Kolekt-To Posted September 10, 2021 Report Posted September 10, 2021 So, I just got one of my Type 97's back from my local Koshirae repair guy after he performed a Tsuka re-wrap. This is a Hattori Masahiro (of Takayama Forge fame) Kai Gunto that I purchased a few months ago. The Ito was torn and was generally in bad shape - needed a re-wrap. Randy has a solid reputation for doing excellent Koshirae restoration work and I'm very happy with the results (and his price was very reasonable). I'm fortunate that he resides in my area, so I did not have to ship the sword to him. Attached are Before and After photos. 5 Quote
Kolekt-To Posted September 10, 2021 Author Report Posted September 10, 2021 Also, a new pair of menuki (authentic, not replica) were added because one set of the gunto's original pair of menuki was missing. I wanted the menuki to match, so I removed the remaining menuki from the Tsuka and added the pair of matching menuki that were spare parts harvested from a salvaged Kai Gunto tsuka I had in my inventory. 1 Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted September 10, 2021 Report Posted September 10, 2021 Love it, Geoff! The old gal now has a pretty new dress! Ha! I once read that the Samurai used to replace the ito on their swords once per year, so a gunto getting new ito is well within normal practice. At least you will always have the "before" pics if the gunto ever changes hands, you can provide the photos in the sale to have full disclosure and pass on it's war history. 1 Quote
Kolekt-To Posted September 10, 2021 Author Report Posted September 10, 2021 Thanks Bruce! I know you appreciate the value of restoring a sword to it's former glory. I've learned there's some minor things that I can do to improve koshirae (other than cleaning and oiling, I would definitely not mess with a blade!), and I'm now connected with a couple of Koshirae restoration experts that I can call for more complex/intensive work. Therefore, the prospect of acquiring a sword that needs a little work is no longer a deal-breaker - in most cases I can see how it can be repaired or restored, then it's a matter of time and resources to get the desired results. And, I'm finding that there's something very satisfying in taking a worn-out, beat-up gunto and making the needed repairs. Now, if I can only secure those needed spare parts: Ishizukes, kuchiganes, etc. Lol 1 Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted October 2 Report Posted October 2 @Kolekt-To Any chance of getting photos of the mei and overall blade for the files? Quote
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