Showato

[Stoney]

G'day all,

I have noticed lately that Showato sometimes are now commanding more than the usual bargain bin prices. I know they are not true art swords and agree. But I wanted to ask the more esteemed members whether they think this shift in price compared to when you could buy one for mere dollars is a good or bad situation for nihonto collection in general.

 

http://www.e-sword.jp/katana/1510-1049.htm

 

http://www.sword-auction.jp/english/auction.cgi?acc=disp&no=1426554545&t=1213703271

 

Two links just for an example. I have viewed many more.

[lonely panet]

Hi,

well I think the move to military swords it natural for those who cant afford the high price of collecting Nihonto. secondly many new comers don't understand the term Art Sword which is so easly thrown around by the elitist collectors and dealers in Japan or over the world over.

 

(my opionon here) the only sword I would think that fits into this area of art sword, is a sword made after 1945, as all swords made before this were made and intended for any form of battle either ww2 or sekigahara. a Japanese swords first function is to cut, looking sexy is a secondry affect, and some do it better then others, just like girls hahhaha.

 

I made the move from collecting Sue Bizen-to,  to imperial swords about 3 years ago and iv never looked back. more information in English, less of the class elitist and many western collectors  enjoy collecting weapons as weapons. not as art object that are considered weapon as a secondary term if you get my understanding.

 

I hope my opinion has made a affect on this topic. So the more collectors to move into military swords is good, it brings more attention to this under rated area, but sadly for me will push the price of collecting up for me as well.

 

regards Hamish

 

.

 

[Johnny Barracuda]

Hello,

 

I share some of Hamish's motivation.

 

I collect both kinds of swords.

 

One must remember that a nihonto is a weapon, before anything else. It is a splendidly made weapon, but a weapon nonetheless. It is not a work of art, as a statue or a painting is. It was not made to decorate a room, but to kill people. The point is that it was very well and very elegantly made.

 

Therefore, I appreciate the nihonto as a fantastic piece of craftsmanship with artistic qualities.

 

As for my motivation for collecting imperial military swords, it comes from the fact that I am a great admirer of Meiji Japan. This extraordinary period saw a small medieval country become a main modern country in less than 40 years. Japanese people took everything from Western powers and made it their own, instead of becoming a colony like their neighbouring countries.

 

To me, the combat version of the kyu gunto perfectly embodies this period: while Western-looking, it is completely Japanese. It is both elegant (as western military swords of the time were) and deadly (as only Japanese swords can be).

 

That is why I am collecting kyu gunto.

 

Price wise, I have seen many koto blades cheaper than Navy combat kyu guntos in good shape, even those with arsenal blades. Demand and rarity make the price. Some people have realised that some gunto can be really nice. So prices went up.

 

Cheers.

 

[lonely panet]

Thibault

 

here here    

[reeder]

I think those that deal in Showato will tell you those prices are not the norm, and all would be very happy to get prices comparable to the links provided. As mentioned, very nice kai-Guntos are sometimes the exception. I've recently sold off my showato to fund nicer blades and I got nowhere near those asking prices for my blades that were very nice examples. I see a lot of decent Showato blades struggling to break $1000 and many that don't.

[NihontoSeeker]

Something is only worth what you are willing to pay for it.

[Kai-Gunto]

I started with nihonto in bad shape, then many years later I started ww2 collection. Then sold all nihonto and bourght some nice ww2 swords. Now im into nihonto again but in far better condition than I was younger.

It is easy to find complete ww2 swords for a fair price. No other country in the world used swords like that in the battlefield.

 

The navy kyugunto is IMO the most beautiful navy sword in the world.

[Johnny Barracuda]

The navy kyugunto is IMO the most beautiful navy sword in the world.

 

I second this opinion!

 

I would say the most elegant military sword in the world, but the matter is covered, since Navy swords are generally more beautiful than army or cavalry swords.

 

Here is mine, along with my Army kyu gunto. Both have tassels now and I should take better pictures with a rising sun flag like you did.

 

The Navy kyu gunto has a good quality arsenal blade bearing the Naohiro stamp and made during the Taisho era. The blade is in good shape and slightly oxydised, as seen on the pictures, mounted through a sterling silver habaki. The mounting is absolutely impeccable and retains most of its golden plating. It bears a mon (I do not know which family it belongs to, see picture). One single wire was a bit loose on the handle but I fixed it. The rayskin same on the handle is top notch (big scales near the pommel) and the sharkskin same on the scabbard is faultless.

 

The Army kyu gunto is less elaborate. It is two-handed, and retains two suspension rings. The blade is arsenal made, stampless and bears what is probably an acid-etched hamon (see picture). What is interesting with this sword is that it was produced during the Meiji era and it was actually used during the Russo-Japanese war. The blade bears battle scars. Also, it bears a silver mon from the Hachisuka family, former daimyio of the Tokushima Domain in the Awa Province, whose head was at the time Marquis (kōshaku), President of the House of Peers, and former ambassador to France (important place to be sent to! ). So, although it is a company level sword with a standard blade, it belonged to a junior officer from a high-ranking noble family prominent both during the Edo and Meiji eras.

 

Cheers.