John C

Similarly to Jean's thoughts, I would expect some difficulty in finding specific examples from that time period since the samurai class was abolished and the wearing of swords in public was prohibited. Swords, and I imagine koshirae, were becoming more art obects at that time so there was less need for mid to low-level mounts. I suspect most would be pedestrian examples from the satsuma rebellion (1877). Smiths, particularly in the Seki region, transitioned to making kitchen knives and scissors. Just my two cents, John C.

Well. I guess as soon as the buyer posts it here, he can remind the auction house of it's claims and get a refund. John C.

These were issued for customs so that no unauthorized "war trophies" were being brought home. But swords were given out to soldiers by commanders as gifts by the dozens. Swords were even sold in the 8th Army PX after the war. This paper should stay with the group as provenance. Also, a few posts up I gave you some additional information on the bayonet. John C.

Odd that someone who sells real treasures would touch a blade with his bare hands. Do you think he knows he has such special objects? John C.

I'm going to say not likely, though not impossible. Marines would have picked up military swords on the islands. One exception may be the town of Naha on Okinawa. There could have been civilian swords there. But given the quality of the fittings, I think Bruce's assessment of it being during or post war civilian is most likely. No absolutes in this hobby just probabilities based on what we have seen before. John C.

Kris: I'll start you off. The only thing I can say for sure is that it was not made by the military. The mounts are civilian and the blade does not have the typical stamps as a military blade. But it still may have been used in ww2. Some civilians, called gunzoku, who worked for the military would be allowed to carry swords. As to the blade, I will leave that up to others to discuss. John C.

Ashley: Your bayonet is indeed the late war "last ditch" version charactrized by an unfullered blade, riveted slab wood grips, and straight guard. The mark is the later version from the Matsushita Metalworking Corp. With frog I would guess it would be worth 125-200 to the right collector. John C.

Ashley: Just an aside, the type 30 bayonet you have could be a late model version (need to see the quillion better), however the frog attached to the scabbard is probably worth as much as the bayonet if not more. Just something to keep in mind. Also, I agree with everything said above - the paper and the sword do not go together, AI is useless when it comes to identifying swords, and we need to see the tang to make any kind of judgements as to maker and value. John C.

Thank you for responding, George. Here is a wider shot of the whole piece. To answer your questions: yes, the holes go all the way through and seem to be unfinished, i.e., not sanded or rounded off at the openings. The blade is hand forged and has a hamon, however probably oil quenched if I had to guess. No other markings on the blade at all. John C.

Sounding out the name on the tag, I wonder if it is Yoshi Nabu or something like that. John C.

I hadn't seen this before. A 椀型Wan-gata tsuba. Seems like it would almost act like a basket hilt. https://www.ebay.com/itm/267698595756? John C.

Hello: I have a question about this kogatana. It appears to have the shape of a hyotan drilled into it. Has anyone seen this type of thing before? Could this be a hyotan or just someone who got happy with a drill? Thanks for looking, John C.

I had to laugh, Russ. At least you have owned a couple of them! I love them as well and have never even seen a real figural one, much less owned a figural one. Probably couldn't afford it if I did come across one. So I am relegated to collecting obi-hasami netsuke. I think you are lucky for at least having had a couple. John C.

Some additional info: A good book on these, a print showing jitte and torinawa in action, the author of the book dressed as a yoriki and a doshin. John C.

Grev: This happens to be one of my collecting areas. Love these. Anyway, they were used throughout the Edo period by yoriki (inspectors who worked for the magistrate) and by doshin (local constables who worked for the yoriki) and even komono (assistants to the doshin). The kagi, or hook, is sometimes referred to as a sword catcher or breaker, however in practice, this would not be easy to do. The hook was actually used to apply pressure to the torinawa (rope capture; i.e., handcuffs) or to hook onto clothing or even hands to affect the arrest of the criminal. Most are simple in design and materials since they were everyday use tools. Most are heavy iron, though I have at least one made out of heavy brass. The older ones tend to have forgeed kagi while the slightly later ones have a peened over through tenon on the kagi like yours. Later, they were welded. Earler versions also tend to have a boar's eye design for the tassel hook, later ones have the straight loop like yours. They all spin to keep them from binding. Occasionally, you will find the torinawa still attached to the loop. One last thing, most came with tassels. I have read that the type or color of tassel can be used to identify the rank or status of the wearer, however I have not been able to confirm this. I have several books on jitte (ten hands), however they are in Japanese. If I can translate them some day, I might find out more about the tassels. John C. p.s. see also sodegarami for related samurai arrest and control weapons.

Looks like the 5 ray patrolman sword, style 1. Not sure if the rayskin handle denotes a different rank. Is the backstrap made of copper? John C.

Okay. One I have recorded already. Thanks, John C.

Thomas: In post #9 of that same thread, there is a Meiji 25 shown. Do you recall if the whole sword has been shown anywhere? John C.

Thank you, Moriyama-san. I can see TAKE now that you point it out. John C.

Here is an article by T.C. Ford that outlines some of the characteristics of a retempered blade. Since you have the blade in hand, walk through his points and look carefully at the blade. You may or may not find some of those characteristics. Also, he estimates that 10 percent of the blades in the US are retempered, so there is a 90 percent chance it is not! John C. retempered blades.pdf

Interesting that the blade is made in a similar fashion as a kogatana, with the flat back and single beveled cutting edge on front. John C.

Thanks Piers: Those diagonal lines are really deep so difficult to align, I imagine. But I wouldn't expect a smith to carve his mei in them without leaving a blank spot. You can barely see it without the right angle. John C.

Hello: I've tried to research this "mei", however no luck. The first kanji looks like masa, however there is a stroke or two at the very top so not sure. Could also be go (number 5)?? Second kanji could be ichi or kazu Third character may be a kao?? The mei was carved into diagonal marks and is really hard to see. I tried to get 4 different light angles. Thank you for looking, John C.

Thank you, it helped a lot. I responded to the PM. John C.

Joe: Does the Shinkai Daikan show how Inoue Shinkai wrote his dates? John C.