John C

Jesse: He's had that auction up for some time now. If I recall, he said something about feeling its soul?? Maybe that's why it's a million bucks. John C.

Mara: I can't say much about the blades themselves, however I can get you started with some notes. First, assume all signed blades are gimei (fake signature) if not authenticated by an official organization like the NBTHK. They would issue papers for the blade. Also, the straight blade may be a shikomizue (cane sword), though it looks a little thick. The 2nd and 3rd appear to be wakizashi (between 12 and 24 inches). In general, they carry less value because they were plentiful and carried by more people than a katana. Probably not much help, however just more to think about. John C.

My mistake. I had read the wrong info, however Piers and I agree on the date Showa 52. John C.

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/207511139 John C.

To me, the date looks like showa 52, which would be 1977. Kunihiro lived until 1989 so perhaps a gendaito??? John C.

EL: This guy here made a world senbongiri record with a WW2 Kanehide. https://www.facebook...rd/1622327351145714/ John C.

Not much. Just two mekugi-ana and the date and place of registration. But here is a link to some more general info on torokusho. http://www.jssus.org...nese_sword_laws.html John C.

It does say the sword is mumei and lists the size. No indication of period. John C.

For 6 bucks you could find out if there are traces of lead left in the cavity. No lead - may or may not be a bullet; traces of lead - you have your answer. https://www.amazon.com/Pawfly-All-New-Results-Seconds-Instant John C

If you're collecting stats, I would be interested to know the total number by age range. For example 3 ranges, 10-30 years old, 31-50 years old, 51+. John C.

Nicholas: I'm in agreement with Leen above. A couple of issues sparking the debate are: 1) the terminology is somewhat misleading. The word gendaito just means new sword, however we use it to describe a traditionally made sword and not a mass-produced one. 2) In terms of "traditionally made" is where it gets sticky. Some swords are hand forged and water quenched but use modern steel rather than tamahagane. But some swords use tamahagane, are water quenched, and star stamped. Are they both gendaito? 3) many RJT smiths made both traditionally made and non-traditionally made swords (machine forged, hand finished) so are those gendaito because of the smith? 4) There are also traditionally made swords prior to the RJT program (non-star stamped). These are harder to identify (water quenched but unsure of the steel used). In some ways, it's personal preference. RJT star stamped tamahagane sword or any hand forged, water quenched blade. John C.

Mark: I was thinking stylized bamboo leaves like these. John C.

David: Could be a long shot, however do you know if anyone has used a dry swab and test kit for traces of lead in the cavity? John C.

I may be one of the latest starters. After a rather dire medical diagnosis just a couple of years ago, I made a bucket list. As many are here, I've been a martial artist since the age of 13 and have always wanted a "real" samurai sword. So at the ripe old age of 61 I bought my first nihonto - a papered Nobuyoshi (2nd gen) from Grey. .... 9 more items to go... John C.

Here are some previously posted snippets of info on that company: John C.

Programmes can be read here, including #37 and #81: https://to-ken.uk/re...ihonto-magazine.html John C.

I wonder how many of these are movie props, particularly those from Japan. John C.

Ken: Any pics of the nakago? John C.

Does look like a nice zohei-to. From Ohmura's site: John C.

The earliest versions were made with copper metal handles. These carry a premium because of their limited numbers. There are threads here about them. John C.

Yes. Not sure it's mismatched; just the serial number is missing. In pristine condition, I would expect it to be in the 1100 to 1500 range and even more for copper handle. John C.

Assuming the blade is in good condition, I've seen them on Ebay in the last two years in the 800-1000 dollar range. John C.

The one on the right looks like a Tokyo 1st inspection mark. Not sure about the left. John C.

It's possible the saya was replaced at some point due to damage. This was common during the war. John C.

David: I'm not a translator, however to get you started the blade is older than ww2. The symbol on the top is a kikumon. John C.