entire blade would need to be taken. Blades are not consistent. Every inch can vary somewhat. The shorter blade may be just slightly thicker on more of its length making it the same weight as the longer one. John C.

Steve: You can probably rule out these two right away. The density of different steels would be negligible. Also, a sword starts with X amount of ounces in a billet. So the number of folds will not make a difference. What could be happening is the profile. Even if the swords were exactly the same width at the mune (back spine), if one has a thinner profile moving toward the ha (edge) or has been polished more, there could be a reduction in steel and therefore weigh less. In addition, the width along the entire sword may not be exactly the same. Sometimes the nakago thins out toward the end. John C.