John C

Thank you for the translation and info, Steve. That makes a lot more sense. John C.

Hello: Sometimes the translation doesn't come quickly or at all if the characters are unreadable. I spent about 30 minutes trying to look up some of it and came up with nothing. It's a free service provided by some of the members out of the kindness of their hearts and sometimes those folks don't have the time. We just need to be patient. John C.

Hello: The topic is: 升格為國幣小社。This is in reference to the Inaba shrine being re-purposed in 1939. Google translates this as ""currency/coin small shrine". Is there a better translation for this or is this correct? If so, what does it mean to be a "currency small shrine"? Thank you for taking a look, John C.

As a metal detectorist, that's exactly what I think about when I read about black sand! John C.

On the plus side of NTHK is that they provide much more information about the item being papered. In that sense, there is more to compare than just an oshigata. John C.

Marcin: The OP asked for a source citation for wrapping the tsuka with material because he's doing post-grad research. I gave him one. Do have any sources to provide? John C.

Colin: Do you still have this sword? John C.

I think 1944 is correct. Looks like a squished 9. John C.

Luke: I just happened across an article written in JSSUS Newsletter vol. 30, number 1 (1998) that is talking about early (1934-1935) gunto mounts being "constructed of wood, and wrapped in a linen canvas before lacquer" (pg. 2). So maybe the same with yours?? John C.

Nah. Just a combination of poor old polish and carpet. The kissaki and what I believe to be ara-nie behind the spider rust. John C.

Two Geiger counters? Also, did any of the tsuba develop super powers? All kidding aside, could be from natural uranium found in many types of rocks and minerals, even those used to make tsuba. Or, the tsuba could have been exposed to high levels of radon gas for a period of time. John C.

Thank you, Thomas. Yes. I have it recorded as 16416 with copies of the stamps that were also in the Banzai newsletter. John C.

Resurrecting this necro-post as this is my first kai-gunto. Kanenami blade (water quenched, I think, due to the presence of ara-nie martensite), standard polished black lacquer wood saya, no chuso, gold washed fittings, and dark blue or black ito. The interesting thing about this one is that all of the pieces have matching numbers - just like it came from the factory, I imagine. No tassel, though. John C.

To my knowledge, this never happened with the Meiji 25. Instead, they added those features to the new Type 32 as a replacement. I have a snippet of an article that describes the release button still being at the top of the backstrap as late as serial number "16xxx." John C.

Quite the scam. They purchase your book from the distributor (for which you get your measly royalty), send it to a book binder (rare biblio, in this case), then mark up the snot out of it. The silver lining? They at least market the heck out of it: "This title holds the distinction of being a Bestseller, highly praised by readers across the GLOBE. We are thrilled to present this literary gem exclusively to our elite readers, meticulously encased in our one-of-a-kind Premium Leather Binding." John C.

Thank you, Hamish. Actually, I think it may be some type of lacquer or poly. It doesn't come off with isopropyl alcohol so bone tools are next. John C.

Marcin: I was focusing on the distinct chisel marks and the very sharp points on the strokes. More likely a chisel made these marks. John C.

Marcin: If you are asking if the mei was made with a rotary machine (e.g., Dremel), no it was chiseled. But for 12 grand it should be inlaid with 18k gold, studded with diamonds, and hand delivered on a silk pillow. John C.

Thank you, Florian and Jean for the explanation. Much appreciated. John C.

Jeff: Here is a link to a good article on nie and nioi with examples: https://www.mandarinmansion.com/glossary/nie John C.

Kanehide admitted that this was one of his foci after learning the Tosa-Ryu sword making technique. John C.

Maybe it's kismet. Just today I had a sword go missing - sort of. Got a delivery notice from USPS that the sword was delivered to the porch. Nope wasn't there. I immediately got on the phone to the post office for my area and had them track it. Postman probably wasn't more than a block away. Within 5 minutes he shows up with the sword. "Sorry. I was thinking it was the other street." Moral of the story is taking the quickest action possible got the 1,000 dollar sword back. And while it's not always possible to be that quick, constant tracking and plenty of phone calls can in some cases yield results. John C.

Thank you, Tobias. I appreciate you all taking the time to look at it. John C.

John: I'm curious how this notion came about. Not doubting it, as many of these small knives were probably made by blacksmiths rather than swordsmiths, however it must also be true that many swordsmtiths made kogatana and signed them. The Kanehide below is just one example. Examples from other smiths can surely be found in books etc. John C.