John C

Hunter: It looks like the painted assembly numbers are 819. Is this number stamped on any of the parts? John C.

I agree. Probably a mistake. And at least they corrected it. John C.

Update: They got my message and added a note to their description that it is not Japanese. They canceled the bids. Good for them (and their bidders). John C

Already sent a message on this, however I don't think they intend to change it. Zoom in on the tsuba and clearly read the word CHINA. https://shopgoodwill.com/item/195154953 John C.

Could it be year of the dragon, 8th month? John C.

Should be flush to keep out dust. Give the wood some time to climatize, it may become easier once it shrinks a little, depending on humidity levels. John C.

Ah. Thanks, Chris. I have the exact same set up on my type 3 gendaito and was wondering what the same' was made out of. John C.

The origami mentions the smith as Kunimune; Muromachi period, Uda (probably the school name). It's most likely legit. John C.

Here is a follow-up. Majority of rust removed (spots do not look that dark in person). These spots were on opposite sides of the blade in the same place and I was concerned they may have eaten a hole through the blade. Please notice there are no visible scratches and the hamon has not been affected, as it would have been with a chemical rust remover. Now that I know the edge is in tact, I can send it to a polisher if I choose to. John C.

And there's the rub (no pun intended). Having a rust spot or micro-sized scratches - it's one or the other at this point. In my case, the blade was already scratched, so I went with removing the rust. Also, moving through the 1800 to 12,000 grit is actually finer than a polishing stone and keeping it ONLY on the rust spots does no more damage than the rust is doing. But I probably wouldn't do it if I felt the rust was surface only and the integrity of the blade was not in question. Stabilize then get a polish at that point. John C.

Doug: My opinion on this is different than most so I'll chime in a bit with my rationale. I guess it boils down to preservation vs. restoration. I prefer to preserve rather than restore if I don't think a polish is worth it- this means I prefer to do the least amount necessary to make the sword presentable. For example, in the pics below, I bought a star-stamped gendaito that had quite a few rust spots, including on both sides of the edge in the same place. My concern was whether or not the rust went through the blade at that spot. I could send it to a polisher, however if the rust went through I would have a polished blade with a hole in the edge. If I left the rust, I would be inviting further damage and if I stabilized the rust the blade was not really presentable. So in this particular case, I took some micro-sanding pads (ranging from 1800-12,000 grit) and, using only water as a lubricant, sanded down just the top layer of rust on the spots, working through the progression of grits. I finished with a slurry made of water and diatomaceous earth. NOTE: I did not polish the blade!!!! I only sanded the rust spots!! In addition, I only sanded down to the level of the blade. Any further, and it would have left a divot. This removed most of the rust while preserving the hamon and the original polish. Now that I can see the rust did not extend through the blade, I could send it to a polisher if I choose or leave it as is, which is pretty presentable. Again, just my take on it - but it really depends on the extent of the damage and the cost of the polish. John C.

Again, agree with Ray. The habaki will come off unless epoxied. Place the edge of a piece of wood or a chopstick on the habaki at the places indicated and tap downward, alternating between sides. In addition, the rust can be mitigated. Search the forum and several methods will pop up. John C.

What Ray said...ditto. John C.

William: First impressions are that it is legit. Mismatched numbers does affect the value, however that is offset by the presence of the tassel (assuming it is legit as well). Currently similar swords with tassel are selling in the 1100-1400 dollar range on ebay (if you can find one with tassel). John C.

Thomas: There should be a metal collar here called a fuchi. Did the tsuka come with one? John C.

Interesting. Thought that was just mine. I have a papered Nobuyoshi where the exact wording of the mei is not listed in any reference, so I kind of questioned it. It also makes it difficult to determine generation, which is not indicated on this particular origami. But as you say, they must have a more comprehensive list of mei than what is available to the general public. John C.

Not sure this is helpful, however google app has it as "eternal life" or "water damage." Take your pick. John C.

Mark: For a reference, the page I posted for you is from that book. The last paragraph on that page is the one you and others highlighted. Take a look at the paragraph just prior listed as Nobuyoshi 1st gen. This may give you additional information. John C. p.s. I also own a 2nd gen papered Nobuyoshi and have an extensive file of research. if there is something specific you are looking for, let me know.

We generally do not do valuations on individual swords here. We can say, however, type 95's in general are going for 800-1000 on ebay, based on condition of course. John C.

The whole page from Sesko notes 1st gen as Takai Kinzaburo but a theory that it was second gen. So the jury is still out. John C.

Mark: Is your blade read as shinano no kami? If so, I believe that is 1st gen Nobuyoshi. Smiths would change mei when an honorific title was bestowed upon them. John C.

First impressions are legitimate. Mismatched scabbard, however. The kokura stamp seems to be over struck with Tokyo 1st stamp, but looks legit. But let others give a definitive answer. John C.

If I had to guess, I'm thinking 1956. John C.

Alexander: As David stated, a definite reproduction. For reference, the carving on the blade was almost never done and certainly not a carved sakura. In addition, the stamped numbers on the habaki are almost never done but are found frequently on fakes. John C.

@Bruce Pennington FYI Number stamped on the mune. John C.