Gunto Sword on ebay... interesting? or a do not bid one?

[kusunokimasahige]

http://cgi.ebay.com/WW2-Japanese-SAMURA ... otohosting

 

just curious, not bidding at the moment anyway...

 

I see hagire i think, and kizu.... like the hamon though, however cant put my finger on it wether its a nihonto or acid etched hamon......

 

KM

[SwordGuyJoe]

This is a good - and by good I mean quality original, not Chinese repro - and the seller is a member of the board (James). Perhaps he could help you with more specifics. It is a very interesting piece with the combination of fittings. Should be a good sword, from a good guy, and more than likely will go for a good price. Is that "good" enough? :lol:

[kusunokimasahige]

Definetely!!! i thought he was from the board, since i kind of remembered the bed the sword was on.......

 

my question wasnt whether it was fake, but whether it was worth bidding on...

 

 

KM

[Weidas]

i saw this sword, but "left" it due to condition of blade and especially mounts - i never saw such tsuba neither on military, nor on civil swords in military use. Can it be original? also scabbard looks not like military issue. i'd appreciate very much if somebody could describe the tsuba. were such used in Japanese army?

[SwordGuyJoe]

I don't doubt the originality of the tsuba. The one thing that I have learned in military collecting is that you can never that the Japanese never allowed any special variants. That said, this blade is a shin-gunto mounted katana with the leather covered saya variant with most of the leather torn off. It has a civilian tsuba, which I have seen before. I have actually seen all civilian mounts carried in a shin-gunto saya and even all civilian mounts with a rank tassel. These variants happened more often towards the end of the war when they were in "panic" mode. The blade's temper is very attractive, but you would have to weigh the cost of a polish to clean it up. If the cost of polishing does not out weigh the value to you as a collector than I'd say bid on it, but if the blade alone is not worth the bid or the cost for polishing, then maybe steer clear of this one.

[shan]

Looks in the style of Kanemoto to me.Sanbonsugi with Toran mixed in

This is a hamon that was popular in Gunto periods as well as earlier and i would have liked to see the nakago myself.

I understand that some swords are difficult to prize from the tsuka but there is an age old technique that is mentioned in a lot of sword books about holding the sword in the right hand point up by the Tsuka and sharply striking the top of the right hand with the bottom of the left hand. This if done smartly will "shock" the nakago free.

It will not cause any significant damage because any surface rust will be loose and all the better for that,also whoever buys that blade will want to see the nakago regardless of what may or may not happen to it in the attempts to remove it.

It’s a fact of life I am afraid,no one will leave that in the Tsuka,Its human nature to want to know if its Koto,Shinto or gunto,signed or not signed.

So the question is….whats under that Tsuka?

[James]

Hi guys, firstly there is no hagire. I know there is a small verticle line in one of the pictures but this is just a line of rust that may, from the pictures, look like a hagire. So again, there is no hagire.

 

Regarding the tsuka/nakago, I don't know what's up but seriously, I can not get it off by any method mentioned.

[kusunokimasahige]

Ok thanx for the info James!

 

And happy to hear the vertical line is just/rust in the photo!!

 

KM