John C

For Jon's blade, I believe Bruce was correct - showa 16 = 1941. John C.

Thomas - thanks for the heads up. Just bought Swordsmiths of Japan and the books on identifying Japanese cursive and seal script. John C.

Marion: Here is a link to more info on sword papers. http://www.nihontocr...se_sword_papers.html John C.

Marion: I'll give this a start - the short answer is it could be. Assuming the mei (signature) is authenticated by a shinsa (judging), usually the NBTHK or the NTHK, then you could research the active years of that smith. Without authentication, the signature could be gimei (fake) and you would need to kantei (examine the qualities) the blade to determine its actual age. As Yoon noted, however, the paper in this case is not considered valid and the blade would need to go to another shinsa for authentication. John C.

Scott: Not to disparage your purchase, however that particular seller often, but not always, sells blades with some sort of problem. Not that they aren't real, just that there will be some sort of defect, blemish, or other issue. Just keep that in mind for future purchases. I personally have no problem with buying from him, just know what you are getting and look for the issue. His pictures are generally good enough to look the blade over carefully. Just my two cents. John C.

Sword found in Germany. https://www.yahoo.co...eapon-160000216.html John C.

Are those the older type 94 fittings? John C.

Danny: The marks look like they were made with a rotary tool. Real signatures are chiseled. Note the distinct chisel marks in this example. John C.

Interesting. I have a very similar design in my collection. John C.

Goodwill answered a question I had. The saya is mismatched. It's currently at 800 bucks with a rusted blade. Ouch. John C.

Jesse: He's had that auction up for some time now. If I recall, he said something about feeling its soul?? Maybe that's why it's a million bucks. John C.

Mara: I can't say much about the blades themselves, however I can get you started with some notes. First, assume all signed blades are gimei (fake signature) if not authenticated by an official organization like the NBTHK. They would issue papers for the blade. Also, the straight blade may be a shikomizue (cane sword), though it looks a little thick. The 2nd and 3rd appear to be wakizashi (between 12 and 24 inches). In general, they carry less value because they were plentiful and carried by more people than a katana. Probably not much help, however just more to think about. John C.

My mistake. I had read the wrong info, however Piers and I agree on the date Showa 52. John C.

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/207511139 John C.

To me, the date looks like showa 52, which would be 1977. Kunihiro lived until 1989 so perhaps a gendaito??? John C.

EL: This guy here made a world senbongiri record with a WW2 Kanehide. https://www.facebook...rd/1622327351145714/ John C.

Not much. Just two mekugi-ana and the date and place of registration. But here is a link to some more general info on torokusho. http://www.jssus.org...nese_sword_laws.html John C.

It does say the sword is mumei and lists the size. No indication of period. John C.

For 6 bucks you could find out if there are traces of lead left in the cavity. No lead - may or may not be a bullet; traces of lead - you have your answer. https://www.amazon.com/Pawfly-All-New-Results-Seconds-Instant John C

If you're collecting stats, I would be interested to know the total number by age range. For example 3 ranges, 10-30 years old, 31-50 years old, 51+. John C.

Nicholas: I'm in agreement with Leen above. A couple of issues sparking the debate are: 1) the terminology is somewhat misleading. The word gendaito just means new sword, however we use it to describe a traditionally made sword and not a mass-produced one. 2) In terms of "traditionally made" is where it gets sticky. Some swords are hand forged and water quenched but use modern steel rather than tamahagane. But some swords use tamahagane, are water quenched, and star stamped. Are they both gendaito? 3) many RJT smiths made both traditionally made and non-traditionally made swords (machine forged, hand finished) so are those gendaito because of the smith? 4) There are also traditionally made swords prior to the RJT program (non-star stamped). These are harder to identify (water quenched but unsure of the steel used). In some ways, it's personal preference. RJT star stamped tamahagane sword or any hand forged, water quenched blade. John C.

Mark: I was thinking stylized bamboo leaves like these. John C.

David: Could be a long shot, however do you know if anyone has used a dry swab and test kit for traces of lead in the cavity? John C.

I may be one of the latest starters. After a rather dire medical diagnosis just a couple of years ago, I made a bucket list. As many are here, I've been a martial artist since the age of 13 and have always wanted a "real" samurai sword. So at the ripe old age of 61 I bought my first nihonto - a papered Nobuyoshi (2nd gen) from Grey. .... 9 more items to go... John C.

Here are some previously posted snippets of info on that company: John C.