John C

Marcus: I don't sell swords, however I buy a lot! I think Bruce is correct. You may consider selling the sword as is since the profit margin after repairs would be about the same. John C.

That could be for a Japanese type 19 (or possibly a type 8 )army saber. John C.

Okay. So not common but not suspect either. John C.

Thanks for the info, Piers. Not really my thing (yet!!!). I would need to do a whole lot of studying first. Just thought it could be of interest to you all. John C. p.s. I did watch the video of you (?) firing the matchlocks. Very cool.

This may be of interest to the matchlock folks. https://www.ebay.com...4:g:FjkAAOSwWhlk~UEF John C.

I am assuming this (circled area) is some sort of correction to this origami. Has anyone seen this before? John C.

Could be traditionally made because I don't see any seki or showa stamps. But I also don't see a star stamp or defined nioi on the hamon. If I had to flip a coin on a sword dated 1943, I would lean toward showato. Remember too that many RJT smiths also made showato - but did them very well. John C.

Steve: I can't make any judgement on authenticity, however I think 5 grand is a bit much for a showato - even one in mint condition. But if you are a Kanemichi collector, then a mint example would be the pinnacle of your collection. John C.

Here is a good website that describes the origami. http://www.japaneses...ndex.com/origami.htm I can see a watermark on yours. And it looks similar to one given as an example on the above website. John C.

Here is another interesting one originally posted by another member (Thomas?). John C.

Ron: Based on some of the research I have done, these tanto were ordered by soldiers and came in a variety of quality; everything from a piece of mass produced sword tip to a Gassan Sadakatsu (see below). Most came in shirasaya, with some having a leather cover. Below are some examples of others. John C.

Just some additional info - I forget which family was using the mon with 2 lines in a circle, however it was supposed to represent two clouds passing in front of a moon. John C.

This is definitely true on Shopgoodwill. I've seen things go for 5 times what they are worth. I think sometimes people need to win at all costs. John C.

I believe the program to register swords started in 1951, so 1952 would be early on. It has a low registration number (2144 I think). But like everyone else has said, it doesn't say anything historical about the blade and doesn't "validate" it. Of interest to me, assuming the document is real and relates to the sword in question, would be the date of registration (shows at least it's not a recently made blade) and the prefecture it was registered in (listed just above the registration number). I have a tanto made by a smith from Tochigi prefecture, which is where the blade was registered. Only means something to genealogy and provenance nerds like me! John C. Edit: Oil quenched, mass produced blades could not be registered so at least you know the blade is traditionally made.

Steve: Did you have the surrender tag translated? Part of it looks like a date to me but I would be interested to know who the owner may have been. John C.

Looks a bit like a 6 to me but could easily be a 9. John C.

Saw this on shopgoodwill. To me, it looks like a fake blade in souvenir koshirae. Thoughts???? @Bruce Pennington https://shopgoodwill.com/item/178434462 John C.

It's difficult to read because of the fold, however the date on the far left is the date the sword was registered. It looks like it could be December, 12th Showa 27(?) which would be 1952. John C.

Jacque: That's interesting. It seems that it would be easier to copy a shorter signature than a longer one. Has there been any specific research on the characteristics of gimei signatures? For example, do they tend to favor well-known smiths, or tend to be a certain length? John C.

Where is the 9,954 euro sword that goes with it? John C.

pics please? Sorry. I see them. John C.

He's probably using the word "gendaito" the way komonjo does - just meaning "modern era" rather than traditionally made. Here's a link to the pics and description https://www.ebay.com/itm/404467698567?hash=item5e2c274b87:g:wp4AAOSwYjtk8Kld&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4GdGB2zbC3WYy6gZC88HoNMPBqw68aAvAJ8YMaLjC4YRmVJEL2CDnYW%2FrBwsRCiolaLPQffIr3DqeZC5W3gkCZxD1BwBJ%2BpHBfeBoctV1XRnh6JRCKI%2B9mzUO6ACeMd7ke%2FS6oCNWtygNlH7no70Yu6cKpbkcdVR9TTnP5W2FwjrwkPCqkFBBnIM8J4uEkzH1RvxLeIS5Wil4ocBsIYqXcll2CWODayYRo%2BD7DDp6LUClp1GPmXPsuJrVbBz3DUP3il1EYAzR55bIePO80iq5BmxdhaYVJuUNVypfx8FPaYc|tkp%3ABk9SR56bxsXUYg John C.

Steve: Looks like a very similar Kanefusa sold on Yakiba for 3,000 a couple of years ago. Using that as a comparison, this rig with shirasaya may not be a terrible deal. But what will the duty fees be and will you actually get it are the real questions. How important is Kanefusa to you in your collection? If you are wiling to accept a 2,750 (+ fees) risk, then go for it. Looks like a nice rig. John C.

You guys are probably right. But I keep thinking of this photo we have all seen - 3 digit numbers and working on at least 30 at one time. Of course, a more complex numbering system would be necessary for a factory making many more swords. John C.

Multiple numbers would seem to support the "subassembly" hypothesis. But what do the numbers actually pertain to? Do they refer to bin numbers on an assembly line or some other measurement? If they are used to match blade to fittings so they do not get mixed up (as Omhura-san suggests), wouldn't multiple numbers be a problem? Just curious if there is more to it... John C.