moss

Fair bit of missing fittings though Ray, Those will all add up. Moss Also just an edit for reference Ray,probably should be in the military section rather than nihonto.

Darren, The lacquer marks are probably nothing more than assembly marks from the arsenal. They would only have significance to the people who put the blade and fittings together. Cheers Moss

Jock, Potatoes definately will help.........But you must strictly follow this secret recipe. Just live on them and plain water for 3 months and the money you have saved will go well toward a polish. Probably have to eat the spuds raw as well to get to your goal LOL Moss

Hi Tim, Nice book to start off with for military collectors is Military Swords of Japan 1868-1945 by Richard Fuller and Ron Gregory. Light reading ,plenty of pic's and details on arsenal stamps etc Try and pick up a used one it won't break the bank and will probably help save some cash. I would try Craig at the address below. Tell him you are a member and he is sure to look after you. That is if he has a copy. http://www.bridgeofdreams.com Happy hunting Moss

Chi Fan, You are right ...Chinese but stated Chinese in the auction details. Cheers Moss

Ray, To jump into the ring....... I know for a fact it would be hard to accuse Keith of buying and selling for the motive of profit. I have a couple of his past study pieces and I know for a fact that one would not have been an investment of the fiscal kind. It was passed to me for less than its original price ,and after shinsa I will post it.......that is of course if it doesn't pink slip as gimei. The other is an ubu mumei koto piece ,which in my eyes was a very well priced blade. Same thing ,after shinsa I will post for discussion. I wouldn't be to quick with the tar and feathers. Cheers Moss

Eric, Why wouldn't one stick up for mumei and present for shinsa.(At least no pink slip for gimei) Shinsa will give an opportunity however brief for others to study and share the blade. Cheers Moss

Hello Roy, I guess until Dr Who's time machine comes up for sale the age old arguement will persist. My thoughts are...if worried about gimei,buy mumei! And surely a mei must change over time. I would have expected a certain ammount of refining in the strokes with all the practise. Cheers Moss

Well , It was found in a porn/pawn shop Which one is Ebay? Good yarn Jason. Moss

Mario, I was playing devils advocate,the tag and scratchings all look so clean. Is the saya aluminium? My point is that it is impossible to determine much without a full spread of reasonable pictures. I'm by no means an expert but I've owned a quite a few gunto over the years both showato and nihonto. The cleanliness and style of tag would sound alarm bells thats all I'm getting at. Not having a go at you personally. Cheers Moss

My 2 cents worth, Without photos of the blade we are only looking at a section of saya that has a very chinese Knockoff colour and some very fresh chinese scratchings Nice clean surrender tag ..... That in itself is priceless Cheers Moss

Keith, No chance of becoming civilised in Qld.but we are the' Smart State 'according to our fearless state leader If you like I can pick up a bottle or 2 for you next time I pass by. Cheers Moss

Gidday Keith, Carbatec is based in Brizzy. They sell a few Japanese saws,chisels ,files,and Camelia oil. Cheers Moss

Hello all, I'm with Stephen on storing in a non artificial climate. Today (Winter) 62% and 25C(77F) In the summer the humidity goes through the roof along with the temp. (and tempers)90% > and 40C> Only once I had a rust issue when a piece of paper was found inside the saya and holding the moisture to the blade. And no we don't have air-con in my house just open up the windows and catch the breeze. I actually enjoy the process of occasionally cleaning and oiling. It is a good oportunity for a relax and a cold beer. On that note Cheers Moss

Hello Eric, These obviously sell like hotcakes,maybe to Ebayers for self flagellation purposes after their most recent purchase. Cheers Moss

Hello All, I'm not sure if this katana should leave Japan. It is obviously of enough national importance to stamp roman numerals on it. Did I read the Ebay listing right? ,a sword strike was the cause of the romanji :lol: Moss

Gidday Ian, I imagine the mace you mention was not purchased on Ebay. I agree to hold both real and fake items will help with the 'feel'and sixth sense. With reputable dealers there will be no problem inspecting any given item. They may even have a knockoff or fake kicking around,purely as an educational piece one would hope. It does seem that a few more Ebay dealers are flogging off repro's of late than in the past,perhaps this is just a symptom of how tight fisted the commmunity is. Everyone searches for a bargain without doubt but don't forget the old adage....If it seems too good to be true,it probably is! Particularily Ebay,it is scoured and trawled by a cast of thousands. A RARE AND VALUABLE ANTIQUE with few bids and minutes to run would be reason enough to walk away,so many eyes surely could not miss a deal and if they had ,how much junk would you buy to skew the odds in your favour. It is interesting to note that even knowledgable people such as yourself can be tricked by the forgers art, that puts the spotlight on how good the fakers have become. The point I get at with the Ebay list ,is that if a newbie is too lazy or impatient to read some books and spend the time to hold and feel then they will probably be too lazy or in too much of a hurry to even read the list. It is not a race and even if it were,a race team puts in massive ammounts of research and prep before the day. Thanks for your interesting highlight on forgeries. Cheers Moss

Hello Eric and all, A list......why bother. Better off to spend the time reading and researching. A list of spurious Ebay sellers would take up too much valuable time. If people out in the big bad world want to gamble on Ebay with a distinct lack of Knowledge,let them go for it! Sorts the sheep from the goats IMHO. The members on this board have always given the advice to newbies to read books,visit dealers and go to shows. After they have a feel then go ahead and buy from a reputable seller. If you try to circumvent the process you run the risk of becoming a member of the 'tough luck club'. Even if you have done the research Ebay is still a minefield. Much better to buy off fellow members. The nihonto I have ,all bar two ,came from NHMB members and I am not unhappy with a single piece. And yes there were some bargains amongst them! Cheers Moss

Gidday Lee, Maybe your case was one in a string of cases. The proverbial straw that broke the camels back. IMHO, buy off Ebay and you just have to accept you may get touched up. Not all sellers on Ebay are dishonest ,many buyers are of spurious pedigree ,add a few dollars ,a few lines of bad description,a used item,an impulse buy,then turn up the heat and see what comes out of the pot. Hmmmm not nice. The lesson learned here really isn't too bad,no prize but it could have been much worse. Cheers Moss

Joseph, Have you thought of just getting a window done? It may prove to remove any doubt from your mind. Too me that would be a logical step forward. Cheers Moss

Joseph, My understanding is that the principal mark is purely to confirm acceptance by the IJA that the blade conforms to standards. When I say standards I mean ,length ,curvature etc not necessarily construction. The sword would have to be in hand to know wether handmade,oil tempered,water tempered ,tamahagne,or western steel. At least the acceptance stamp without showa stamp increases your odds, unless of course it was removed at some point. I may be wrong on any or all of these points as this is only my understanding., Cheers Moss

Hello, Looks like a Nagoya acceptance stamp. Cheers Moss

Look forward to the finished polish Cheers Moss

Hello Joe, Are these progress shots or the finished polish? Just that you said 'This WILL be polished in sashikomi to highlight the radical hada' I'm just trying to figure out what stage it's at? Cheers Moss

Swedish bayonet,Japanese polish????, YUCK "I got another nihonto ,might just start on that" All I see is you will bugger up 2 blades. Harsh comment,No ! Anyone who encourages this kind of work surely doesn't belong on NHMB. Moss