Conway

@Scogg Can you edit the above post to remove the personal contact info from public view? @tumbleweed5780 Not surprising the vultures have started to circle the ill-informed. My advice, do some research before making any quick decisions.

Also in Sesko: When it comes to gendaitō and especially WWII-era smiths, this publication includes the ranking of about 300 contemporary smiths carried out by Kurihara Akihide (栗原昭秀) in 1942 under the title Seidai Tōshō Iretsu Ichiran (聖代刀匠位列一覧). He introduced seven ranks: shinpin no retsu (神品の列) Supreme masterworks kihin-jōi (貴品上位) Superior precious works kihin no retsu (貴品の列) Precious works jōko no jōi (上工の上位) Superior master jōkō no retsu (上工の列) Master ryōkō no jōi (良工の上位) Superior skilled artisan ryōkō no retsu (良工の列) Skilled artisan http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/tosho.htm

Did you re-align the wires without loosening the backstrap? The end result looks great!!

It’s signed Kawai Kaneyoshi. See the below excerpt from Sesko: KANEYOSHI (兼義), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Kaneyoshi” (兼義), real name Kawai Yoshifumi (河合義文), born October 25th 1902, nephew of Watanabe Kanenaga (渡辺兼永), he worked as guntō smith, ryōkō no jōi (Akihide), Second Seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihontō Denrankai (新作日本刀展覧会, 1941) Dated May 1944… Not 100% sure about the month, but that’s my best guess.

@Nazar How thick is the mune? I have one with a similar style blade and also with an added seppa, but the blade is so thin almost to the point of being flimsy.

Hector, Based on the pictures provided, the blade does not exhibit any of the characteristics I have seen in swords and dirks made with WW2 era anti-rust steel. I think you need not worry about that possibility. It looks to be a very nice piece. And even if it was made from anti-rust steel it would be worth far more than what you paid for it.

Ian, Sorry for the delayed response. I am not 100% sure, but I did find that the following smith, who was registered in Seki. Please see the below reference from Markus Sesko’s Swordsmiths of Japan: KUNIHIRO (国広), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Kunihiro” (国広), real name Kataoka Itoshi (片岡愛), born am April 1st 1895, he worked as rikugun-jumei-tōshō and died December 2nd 1965, ryōkō no retsu (Akihide). There were a few smiths who used the swordsmith name Kunihiro during WW2.

I agree with the makeover assessment. The late war Type 3 had artificially applied “Suguha.” This looks like a post-war job on the hamon.

@Bruce Pennington Looks like a 一 to me. Otherwise it’s a real poorly executed 八。

The smith is Kunihiro. Can you post additional photos of the blade?

The scabbard looks like it has been painted silver. Likely done because the finish on nickel and chrome plated scabbards are prone to damage. Aside from that, the sword looks genuine to me. Mon are far more common on dress swords than Type 94/98, so the presence of one would not automatically cause concerns of authenticity.

Adrian, Looks legit to me. I saw the auction pics too. Did you get confirmation they can ship international? PS - There’s discussion whether this variant of sword should be classified as an “NCO sword/ Type 95."

@Itomagoi What type of blade is with this koshirae? Or do you only have the fittings?

Reference Here

Thought I would share this Type 32 Otsu with leather cover. I wonder if covers on NCO swords were issued by the unit or personal additions. I’ve seen a few examples in photographs and will share one below.

Not to get off track and disrupt this thread, but there are sellers in Japan selling showato all the time on eBay (unless the location cannot be trusted)… For example: Masayuki

I think the things I would be concerned with on this sword are the tsuba and the scabbard. If it has the correct 11mm tsuba, that would make me more comfortable with it being a repair. I say this since from examining other Type 95 serial number ranges, it seems like repairs added the black steel tsuba with 2a seppa. With regard to the scabbard, Sam mentioned the unserialized throat not being an issue. I agree with that. I would want to see the correct early scabbard without drag however. I say this because without those key pieces, you have what some may view as a Frankenstein sword, that would be hard to sell later on. WW2 story aside, never discount the person selling the sword didn’t learn after the fact that they bought a pieced together sword. I wouldn’t take a gamble on this one if the seller was asking the going rate of a copper Type 95. That’s coming from someone who went down this road before with a copper and decided to offload it after more research. Please share additional pics if you receive them.

I wouldn’t waste my time trying to educate this person, since they are so off the mark on most things they put in that page- "Your grandfather's WW2 Japanese sword is either a $200 showato (machine-made) or a $5,000+ gendaito (traditionally forged). Knowing the difference changes everything.” I’d love to know how they came up with their valuation chart. Since you won’t even find showato being sold from Japan at the price points they list..

@James L Any stamps under the habaki? Given the date, and patination on nakago, this looks like a late-war showato (non-traditionally made, oil-quenched). A lot of WW2 navy swords had blades made of a corrosion resistant anti-rust steel. But this does not look like the case given the pics provided. Nice looking sword though!

I believe this is a variation called the four swords (四つ剣) - Yotsuken. Maybe others will have a better opinion. https://irohakamon.com/kamon/ken/yotsuken.html

Nick, May I ask what draws your interest to this particular sword? If you’re looking for an entry level sword that displays nicely, I would just like to point out that the missing wrapping on the handle is not an easy or cheap fix. Getting the existing core rewrapped professionally will run $200-300. Finding a replacement handle that fits nicely will require you to lug the sword around to shows with you. I would only buy a WW2 sword of this quality and in this condition if it was very cheap.

Hi Mike, A few additional pictures may assist in others providing more feedback. The Ko length is 83.6cm and the Otsu is 77.4cm. Here is a useful link on the Type 32: http://ohmura-study.net/802.html

Looks like Murayama Kikuhide. Here is the bio from Sesko: KIKUHIDE (菊秀), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Kikuhide” (菊秀), real name Murayama Kikuo (村山菊雄), born September 21st 1905, he worked as guntō smith and died April 8th 1952"

An un-serialized throat is not unheard of if it was replaced during the war. But yes, the serial number on the drag is a give-away both were added post-war. Maybe some examples exist, but Type 95 blade and scabbard serial numbers were not re-worked as is very common on Type 32s.

So much for the long-standing advice not to disassemble Type 95s! We'll be taking them apart to look for signs of age. Or sending paint chips off to a lab for analysis. @Scogg Maybe Sam should include a guide for assessing Type 95 details with a magnifying glass in his revised Monograph…. I suppose it was only a matter of time before the fakes got too good to tell the difference. Just like WW2 German militaria (helmets in particular).