John C

This area appears to have some activity along the hamon, which would not be typical if it were a showa-to. John C.

Here is a better example of martensite crystals (nie) formed with water quenching. John C.

Since you have the sword in hand, here is a chart to help you out. The key would be to look for activity in the hamon. The more activity, the more likely it is water quenched. John C

Just my two cents - I think AI can eventually be useful in Nihonto identification, however similar to the way it is trained to spot cancer, known valid examples will have to be offered so it can "learn" what to look for. In breast cancer, for example, thousands of scans that were identified by the doctor as normal but where cancer was later identified in the individual, were used to train the AI. Currently, it can identify cancer not identifiable to the radiology technician (I forget what the accuracy rate is). I think an area where it could be most useful would be in mei authentication. If it can be shown enough scans of legitimate mei for a given smith, it could learn the subtleties of his chisel marks or whatever. Access to this program could be used by shinsa or by sword buyers just wanting to confirm a signature. The problem will always be garbage in; garbage out. There would need to be certainty that the mei used to train the AI are legitimate. John C.

You end up with a statue of the Lawgiver. John C.

I'm a little surprised there hasn't been more emphasis placed on simple demand or provenance. There are a multitude of factors that can determine whether or not a particular sword appeals to someone. But unless you have multiple people interested, it won't carry much value. A simple steel dagger may not fetch much, however King Tut's meteorite dagger might realize millions due to simple demand and provenance. Likewise, two equally rated Masamune may fetch premiums, however if one had been owned by an emperor, I suspect it would be worth more to someone. 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