John C

Thank you, Piers. It made me wonder since saku is used most of the time. John C.

Hello: I was wondering if there is a significant difference in meaning between using kitau (forged) in a mei rather than saku (made)? Is it interchangeable and the personal preference of the smith or does kitau mean the sword was hand forged as opposed to machine made? Thank you for your time and patience, John C.

Thank you, Steve! Much appreciated. John C.

Hello: I would like to confirm what this one reads. I believe it is Aoki. If so, would that be a family name or a first name? Thank you, John C. p.s. It is on a type 98 showato.

Hello folks: I thought this was interesting. The pic is a still shot from one of Samurai Monkey's videos. In this one, he is explaining the difference between a type 94 and type 98 gunto. See anything wrong with the tsuka? It's easy, of course. But how many folks are viewing that and thinking that is the way it is supposed to look? John C.

Bruce: Just came across this thread and thought it was interesting. The sword I just purchased has the same notched seppa to fit the sakura. Type 98 showato. John C.

Francois: Do you know if the blue painted 5 at the base of the nakago is original to the sword? John C.

Just my opinion, however I think the one with the tassel has been done recently. Wet formed leather, hand stitched and burnished. The thread condition is virtually new (not discolored in the least). These would be the same techniques I would use today (I make holsters, knife sheaths, key fobs, etc.). Compare that to some of the others with more worn leather and smaller, tighter stitching, lack of burnishing. John C.

Adam: Just another note about ww2 Japanese swords. They were required to be a certain length; even the "short swords" (about 21 inches minimum for the blade). Could an officer have carried his own personal sword without military fittings? Probably, though the length of your sword would suggest it was not issued during the war. But as Bruce said, you will need to have a look at the tang to be certain. John C.

Thank you guys very much!! And @george trotter it comes from an Ando Kanemoto blade that has no stamps at all. John C.

Steve: Just to get the ball rolling... but I am probably wrong so wait for the experts to chime in. Showa stamp. Seki ju Ishihara Kane (nao?) saku John C.

Russ: I am but a novice, however I can try to answer your question with an example. If you look at the example of the real sword kissaki, you will note the bo-hi ends in an "up turned" fashion and follows the lines of the boshi; whereas the fake just stops abruptly. In addition, you can see on the real sword how the shape of the kissaki is like the quadrant of a circle (think about a circle with a cross drawn inside. One quadrant would be the shape of the kissaki). Conversely, the other is a very pointy shape (or could be too blunt, etc.). Hope this helps. John C.

Hello: Do you all think the top number was changed to a ten or is it not a number at all? ? 2 5 5 3, or 12 5 5 3? Thank you for taking a look, John C.

Bruce: Now there is a 58 for the list. All with black paint and some with black painted tick marks on the mune. John C.

JC: I'm looking at assembly numbers and noticed Toyosuke uses black paint and generally two numbers. Are 58 the only numbers on the one above as far as you know? John C.

Rick: Does yours have the stamped numbers or the W stamp? John C.

@Bruce Pennington have you seen these small circle stamps before or are they just zeros stamped in (0904) John C.

Thank you, Steve. I was thinking date because I thought the "moto" character was haru. John C.

Hello: This is from a sword I might be interested in. I believe it could be a date (zodiacal) but I cannot make sense of the mix of characters. An/yasu/or sada? ? Kane Haru? ? Could the last two mean "second month" Please advise, John "not the sharpest tool in the shed" C.

Just to add my two cents...I agree with all of the above; that the blade is real, and the signature probably not. The saying you will read often is "buy the blade, not the signature." I would extend that to "buy the blade, not the sales pitch." It's like what the guy says who is selling a dead horse - it never runs away and doesn't eat much. If the blade is legit, and you like it, and you can afford it, then go for it. In addition, I have a different take on "older" blades. While the smith may not have been a household name, he still poured his heart and soul into making the thing, which I can't do, so I tend to give them all a little respect. John C.

Bruce: Not sure if you have this Yoshiharu with W listed. Autumn 43. Might be a faint 3 (see arrow). https://japanesesword.com/archived-pages/2017/8/5/gunto-by-yoshiharu-in-34-pattern-shin-gunto-mounts John C.

Not sure why he would do that, however, the 503rd PIR saw action on New Guinea and Corregidor. In fact, the 1st Lt. William M. Eddy who signed as G-2 officer on his form was stationed on Corregidor (Battery A field artillery). So either of those two places would be a good guess. John C.

Bruce: Are you recording the assembly numbers (158)?

@Bruce Pennington Looks a little like the HE stamp but given its position, probably part of a number. John C.

Looks like it may have painted assembly numbers. Was it used during the war? John C.