Conway S

Lance, I would say “worthless” is a bit of an exaggeration even in its current condition. If you live near Orlando, there is a Japanese sword show in June. There may be a few people there who have the specialized skills to wrap the tsuka. Conway

For future reference posted more photos here:

@PNSSHOGUN Here are some pictures of the kai gunto I posted in the translation section. As you can see it's signed: Tenshozan Fujiwara Akimitsu made this from stainless steel and it's dated a lucky day in November 1938. Minus some patination on the fittings, everything on the sword is in great condition. Conway

I think Brian is correct. As a collector of British swords, I have been confused to find references to old unit names after the unit amalgamated with another. As a matter of heraldry, I think battalions wanted to maintain ties to their original regiments. I think @Dave R also collects British swords and may have some additional insight. Conway

Peter, Here is a useful link for these types of zodiacal dates. http://www.japaneses...com/kanji/zodiac.htm Conway

Thank you both for your assistance! I greatly appreciate it. Conway

Greetings, I am hoping someone can help translate these characters. Thanks in advance! Conway

I know you have said in the past that you don't go to shows, but that's where you find deals and can see the piece in-person before buying. There were at least two swords signed Nagamitsu at the Chicago Show this past weekend. Conway

Can you post a picture of what you think is a stamp? Conway

Adam, I try to track NCO serial numbers for my own understanding of who produced in the various serial number ranges. I recorded an IIJIMA at 13320東 with the first pattern tsuka. I also recorded an IIJIMA at 13176東, but did not annotate whether it had the early non-symmetrical tsuka or not. Like Bruce said, best to wait for the input of the experts. Conway

You can search Inaba on the forum and find that it may refer to a smith but also likely to a forge in the case of kai gunto. By the way, I think the “ba” used is the hiragana form. Any stamps on the nakago? And if I am wrong about the translation at least you may learn something new! Conway

David, Maybe I am way off, but it looks like a stylized Inaba. 伊 奈 波

Steve, smallsword on eBay often has Nagamitsu for sale. As I am sure you know, his prices are negotiable. Conway

Greetings, I thought I'd post one of my recent acquisitions. Perhaps in the same way colorful snakes scare potential predators away with bright colors, this parachute chord wrap scared potential bidders away. The wood core is original, but the same is gone. I'll hopefully send it off to get rewrapped soon. @Bruce Pennington thanks for referencing the hiragana "I" in your previous post. The mune is stamped い 八八.The tsuba is stamped 7 80 and the fuchi has a faint 4 on the release button prong. Conway

And then this Mantetsu also from the same seller only sells for a modest $1100 even though these mounts are far more rare than the Type 98. I think certain eBay sellers have developed a status of being "trusted", whether this status is deserved or not it depends on the particular seller. This consequently inflates the prices they receive online. Mantetsu and Type 95 also seem to be items of interest for WW2 collectors that are not solely focused on collecting Japanese swords. https://www.ebay.com/itm/235403345246 Conway

Yes I saw that too. The three seppa doesn't seem right...Praying hands emoji for the person that bought it. That's more than I would be pay for one, at least in that condition. Conway

Also odd that there are two seppa on the front end of the tsuba. One is the correct style for NCO swords while the other appears to have a smooth edge. Conway

This beauty was on eBay for a while, but recently sold. I would have loved to have this one in my collection. I thought I'd post it here for reference since a German made blade is always a nice feature. There's a smilier General's grade with a Clemen & Jung Solingen blade in Dawson's book from the Plimpton collection. https://www.ebay.com/itm/256453466500 Conway

Greetings, It looks "real" to me, but something about these listings always seem a bit off. Maybe it's the glare and grainy quality in each photo. Plus the seppa are in the wrong order. Looks like the saya had two different serial numbers at one point. https://www.ebay.com/itm/235514477237 Conway

@Nicholas Is your sword also posted on eBay? You’ve posted some nice stuff recently. Conway

@Kiipu 聚宝盆 - jù bǎo pén - Treasure Pot 生意兴隆 - shēngyì xīnglóng - "May your business prosper " or something along those lines. Conway

@William Jennings This one was posted recently on the forum. Are you sure you're communicating with the actual owner? In the thread below, @Kiipu makes a good point about the handle being a replacement. As for the mismatched serial numbers, does it bother you? There's no shortage of matched examples out there. Conway oe

If I am not mistaken, somewhere in the 159,000 range they switched to the iron tsuba which they then continued into the 162,000 range. Conway