John C

Emil: In the pics below, I have noted the issues folks are talking about, for future reference, and to help you spot some common signs of a fake. This first pic shows the acid etched logo, the Damascus pattern steel (not common in Japanese swords), and the misaligned machi (should be straight across). The second pic shows the sharply cut and unrefined nakago jiri and the off angle of the nakago. The third pic shows the overly sharp angle of the kissaki. Japanese swords are more elegant and refined. Hope this helps, John C.

Here is a better shot of the mei. Just to be clear, I don't own this tsuba so I'm relying on seller pics. This started as a learning exercise and discussion on metal defects to help me understand what I'm looking at. - I have no intention of buying it. But I do appreciate all the opinions. John C.

Thank you guys for the input. I agree with the collective assessment. So maybe a little older than I thought and made with traditional material. John C.

Hello: I think the translation is New Art Sword: Famous sword edition. Filled with fold out oshigata. Just curious if anyone can tell me something about this book. I would like to buy it, however I need a sense of contents and value. Thank you, John C.

Hello: Still trying to train my eye on these. Both defects are on the same tsuba. What would that type of defect indicate? Thank you, John C.

Colin: I took a look inside (not an easy task) and was able to see it is completely hollowed out, following the outer shape. In addition, there seems to be a very small rib on the inside middle of the bottom piece. At first, I thought it may be a mold line, however it stops at the sides. Possibly for strength or as a gluing surface? Reminds me of cutting open a chili pepper and seeing the ribs. When I bought it, I was assuming early to mid Showa given the whole piece was only 50 dollars. John C.

Not sure, though here is another one. They are referencing Japanese bayonet markings. https://worldbayonet...Bayonet_Markings.pdf John C.

Tom: Just a guess, however "sword grade steel", according to google app and the document below has a very similar stamp listed as Nagoya. No idea if they are authentic. John C.

I took another look at the body with a stronger loupe and there are some vertical fine lines, like crazing. There are also very fine uniform circular horizontal lines from when it was turned and/or sanded. None of these are visible without a loupe. I suspect bone is a possibility. And your guess of Victorian-era lathe work is probably spot on. John C.

Thank you for the information, Piers. To answer your question, the entire hyotan seems to be one piece, save for the bottom - which I agree seems to have been glued on. As far as dating, the inro is a worn brocade box so not too old. Not sure about bone. It just doesn't have the plastic "feel" to me, so I gravitated toward Bakelite or some similar material. I can say the screw top is uneven enough to be hand carved, as opposed to lathe turning, however the body was probably turned. Here are pics of the top and the inro. Thanks again, John C.

Hello: I just picked up an inro that has a gourd shaped NLO and matching ojime. I was wondering what the name/theme of the gourd is called and what it may represent? Additionally, does anyone have a guess what the gourd would typically be made out of? It looks a bit like bakelite to me, however I'm not sure how old it is. The gourd is very cold to the touch, a bit like stone would be, heavier than it looks but not as heavy as stone, and the stopper emits a very high-pitched squeak when screwed in. I don't see any lines or grain that would indicate bone or ivory. Any help would be appreciated, John C.

On this one, as well as several others he had, l thought the random placement of "residual gold foil" looked a little too non-random to me. Spots of gold evenly spaced, not scuffed but gleaming, gold left on high spots but not on low spots - the "wear and tear" just didn't seem natural to me. John C.

I'll asterisk the two for now with a note and see if any confirmation pops up in later searches. But thank you very much for the research. John C.

Thank you for the scabbard numbers. These are listed in Dawson pg. 116 as blades only. Note: I may have the scabbard for 575 on my blade. There could be part of a 9 in front of the 5, however even under a loupe it's difficult to see. John C.

Tom: Thank you and congrats. You have one listed in Dawson pg. 116. I will update my chart with your cite. John C.

Is the number one a variation of one of these? I can't seem to find a reference for the way it is written on the nakago. John C.

Thomas: Note that the 8170 scabbard for this blade matches the 8170 serial number (presumably a blade) listed in Dawson, pg 116. John C.

Thank you Trystan. These are helping to establish some patterns. John C.

You could be right. Most folks don't have one. This is a quote from the auction site: "A metal analyzer suggests that this is about 3/4 copper and 1/4 silver." John C.

Still trying to learn. While looking at a seller who sells tsuba for 100 bucks, this surprised me. What would indicate this as a tsuba that valuable? The seller also listed the metal analysis as 75% copper and 25% silver. Thank you, John C.

Thank you for the serial number, and I agree that some folks may not understand the nomenclature. I have widened my search and haven't seen anything new yet. @Brian Could you please move this to Military swords? I used the wrong forum. John C.

Thank you guys for the tips - I thought everyone might get a kick out of the second one. Not sure how that is being sold as "original Edo period". John C.

Just picked this up (mainly for the ojime) and thought it was interesting that a Naritasan Temple Protection amulet was being used as a netsuke-like object in place of a tabako-ire. Was this common or do you think just assembled by the seller? John C.

Hello: I've been trying to read through the amazing threads about tsuba originality before buying, however I may not be getting it yet. I would appreciate some guidance. The seller of these two tsuba has the first one listed as a replica, while the second (with the "animals") is listed as original. I'm thinking it's the other way around, that is, the first one with the udenuki ana seems legit to me. What am I missing? Thank you, John C.

Hello: I'm tracking the serial numbers and inspection marks on type 25s and I have exhausted my available resources (Internet, Dawson, and F&G). So far, I have come across a total of only 27 different swords! I would appreciate help in finding more. If anyone has a type 25 not listed below, please attach a pic of the serial number and the inspection stamps. I would really appreciate it. List of known serial numbers: 325, 575, 1539, 1996, 2379, 3397, 3587, 4077, 5578, 5988, 6251, 6784, 8170, 8572, 10781, 11448, 13121, 13197, 14013, 14323, 14408, 15383, 15773, 16019, 16065, 16416, Unk serial number sold on Worthpoint. Brief history of the type 25 from Nick Komiya: https://www.warrelic...avalry-gunto-781783/ Thank you very much for taking a look, John C.