Emil

Thank you so much for the valuable input. Since I have your attention I would like to ask what you make of this tsuba that came with the sword. There was no information on it at all. But even a beginner like me was quite unimpressed with it

I don't doubt it, just out if curiosity and in your opinion, by how much do think I overpaid?

No unfortunately I don't have a photo of the backside at the moment. It looks the same, but I can't say if it's identical without examining it first. I'm not particularly worried about the tsuba I just want to learn more about it. (Paid 35,000 Yen / $250). It's part of a birthday gift for my father, along with a Showa-to from the same dealer. And I don't want to lie and say the tsuba is Edo period, 200 years old, if it's not. To be clear: the tsuba did not come with the sword, I choose it separately.

Yes I'm aware, there's not much on this paper that I didn't already say in the beginning of the thread unfortunately

This paper is not really this blank, I edited away all the dealer information from the paper. And for those of you who recognize the dealer by the paper design, let's focus on the tsuba and not who sold it in this thread please.

I was in their store in Tokyo when I bought the tsuba along with a katana. I find it very hard to believe that they would be selling a Chinese fake. But what do I know. I prefer not to mention the dealer's name here, as I believe it's disrespectful for an amateur like me to question things without the knowledge and risk their reputation. But I can tell you over a private message if you'd like to know.

Thank you, I don't have it here right now. But the other side looks the same, although I'm not sure if it's identical. I'll post pictures later of the other side, if it helps.

Bought from a reputable dealer in Tokyo with the appraisal paper saying it's Edo era, high relief carved chrysantemum tsuba. Some people have commented that it looks like Meiji or Showa era. What do you think?

Thank you Bruce, The shape of tsuba #6 is strikingly similar to mine with the exact same placement of kozuka ana and same seppadai. I'm not sure what to believe now, does it mean the shape is casted? Why would a reputable dealer in Tokyo say it's an Edo carved tsuba then

According to the appraisal from the dealer, this is an high relief carved tsuba from the edo period. But it closely resembles some of the showa era tusbas I've seen here. What do you say?

I'm trying to find information on how durable the Showa era blades are. I recently bought one that was recommended by the Japanese dealer for tameshigiri, especially due to the thickness of the blade which I was told would prevent bending. After reading a lot online I understand there are many different manufacturing methods used. The Manchurian Railway swords are said to be of excellent quality along with the spring steel blades. The other methods I haven't really found any good sources on their durability. According to the best source I found (ohmura-study.net) 70% of the damages in war were on the handles due to the Gunto fittings. Which I don't really care about since my Showa-to has Uchigatana Koshirae. Interesting to note is that author of Omura-study criticizes the "shinshintō" swords from the late Edo period. Saying that despite their appearance as powerful swords, they were not truly durable or reliable in actual combat. Edo period swords are notoriously corrupt in the way they favored beauty's over practicality in the peaceful Edo period. Either way I don't think I want to scratch my blade with tameshigiri, but there is some psychological satisfaction in knowing if you have a high quality blade or not.

This Katana was recommended to me specifically for tameshigiri. They even said the blade is thicker to prevent bends. What's your take? Anything I should be aware of before using it for tameshigiri? The Japanese man who taught me tameshigiri was using a Showato, so it's not my first time doing it.

Thank you, For me it's interesting that someone would take time time and effort to create a beautiful koshirae and shirasaya for a katana that in Japan is not considered especially valuable. But I guess it's the Japanese best option for tameshigiri since they don't want to ruin better blades?

I understand, thank your for the help. So given that it is a Showato, would it ever have been in gunto dressing? And someone spent money on it to make proper Koshirae for it? Or what's the usual story for these katanas?

What would be the reason for removing original stamps? They were never trying to hide the fact from me that it was a Showato. I would be surprised if they had recommended a Nihonto for tameshigiri.

It is Aoi, but it wasn't listed on their website. It's something they brought out for me in the store when I asked for something suitable for tameshigiri. They also said it was massproduced in an email to me. I just want to get a better understanding of what I bought exactly.

This is very confusing for me 😅 In an email conversation they told me the followingly: "It's a Showa-to, made during WW2. During this era, in order to be used in the war, it was mass-produced. The character of Showa-to is a little bit wider on Kasane,(the rim), not to be bent easily"

What can you tell me about this Showato? Unfortunately I don't have any good pictures, just a few I took in the store before I left Japan. I'm now waiting for the export permit. 1. I'm assuming it's oil quenched? 2. I'm confused about the concept of Showato honestly, if it was made for WW2, how did it find it's way back to Koshirae and lose it's gunto fittings? 3. Any additional information that can be found from these low quality photos? Thank you