John C

Thanks, Bruce. It's still in its infancy, however I do have the outline done (been tied up finishing another book edition). As to a separate thread, not sure. The broader category is still about fake auction listings. Maybe a general category on common sword myths? John C.

Lucky, Dee! I personally think you also have a good eye for swords so I'm a bit envious. John C.

Thanks, Russ. I have that one as well. Of the hundreds of books on Kamikaze, I focused on those that were first had accounts (or at least family accounts). Most of the other, generic, books are based on those. John C.

Howard: With Google AI there is generally a couple of sites listed right after its answer. The first being where it got most of its information. Do you have that site? John C.

At 304 dollars now. Looks like the carving goes into the mekugi neatly, as if the mekugi has never been removed. John C.

Agreed, which is what prompted my research. You would be surprised how many sellers, including "trusted" sellers who certainly know the truth, market their tanto as "suicide" or "hara-kiri", serving only to perpetuate the myth. John C.

Correct. That book is one of my references as well. Again, even without direct evidence of tanto presentation, I think it's possible. But as F&G note, finding kamikaze tanto is extremely rare - though that does indicate they were carried. Cutting away a parachute (which several pilots said they used as a toilet rather than a chute), cutting rigging, or used as a religious object, are all good reasons to carry a knife or tanto. Just not for seppuku. John C.

Russ: I have been researching this for quite some time and have started a paper on the subject. After reading 6 or 7 books written by former kamikaze pilots or their family members, studying references (including the one above), and reading the kamikaze pilot's manual (the parts available in english), I'm very certain the issue of kamikaze pilots using a dagger for seppuku is a myth. In addition, the only picture of a presentation I have found so far is of a kaiten sailor receiving a tanto. You are correct in your assessment that kamikaze pilots would have been too busy to commit seppuku. Their radio communications were spotty at best. To overcome this, many were given telegraph keys strapped to their left thigh so they could report which ship it was they were about to attack. Additionally, the manual tells them to ensure they keep their eyes open until the moment of impact. This was to overcome the tendency to pull up on the stick when their eyes were closed, thereby missing the target. Lastly, the tanto were kept on a lanyard hung around the neck. I have not found a single picture where you can see the tanto. Presumeably, they were being worn under the clothing making them hard to reach. Certainly, committing any form of seppuku with a tanto under these conditions would have been nearly impossible. As to whether or not they were issued, I would say most likely since all soldiers, sailors, and airmen carry knives of some sort. But for the purposes of seppuku? Not likely. John C. p.s. I have not solicited the members for pictures. So there may be some out there that show their tanto, I just haven't seen them.

17 and 18! Wow! At 17 I was sewing the paisley print material into the hem of my bell bottom jeans and trying to figure out how to attach my surfboard to my bicycle!!! At 18 I traded in the bell bottoms for army uniforms. I never would have dreamed of collecting swords back then. John C.

1569?? (Depending on the month, I guess) John C.

This type of sales tactic may not be exclusive to Japanese sellers. I know of at least one seller based in the US who posts much of his best stuff on facebook; puts his junkier stuff on Ebay; and puts the best stuff on ebay if it doesn't sell on facebook first. John C.

Another from this seller: https://www.ebay.com/itm/336129368396?itmmeta=01K3EH7GK82AS0AP4DV8YCGPFB&hash=item4e42df214c:g:EqEAAeSwhOZooTnD Note the lack of patina on the saya and the crudely chiseled "Japan" on the blade. John C.

Well...you know in America we park on a Driveway and drive on a Parkway. Go figure. That's timely. I just finished watching the original Shogun series and Mariko stresses that when teaching anjin-san. John C.

I would advise the new collector, once they narrow down what it is they want to collect, they focus as much energy and study on spotting issues/fakes as much as studying what is good. There are so many issues that can occur with blades that make a beautiful blade not worth the asking price. A gorgeous blade with a small vertical crack in the ha can have a fatal flaw. Some mistakes I have made: buying a blade that had beautiful pictures of the hamon - except there was about 3 inches in the middle of the blade missing from the pictures, which I didn't notice at the time. I found out why when I got the blade and there were chips in that spot. Look at the pictures CAREFULLY. I have blindly trusted "approved sellers" and found undisclosed issues after receiving the blade. Study the blade in detail. Don't assume that the blade is as described just because the seller is "approved." A little knowledge is dangerous. After doing some thorough research, I thought I knew enough to purchase a certain blade. Received the blade and found something was not correct. Had I chosen the blade first, THEN did the research on that particular blade before purchasing, I may have noticed that it wasn't correct. It takes a lot of research to figure out how many potential issues a blade can have. John C.

Another one from the same seller as my other post. This one labeled as Navy NCO sword. https://www.ebay.com/itm/236271429071? For those learning, note the badly punched dimples, the fake Tokyo mark, the faint serial number on the habaki, the uneven flat area on the tsuba, and the writing on the blade. John C.

Marcus: If you are referring to the Lazarnick books, there is an auction on ebay for both volumes for 750. That's about the best price I could find. https://www.ebay.com/itm/376493745718 John C.

I have 2-7. Not sure if there are any after that, but would be interested them as well. John C.

Gerry: Not commenting on the sword itself, just the description. When you come across aucrtions that mention "tanker" or "aircrew" in the description, this is just a sales pitch. While it is true that some tank and air crewmen carried short swords, far more carried their standard regulation swords. There is usually no evidence that a particular sword was carried by a tank crewman, air crewman, or a submariner. Indeed, same goes for auctions listing "kamikaze suicide" dagger. Every soldier in every country in every war has probably carried a knife or dagger. John C.

I've been trying to learn slowly - Ray's flash cards, general kanji flash cards, study and practice books (all in hiragana and katakana). One thing that has helped me is that I speak German, which has the same basic rule of putting the conjugated verb at the end of the sentence. So if you speak german, or can at least practice putting the conjugated verb at the end, you may find it helpful. John C.

This book can be borrowed from internet archive if you are registered. John C.

Ha. This Kunitada went for 2,510 on Goodwill. Can't wait to see it again. John C.

Peter: I'll chime in with my two cents. I perceive the notion (passion?, obsession?) of collecting swords is still strong, particularly within the general militaria crowd. I only started a few years ago as an off-shoot of the martial arts. But I do agree that the mode of collecting has changed. And indeed, the selection of what can be collected has changed. I can't afford any of the swords I want and all that is left seems to be junk that has been adulterated over the past 60 years. I think the days of barn finds may be sadly over. Thank God sellers like the "Monkey" still have million dollar blades available! John C.

Here's another one I think is wrong. Note the arsenal marks, the lack of detail in the tsuka, the deep bohi, the kissaki end of the bohi, and the serial number, etc. etc. https://www.ebay.com/itm/236265448528? John C.

PLEASE, everyone. Can we save the vitriol for facebook where it belongs? Let's talk swords instead. John C.

Kevin: I'll answer your first question. The tsuka, seppa, and tsuba were likely changed frequently throughout the blade's life due to damage, owner's tastes, or other reasons. This is common and would not be a concern. As to the looseness, humidity levels in particular can shrink or swell tsuka causing them to not fit correctly. In addition, some sellers remove blades from shirasaya and add ill fitting mounts to increase buyer interest. We like to say "buy the blade" - so the mounts are less important. John C.