Showa22 At It Again!

Stegel · October 13, 2018

After quickly pulling down his ebay listings last month when i exposed this fraud, and lying low with his type 95 NCO sales on ebay......This CLOWN is at it again!!!

Tsuba swapping on this particular type 95 sword, which he is now selling.

Be aware that he is dishonest and you should NOT be buying anything from him as far as i'm concerned.
For serious collectors, he is destroying any value of data that can be gathered, and for anyone buying from him, you cannot be sure that the sword is unmodified in any way, - hence not original.
In fact, he is intentionally deceiving all potential buyers by stating this in his description of the item.
(modified: No)

This sword serial number 123350, originally sold last April 24th, for US$766 but it had a steel tsuba as can be seen below: (original pictures from this sale)

He is now selling it with a Brass tsuba on ebay as can be seen here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-WWll-Army-officers-type-95-NCO-sword-matching-number-Kokura-arsenal/362457090982?hash=item5464204ba6:g:M6sAAOSwJr1bwURA:rk:1:pf:0

My impression, with his past history, is that he thinks this configuration is more desirable, and hence will bring in better prices for him. What he doesn't consider is the damage he is doing to the whole collecting world and the future of our hobby/interest.

Now i'm watching to see him or his mates bump up the price to ensure a good profit.
SHAME ON YOU SHOWA22

ChrisW · October 13, 2018

Businesses will often do anything to make a quick buck, always at the expensive of the buyer. Sadly, now also in this case at the expense of history too.

IJASWORDS · October 13, 2018

Hang on a minute, if he sold it last April 24th, and he lists it again now (modified), does that mean the April sale was a shill bid and sale, and it went no where?

lonely panet · October 13, 2018

this guy appears to sells more yasukuni-to than were made hahahahha

Stegel · October 13, 2018

Sorry,

Neil, the April sale was by a different seller in another state.

charlie1 · October 13, 2018

He’s still shady as they come...

vajo · October 13, 2018

Sometimes i cry when is see what he is doing to the blades. After his polishing mostley of the swords had suguha hamon, no matter what the blacksmith tought. The guy has no sense of responsibility for antique or historic pieces.

Stegel · October 13, 2018

Well it was at $28 after only 4hrs, when i brought it to your attention. Now after 20 hrs it is at $214.50.

He has some dedicated followers who continually bid just to be the leading bid.....what a lucky guy! not many other auctions have such a remarkable increase in less than one day (unless the piece it truly exceptional)

17bids in 24 hrs. 7 by one bidder alone and another 2 from one with no name at all it appears, all in just the first 20hrs!

Old habits die hard i suppose! Lol

Shamsy · October 13, 2018

I could never buy from him. Mixed swords that change their original configuration are worthless in my eyes, except for parts.

Replacing a missing screw, habaki or sarute with an ORIGINAL one, no worries. But once you start mixing fittings... People just don't realise that they vary between subcontractors and time so much. Not to mention records we keep of swords, especially the rarer contractors.

That's the problem when a hobby becomes more about the money than the passion.

Stegel · October 14, 2018

He has pulled the listing down........ no doubt he trawls the forums..

This listing was ended by the seller because there was an error in the listing.

Probably this part....

Item specifics
Condition:
Used: An item that has been used previously. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections. See all condition definitions
- opens in a new window or tab
   Modified Item:    No
Country of Manufacture:    Japan

It reached $227, with a little help from 'his' friends no doubt.
I guess i wouldn't be on his christmas card list.... Ohh well

Brian · October 14, 2018

I wouldn't keep these posts up except for the fact that Stegel posts hard facts with a lot of research.
Let's keep comments to the facts and I won't have to worry about a backlash. I don't like doing this to sellers...but as Stegel has shown without doubt, there is a solid reason for warnings. Appreciate the time you take to research this.

TheGermanBastard · October 14, 2018

My impression, with his past history, is that he thinks this configuration is more desirable, and hence will bring in better prices for him. What he doesn't consider is the damage he is doing to the whole collecting world and the future of our hobby/interest.

Yes, he obviously does think so and if the buyers choose to pay a higher price then who is to blame? If a customer wants to pay a higher price at a 3 star restaurant to get ketchup added to his Kobee beef so be it. One guy will call it a desaster, another say it is customer service, again another will say it is personal taste and in the end it is business in a mainly free world.

I do not fully understand your point. A sword will most of the time (hopefully) face a longer life than a human being, meaning it will pass through a lot of hands - many of them changing things / parts due to personal taste. How many Koto swords do we see coming along in their original Koshirae? Close to none. Either because the mounts got used up / worn down ... or just because due to them having been changed most of the time for a personal taste / fashion. That is part of the story. Take the Du Guard / Kyu Gunto mounts. I hade them. I especially hate to see sword tangs having been grinded down to somewhat fit into this Prussian inspired ugly hands. But then that is just my oppinion. Other give them much praise.

Overall I can not see much wrong about a sword getting parts exchanged. If I get a sword that is in mostly en suite Koshirae but maybe just not its Tsuba or Kozuka matching the rest of the mounts I will try to make it all fit. If you think I am destroying the swords history so be it. It has probablly seen a lot of modification during its lifetime and now it is my take.

Some may even have a modern artist do a new piece of Kodugu. Are they ignorants messing with history? Everybody may have his own pick on this. Call me liberal. Yes I am. The owner is in command ...

A different thing is if someone deceives a buyer by adding a Gimei signature or forging a serial number. I would not support this at all ... BUT then again from a historical point of view it is just keeping up with the "good" old traditioms and history repeating ... so we should not be amazed at seeing a growing number of Yasukuni, Gassan, Okimasa ... or whatever dude the markets is for in high demand.

If you see a blade signed with a Yasukuni Mei but having a Seki Showato style Hamon then do the math yourself.

There are more Yasukuni blades these days then back on the '40s ... and if you pay half the price for your Salmon than the market is, then it is probably no Salmon ..

vajo · October 14, 2018

This is a machine made military blade. The worth is not in the blade, it is in its orginality.

Jean · October 14, 2018

Koshirae are always a problem. Nobody can be sure that some kodogu have not been replaced along the years, same for tsuka. Now, who can say if the iron tsuba shown in the first picture is original to the koshirae?

IJASWORDS · October 14, 2018

Luis and Jean are missing the point made by Stegel. These NCO swords are NOT nihonto where the value is in the blade, the blade is mass produced machine made. The value (to collectors) is in the whole item, where numbers and arsenal and inspection stamps align with specific production types, production times, and specific fittings. Changing things around renders them useless for future research, documentation, and reduces their value to "wall hanger" status.

These are military artifacts with history, and their value is in their originality.

Picking up on Jean's last point, a collector (like Stegel, Bruce etc) would know from the numbers what fittings it should have with the koshirae because of research and documentation.

TheGermanBastard · October 14, 2018

Hello Neil,

I am a sociologist and fatalist. Looking at societies I see little being learned from mans past and personally attach little to no value into digging in past societies history. I do not see much point in what value there is documentation and research on mass produced weapons from the last century. But that is just my point of view. Howeber I know what I am talking about since my PhD thesis is atleast as useless focusing on public toilettes and Norbert Elias.

So back on topic. Let's say the Tsuba he put on is not stamped at all. So what does it tell then? Nothing.

Now lets take the case it is stamped but not matching. What does this tell us? Nothing but that it is not matching. You have no way to tell when it was changed.

There are many Gunto type swords that will come on the market as a virging without mathching fittings simply because the Japanese dude who assembled them did not care or had made an error or whatever.

Or take the case that there has been a GI who mixed things up 60 years ago. Now does that add positive or negative to the story? Has Banksis halfy destroyed image become even greater art or been rendered usesless?

PNSSHOGUN · October 15, 2018

I suppose you would be happy, Luis, if you bought a gold bar of advertised 99.9998% purity and found out it was 98% tungsten with a thin gold covering? I guess that's just the sellers choice to switch out the gold for tungsten because it's "more desirable" and buyers want that! It can be difficult enough these days to tell apart the fakes from the unmolested Gunto these days, with characters like Showa22 playing Three Card Monte with fittings, blades & signatures there will be a point where new collectors won't be left with a shirt on their back buying an entry level piece.

lonely panet · October 15, 2018

Here here.

For me the main attraction for IJM swords is the mounts. For me if a item isn't 100% its incorrect. These swords are largely less the 100 years old. So its unacceptable that to be mismatched just for profit.

John and Neil have nailed it

IJASWORDS · October 15, 2018

Hi Luis, I don't have a PhD in sociology, in fact I clean toilets for a living. So I know crap when I see it.

vajo · October 15, 2018

Luis, when you see that a mint type3 showa stamped blade goes for 634 Dollar on ebay and a Type95 late stage for 1000 Dollar than you know that a original NCO sword is somthing worth.

The prices will rise further because there are more Type98 and Type3 out there than Type95 and Type95 are the most faked sword. So it is more difficult to get a good one.

Ontario_Archaeology · October 15, 2018

Luis, as an archaeologist, there is plenty to be gained from studying mass produced weapons. Probably more so than items produced on a lower scale. If we have documentation to go along with the artifacts we can put together a better picture what was going on during that period and figure out a more complete history of the time. By documenting and researching the period and topics now, while it is more recent, we are probably uncovering more information than if we started 100 years from now. You may think that there is nothing to be learned from past societies, but that is simply wrong.

With the mixed up NCO, why destroy a perfectly fine artifact for profit? The OP clearly shows that it was a modern mix matching, which takes away a lot of the historic value, especially with ww2 collectors who often look for items that have not been changed since the period. With a mass produced item like the NCO, the value comes from how original it is, and the condition.

I personally think that separating the "original" mountings from the blades we find them in is just as wrong as messing with the NCO. We know historically it was often done, but I see us more of curators of artifacts and changing out the mountings removes part of the history that we work to preserve.

Matt

TheGermanBastard · October 15, 2018

Hello Matt, I think Archeology is one of the most obsolete sciences with the least to be gained from oustide an ivory tower ... What can be learned from past societies is that they completly failed over something. So sad, That is no news at all. I do not need someone else to fail and study him to fail myself. I can accomplish this myself pretty well. If you want to secuerly travel in the future you musn't be driving by looking at the rear mirror.

I absolutely see no reason other than to keep itself alife and claim itself to be of importance why Archeology would dig into the recent past, a past that has been well recorded through modern mass communication. In one years archeologists would start a debate over the Playboy Magazine collection under my bed and speculate would could have been the reason for storing magazines on a ground level. I bet there would be some great, most obsucre theories ...

I am more concerned about plastic in the occean, a climate change or other problems endangering mankind ... the present and future rather thant past.

See it from the brightside: If there are more Showa22 destroying the "historical value" of things, it will just add more "importance" to the remaining artefacts. Isn't this great?

Ontario_Archaeology · October 15, 2018

I hope you stick to collecting modern blades. If you truly believe there is nothing to be learned from history, you cannot appreciate it appropriately. Maybe CultofAthena is more up your alley.

Edit: There is no "brightside" to destroying artifacts, unless it is to further the science, what Showa22 is doing is a waste.

Matt

Jussi Ekholm · October 15, 2018

I do not collect WWII swords or have much interest in the stuff of this period.

However I had thought that those with iron tsuba would have also iron seppa & fuchi? I usually use Ohmuras site for reference for the military stuff.

http://ohmura-study.net/792.html

http://ohmura-study.net/957.html

In the original listing I think I see extra seppa added on, and the tsuka does not have black fuchi. So maybe the last seller thought people wanted the ones with iron tsuba and changed it to this one? And now Showa22 changed back the tsuba that had originally belonged with this tsuka? In the end sword has been tinkered multiple times regardless of the final outcome...

Not defending the seller in any way as I have never looked at his listings before as military swords in general do not tick my boxes.

hxv · October 15, 2018

Th

Hello Matt, I think Archeology is one of the most obsolete sciences with the least to be gained from oustide an ivory tower ... What can be learned from past societies is that they completly failed over something. So sad, That is no news at all. I do not need someone else to fail and study him to fail myself. I can accomplish this myself pretty well. If you want to secuerly travel in the future you musn't be driving by looking at the rear mirror.

I absolutely see no reason other than to keep itself alife and claim itself to be of importance why Archeology would dig into the recent past, a past that has been well recorded through modern mass communication. In one years archeologists would start a debate over the Playboy Magazine collection under my bed and speculate would could have been the reason for storing magazines on a ground level. I bet there would be some great, most obsucre theories ...

I am more concerned about plastic in the occean, a climate change or other problems endangering mankind ... the present and future rather thant past.

See it from the brightside: If there are more Showa22 destroying the "historical value" of things, it will just add more "importance" to the remaining artefacts. Isn't this great?

This attitude/belief is exactly why history keeps repeating itself. It reminds me of a story I was told many, many years ago.

A history teacher was confiding with the school principal. “Nobody cares about the past. They think there is nothing to learn. My students do not have basic knowledge even of recent events from a mere century ago. Is it ignorance or apathy?” To that question, the

principal replied: “I don’t know, and I don’t care!”

If we do not study/care about history, we only have ourselves to blame when (not if) history repeats itself.

Hoanh

Jean · October 15, 2018

Sorry Neil, but I don’t see any number on the pictured iron tsuba and if it is different of all the other part of the koshirae. I am collecting firearms and know the importance of all pieces bearing the same number. Nothing indicates in this picture that this iron tsuba has a number and if yes, the same as the other part of the koshirae. That’s all.

This did not imply that Stegel is wrong in his saying and Showa22 has a sufurous reputation.

Bruce Pennington · October 15, 2018

Sorry Neil, but I don’t see any number on the pictured iron tsuba and if it is different of all the other part of the koshirae. I am collecting firearms and know the importance of all pieces bearing the same number. Nothing indicates in this picture that this iron tsuba has a number and if yes, the same as the other part of the koshirae. That’s all.

This did not imply that Stegel is wrong in his saying and Showa22 has a sufurous reputation.

Hi Jean,

Your point about blades getting koshirae changed over the years is a valid point, however it MOSTLY applies to ancestral swords that went through centuries of use. I'll admit that even the modern gunto, once suffering damage, would see replacement fittings as well. But even with the old blades, you could imagine the value of one found in original, 600 year old fittings (in decent shape of course!) compared to one in fittings made yesterday. But even that varies with the taste of the individual collector.

Part of the interest, to some of us, is the story. To have a Type 32 saya drag with serial numbers filed off and re-typed gives a tiny view into the life of the blade, and some of us find that fascinating. To know that post-war owners have mixed stuff around spoils the purity of the story.

As already stated by many, to some of us who enjoy the discipline/hobby of studying Type 95's, it contaminates the evidence to mess with stuff. Much of what we have to study is simply the gunto themselves, since there is very little documentary information for us to go by. The detective work is fun. Tampering with the evidence interferes with our hobby.

As for Luis - he is simply another guy with his own tastes and opinions. Their mercenary view of making money off our hobby is as repusive to many of us as is the practice of cleaning the nakago of a nihonto to nihonto collectors. It wouldn't be quite as bad if Showa22 would document the originals before making changes, and posting the history with the sale. I cleaned my Mantetsu nakago, but I took pictures of the original state (and of course I will never sell it either!). But this is not the only bad practice of the guy. If it were, this conversation probably wouldn't be taking place. He has been damaging blades with bad polishing and faking mei as well. His is not a matter of taste, it involves clear intent to deceive.

vajo · October 15, 2018

I see many old Saya wich are totally raided from its tosogu. This is very hard to see when you look on the easy colored saya with old fitted tosogu parts. These old saya has a lot of very nice artisan made colors and textures. They where destroyed for getting the tosogu and nobody cares what have done with it. Its a shame to see these new saya mostley colored with acryl sprayed lacquer. Is this preserving koshirae? No, its stupid restauration and changing history.

These mass produced swords getting less and more less when they where assambled to new products with old parts. If someone try to restore a brough superior motorcycle with parts from BMW and Honda, what would you think?

TheGermanBastard · October 15, 2018

I hope you stick to collecting modern blades. If you truly believe there is nothing to be learned from history, you cannot appreciate it appropriately. Maybe CultofAthena is more up your alley.

Edit: There is no "brightside" to destroying artifacts, unless it is to further the science, what Showa22 is doing is a waste.

Matt

My oppinions should be taken with a grain of salt. I am just a funny misantropic guy.

But Matt, you say I can not appreciate it appropriately? The implication of this is invalid. You say you come from a scientific dichotomic valid / false system but then argue in a pretty personal right / wrong point of view.

All I can say is that I can appreciate anything to the best of my abbility - whatever it is. One can argue about taste but it is pointless just like this discussion is.

if I showed you the "original" setup of this NCO blade and the later modification, could you tell which one was the actual original? NO you could not. Even the 1st setup we see may NOT be the original one. We simply do not know - that is all we know ... and it does not make any change.

TheGermanBastard · October 15, 2018

I suppose you would be happy, Luis, if you bought a gold bar of advertised 99.9998% purity and found out it was 98% tungsten with a thin gold covering? I guess that's just the sellers choice to switch out the gold for tungsten because it's "more desirable" and buyers want that! It can be difficult enough these days to tell apart the fakes from the unmolested Gunto these days, with characters like Showa22 playing Three Card Monte with fittings, blades & signatures there will be a point where new collectors won't be left with a shirt on their back buying an entry level piece.

I do not own a goldbar but I do own a gold testing device for checking on the validity of a bar. Like when buying a sword I would first buy the necessary reference work. I would always assume the worst and if I get cheated then it is my fault in the 1st place.

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