John C

It looks a bit like a Changhua seal stone in the form of a Foo dog. Just my opinion but the carving seems a bit unrefined. John C.

Yes. John C.

Bruce: A couple of interesting things stand out in that photo. Firstly, all of the numbers are in English and written in the same orientation...so by the same person? Secondly, I think they are doing a final polish (no fittings around them, jars of something next to them, and thumbs appear to be rubbing the blade). Still unsure which came first. The blades could have been fitted prior to final polish (to remove any marks or fingerprints) or they are still waiting fitting after final polish, though it would normally be the former rather than the latter. John C.

I would submit in most cases they do not. A sampling or survey gives us a range from which we can make certain assumptions, for example length of blades, based primarily on measures of central tendency. Given a certain range of lengths, we can infer what the mean length might be and any outliers. Conversely, an official document tells us exactly what the length should be. Will "real world data" agree with the document? Sometimes. But often times, for whatever reason, official guidelines are not followed. That's why all methods of investigation and research are important. John C.

Agreed. Ohmura notes a "half-forge" sword suggesting it was made with "mill steel" using a power hammer (he uses the term air hammer), yet quenched in water. So not tamahagane steel, which may explain the nakago color and very tight hada, if this one falls in that category. John C.

So do you think these are assem-bly numbers? Or could they possibly be assemb-ler numbers? John C.

Nick: The general rule is 0-1 shaku (about 12 inches) is a tanto; 1-2 shaku (12-24 inches) is a wakizashi; and over 2 shaku is a katana. John C.

Bruce: As you know, I'm tracking assembly numbers so thanks for the chart. In addition, if they are actually assembly numbers, I would not expect too much variation. Indeed, the array of numbers so far is starting to make me wonder what their true purpose is. Not pertinent to this particular chart, however I think the assembly numbers for souvenirs all use black paint. John C.

Rob: I was able to attach a loop to my crap camera and found some interesting areas. Looks like martensite crystals, however I don't know if that necessarily indicates water quenching. What do you think? John C.

The original label noted they had offices in Dairen (Manchuria) and Berlin, among other places. An export company perhaps? John C

...And he shouldn't have. These two methods of discovery can be mutually exclusive. Sampling, whether through direct observation or extended survey, in an effort to make a prediction based on inferential statistics (what you call real world data) is effective. But so is finding a document that unequivocally says the same thing directly. For example, I can sample hundreds of short gunto swords in an effort to determine if there were an established minimum length. Or, I can refer to the document that Nick found and translated that states directly what the minimum length for a gunto should be. I think if the book writers had access to many of the same documents, they would have used them. Just my opinion on the validity of research methods. John C.

Reviving this old thread with some additional information. I have a showato marked 0904 in Japanese on all fittings. The exceptions are 0904 written with Western numerals on the saya insert and the roman numerals on the habaki. Interestingly, the assembler used "X" as the "0". It is difficult to see, however the habaki is marked X /IIII X IIII. So in some cases, X could mean 0 rather than 10? In addition, the inside of the fuchi is marked with a hybrid system X 9(Japanese number) X 4(Japanese number). John C.

Thank you both for the information. A good polish would probably settle the question, however not on a showato. In the meantime, I'll look for a spot on the blade that may provide something definitive. Thank you all again, John C.

Thank you for the responses. A couple more. In one, I think I can see the tell-tale dark line of an oil quench but not in the other. Hada seems dense as well, so I am leaning toward oil quenching. John C.

Hello: This is from an unstamped, undated type 98 (Ando Kanemoto). I know statistically this is probably oil quenched, however I do not have the experience to know for sure. My pictures are crap but I think I can see slight ashi and ko-nie. But I also think I can see slight dark streaks of oil quenching. What do you guys think? Regards, John C. p.s. Did I mention my pictures are crap? Best I could do.

Not sure if it is the case here, however I have seen "0" marked as an "X" on fittings. So 720? Does that number show up anywhere else? Any roman numerals on the edge of the habaki (VII II X). John C.

I've recorded the assembly numbers. That one really is an enigma. Kai gunto saya and tassel with what appears to be a "souvenir" style seppa and matching assembly number. John C.

Ah, sorry Brian. I'm used to publishing 25 page papers. John C.

Brian: I don't have nearly the knowledge of others, however I can take a crack at it. I think most of the info on fake type 95s is in that thread and just needs to be compiled cohesively. As for type 94/98s and rinji, I think the issue isn't so much real vs. fake but original vs refurbished. But again, many of the issues have been posted. My concern there is stepping on copyright toes as most of the information on legitimate sword parts has been presented by Ohmura-san. Anyone else??? John C.

Piers: Sorry for asking (I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed), but to clarify: Does this mean the smith actually forged the blade or did he just prefer to use that word rather than saku? John C.

Vielen dank, Christian. I had been undecided between Choji and gunome. John C.

Wow. Ten bids for 32 dollars so far. Maybe they are hoping the tsuba is real. John C.

Hello: I'm trying to pin down the style of hamon and it's getting a bit confusing. It seems to be gunome but with mimigata? Can anyone help me pin this down? Thank you, John C.

John: If you are referring to the Aoki mon on the type 98, then yes. It has a company grade blue and brown tassel. John C.

Exactly, Brian. The showato I just received has a nicer-than-average hamon and the smith used the term kitau. But it does look oil quenched, has no date or stamps, so it made me wonder. In the US, words are often regional (sofa vs couch or soda vs pop). But they can be used interchangeably and mean the same thing. John C.