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A fun and wonderful write up of some records sleuthing and effort sure to bring a smile to any nihonto lover's face: https://blog.yuhindo.com/the-hoshizukiyo-masamune/ Listing with unreal pictures: https://yuhindo.com/hoshizukiyo-kencho/

I am sure many will frown for posting here something unpapered, but I am a dumpster diver and too many of my items are like this. Not being an expert, I do suspect its the earliest portion of Kaga Goto lineage.

Nice to find original photos of Generals with sword & tassel visible.

Hey guys, thought I'd give a quick update on the sword. It's now in the hands of Andrew Ickeringill down in Melbourne. From a quick preliminary look at it he suggests that it is late kamakura, even possibly earlier and has a rough idea of the school the blade came from. There are a couple of problems with it however, the most glaring is the bend in the blade that has resulted in mukade-shinae. As well as some chips near the kissaki. That being said over the next 2-3 months in between polishes he will be straightening the blade and doing an appraisal and a window for me. Once that's been done I'll be back with more news!

Two of mine... Mumei Kodai Umetada and a Tsuba made by Akiyoshi.

Hello Dave, You have a lovely example there, the serial numbers tell me it is early 1941 manufacture, and as Bruce indicated it is the later (not earlier- earlier used 'K' not '-') Kobe subcontractor who made it. This contractor is known to have used the 'greenish' paint on the handle as well as the more commonly seen brown. Measure the tsuba, as it should only be the 9mm variant at that stage of production. The 11mm were only for the Copper handled and the very early Aluminium until stock ran out. (a few years before yours was made) The serial numbers for this model will only appear on the blade itself, and the scabbard throat. (whereas the drag is stamped on the type 32's instead of the throat). From your pictures, I would consider this to be an excellent to near mint example, with a bonus original tassel... very nice find. Definitely not a Chinese copy or otherwise repainted. Judging by today's market, i would think this one would easily go for over the $1000 mark -due to it's condition, so i hope you picked it up cheap! And finally, yes they are reasonably Well made, i agree with Bruce and Trystan, the Tokyo Arsenal made Type 95's are cleaner and crisper overall compared to the Nagoya and later Jinsen made swords. Congratulations and check out the link Trystan gave you for more info on these in general.

I think what Paul is asking is can you import a sword with a turtle shell grip, that was made years ago. If you are not specific on the shipping documents about the components, it is ok. Just don't mention turtle, shark or ray skin, all items that lead to destruction of the item at Customs. Most endangered species components are illegal imports.

Agree with Trystan. The Kokura stamp tells us that this was made no later than 1942. Shamsy or Stegel could pin down the date a little tighter, but in the 1940-42 range. The "ichi" in sakura is officially an unknown contractor, but through some great research on another thread (I'll update if I can find it) there's interesting evidence that says this is the Kobe Shoten company, who later started using the "K" in sakura stamp. Not proven, but quite possible. The yakote is standard for 95s. Quite beautiful on a near pristine blade! I like Kokura/Tokyo blades. Their lines are more precise than the Nagoya blades. Quite attractive.

Dave Your Type 95 is a very nice example. Copper handle only has around 6500, yours is not the first aluminum handle but the middle version. The color is correct, some 95 has that color on the handle. Type 95 doesn't have Ser# on the scabbard drag like Type 32. More info about Type 95 is here http://ohmura-study.net/790.html

I've been into collecting militaria since I was very young. My Dad and I loved watching the old war documentaries and movies on TV (way back before cable, streaming, and on-demand). I always thought it was cool to see the Japanese officers carrying swords. Later, when I first saw "Shogun" on TV, it got me hooked on Japan and Samurai. I read every book I could find on the subject at the local library. I desparately wanted to get a "real samurai sword", but in the pre-internet era, really had no idea how to find one. My Dad and I did find a dealer at the old LA Gun Show who had a very badly rusted out, chipped-to-hell gunto blade for sale. He swore it was a 1000-year old blade, (no papers of course, not that I would've known what they were back then) and wanted something like $5000 (this is in the mid-1980's), which was obviously far, far beyond my teenager budget at the time. At that point, I basically thought they were forever out of my price range. Later I joined the Army, then after I got out, my focus turned to old milsurp firearms, circa 1865-1965. Swords were pretty much off my collecting radar for a couple decades. Slowly, I started to get interested in swords again. First by picking up some of the replica European medieval-era swords. That got me into historical western martial arts. I began learning a lot more about swords and how they were made and used. That brought me around again to katanas. Eventually, I bought a few of the better quality Chinese katanas forged out of modern steels. Figured that was as close as I could get to a real Nihonto. Then one day I came across a seller on one of the gun forums who wanted to sell a Shin-Gunto. He was an older guy getting rid of his small collection, and just wanted a couple hundred for it. For that price, I figured even if it was a fake, why not take the chance? I bought it, and it turned out to be a WW2 Showato forged in Seki. Not a Nihonto, and definately not the best condition blade by any means. But I finally had an actual Japanese katana! As I did research on it, and found some online Nihonto sites like the Japanese Sword Index and here at NMB, I realized Nihonto are actually a lot more available outside of Japan than I'd ever thought. I picked up a couple books, and started looking around and doing as much research as I could, bought some more blades, both Nihonto and Arsenal made....and, hey, here I am. With a new addiction. And quite happy with it.

And a better pic of the kashira...

I've had the opportunity in the past to add a Type 95 NCO sword to my collection. I recall passing up 95's even during the days they could be purchased for as low as $125.00 US or less. The only thing I can attribute not buying a 95 back then was a bit of a arrogant attitude in my younger years in thinking the 95 was somehow a bit inferior to 98's or 94's. Many of the Type 95's I would see were aluminum handles with paint missing , shiny, I thought, why would I want one of these machine made Shin-gunto imposters in my collection. I'll never forget my grandmother on occasion saying , " There's no fool like an old fool " while casually glancing in my grandfather's direction. Of course, my grandfather would ignore the allegation as though this could not possibly apply to himself. Well, I've arrived to the point where in many situations I could be classified in the old fool category. Especially when it comes to the Type 95's. For a few years now, I've come to my senses , and thought how could any Japanese military sword enthusiast not have a least one Type 95. Recently, I stumbled on to a NCO sword and could not pass up the opportunity to purchase it. The tsuka retains est. 90 % of original paint, the saya retains est. 80 % of paint and has no dents. The blade is close to pristine with a bit of rust and no chips. Looking at the construction of this sword I can't help but notice how well made it is. Everything fits almost perfectly, the design and craftsmanship is excellent. I honestly think the balance is actually better than some of my 98's. I apologize about my bloviating digression from the intended topic, but wanted to compliment all the diehard Type 95 folks. I was wrong about these swords , they are truly an honest to goodness contribution to Japanese military swords. Ok, my question to the 95 guys; The matching serial number is 80849, does this place it in the series just after the copper handle group? The tsuka is not the typical brown color normally seen, but more of a khaki green, is this a legitimate variant ? The kissaki has a yokote , is this something which was added to (some) blades? The tsuba is approx. 11mm in thickness, does this indicate earlier manufacture?? Also, there are no serial numbers stamped on ishizuki ? Hopefully these are all proper characteristics of true Type 95 NCO sword and not a reproduction or one which has been repainted ! Thanks in advance, Dave M.

I would like those photographs as I have Captain Tsuneki’s sword here beside me. Please contact me. Thank you.

Nice and clean Type 95. Its a pleasure that it is in that good condition. Keep it a good care.

Took some better shots of this unusual little Kyūshū Kozuka. Seems to made of various materials in a tiny space, and different front and back.

Thank you Trystan, Bruce, and E.M. This is all good news I was hoping to hear. I've read most of all of your post regarding the Type 95 NCO's and was glad to get your confirmation as this not being a reproduction or repaint. Maybe, a addition of the copper handle variant next... Thank you again Gentlemen, Dave M.

Mornin' Oyabun I know it says FREE SHIPPING!!!!!!!! But he will not ship to the UK. I'll have to make do with the 4,000 sets of original Daimyo Armour worn by Tokugawa Iyeyasu, when he was helping out the Spartans at Thermopylae, that I was recently offered in an email, from Lord Chief Justice Michael Mainwaring V.C. , of The Lord Chief Justices' Palace, 131a Omugo Avenue, Lagos, Nigeria. As I only need one suit, would anyone like to take the remaining 3,999 off my hands for a reasonable price? PS, Any Yoruba Speakers on the Board will understand the address.

Darcy does a great job of describing his items. Very interesting and engaging reading For me personally, this is exactly the type of blade when you can tell - everything else in the collection will look a bit dull. A beautiful set of blade and koshirae with an impressive history Great job and admiration for Darcy

Kiminori Okumuta.. https://nihonmono.jp/en/area/6620/ BEST

+1

Ah ha. Glad to know where this set went. I'm trying to focus on ko-goto and Goto Tokujo, but I sometimes really enjoy Kenjo work. I have a Kenjo kozuka.

Couple of additional photo's.

Hi Teisa Very nice Soten IMO. I think you would be blown away if you have professionally cleaned. in mean time soft paint brush and just do some dusting.

I organized a scientific meeting in the early 80s, and invited a famous Japanese scientist to come to the meeting, all expenses paid. He stayed with my then wife and I at our humble home in Baltimore. He had a great time at the meeting and then a year or so later, invited me to be a visiting professor at his department and university in Sendai, Japan. My wife, two babies and I went for a 7 week trip that was spent in Sendai, with one week in Kyoto. The grant that I had gotten to cover expenses was for one million yen, and as the end of the trip was approaching, I still had the equivalent of about $1400 left, which I spent on a Edo period mumei wakizashi in mounts. I gave a series of lectures and did research in the laboratories in Sendai. I also introduced them to the Macintosh computer and showed them how to use them in their research, and they ended up buying them for the whole department. When we traveled to Kyoto, I told the ticket agents about the sword and in no time was being searched and questioned by the police. We nearly missed our flight. When we flew back to the US, I kept quiet about it and got it home safely, only to find out years later that I was supposed to submit it to the authorities and have it released. I still have the torokusho somewhere, a license that is not legal outside of Japan. I started to buy and read every book in English that I could find. Soon I discovered that there were many authentic swords to be bought in the US at bargain prices, and I became obsessed with the hunt and the thrill of the catch. I placed ads in all the newspapers, and even on those paper placemats in diners. My thrill of the hunt hasn't changed, though I went through a period of disinterest that lasted 5-10 years or so in the late 90s. It was only after my divorce that I was financially able to build a very nice collection (that's another story). I have lots of stories about chasing swords and would welcome sitting at a show with any of you that are interested over a drink and talking about our respective experiences.

There are a ton of photos on Mel Cox's articles. Here are but a few:

This is Tsukamoto Masakazu 1901-1969 of Fukushima...he was RJT. Elder brother of Tsukamoto Ikkansai Okimasa and studied under him and his teacher Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu shown above.

School is Chinese Grammar school.....Not a TSUBA but a cheap decoration item.

Hi Teisa, here is a link to JEFF OLSON, he can help you out... https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/26619/lot/370/ GOOD LUCK

Aside from the chip, there are signs of some nice work there. I am the type that would take a chance on it. If you get it cheap, it may be worth checking out. Especially if that oil is there since the war.

My best set. Probably not quite High class, but I like this simple beauty GOTO Kenjo

Jesse M, If you like to read how barn finds turn out this one is a doozy: BaZZa.

Glad you guys liked this set. These 2 pics really exemplify the master level work... like George said, the katakiribori is superb, and check out the inlay work on Raijin. The silver teeth, anklets and bracelets, and of course the eyes. I love the bold mei also, along with it being dated. The Taikan has a sketch and an imprint, and the box lid inlay is original from his shop. Photographic credit goes to Ted Tenold.

I like this one quite a bit...

Hi, Jal, Thank you very much for pointing me that. Yes, you are right, I had the same caption under Kiyomaro and Gassan. First I write on word, then copy to website. Then I always double check to make sure the copy is right. But my eyes get funny sometime. I did not realize the same captions was there. Thank you, I really appreciate it. The comment like this is very valuable. Yurie

Two owls!

Thank you very much for your comment. The comment like yours keeps me going. I am working with an editor to put this together to a book. But constantly doubtful mind keeps me telling that what I am writing is not worth anything. Your comment really cheer me up. Thank you Yurie

Hi George what you mean with location? Maker is Akihisa.

Hello all, I was not sure whether there is continued interest to post here, but I thought I’d share my favourite kozuka. Hirata shippo Mt Fuji with Tokubetsu Hozon. Very colorful as you can see. best regards, John L.

My 2 navy D-guards with old blades mounted and some parade ones

This is another Mokume Tsuba by the same smith, Tsuguhide. Signed Omi no Kami Tsuguhide.

Nobuie. Steel. 8.2 cm. Yattsu Mokko-gata. The thickness of the tsuba swells considerably from the nakago-ana (4 mm) to the mimi (6 mm), creating an "expansive" effect to the motif, which I believe to be a stylized lotus blossom. Tsuchime-finished surface. The signature is of the type that is referred to as "Futoji-mei," attributed by most scholars to Nidai Nobuie. I do not know if the plugs are solid gold or another material with a gold sheeting applied. Momoyama Period.

Little update - turns out I do have "Military Swords of Japan", and amazed to see it has a photo of the handover taken from the other side of the table - ie, taken BY the photographer that is shown in the photo in MY album! However, as expected, the sword (in the book) described as Capt Tsuneki's does not look like mine: (apologies for derailing the thread slightly)

Kuro-urushi Kuri-tsubu nuri Saya, Uchigatana (Handachi) Koshirae with Tatsuta-gawa (Kyoto) autumn Landscape design Issaku Tachi fittings made by Sasayama Okutoki (Otsuki school) Order by Nakai Mitsushige in the end of Edo/Bakumatsu period. (18th Tokubetsu-Juyo Toso) Nakai family is a famous merchant in Oumi (Shiga) province since early Edo period. Mistushige (Bamukatsu - Meiji period) made/ordered many highest class fittings and Koshirae(s). He was the person who ordered the faous "Shoju Raiko no zu, Daisho kanagu" made by Goto Ichijo (Juyo Bunkazai).

Mine aren't "mint" either, but I love my collection, so far: Dad's Spring, 1941, Mantetsu Koa Isshin NCO Guntos: Copper handle #2643; Alluminum tsuka #92605, and Wooden tsuka #211894 Navy Takayama-to in combat saya Sukekuni April 1945 Type 3 Fuji Family Mon, unsigned Koto blade in Navy sharksin saya 1918 Otsu Cavalry Sword

Here is my Kawashima Tadayoshi. It has a field grade officer's tassel, family mon, sukashi tsuba and very rare leather covered saya. Sorry the pix aren't that great.

Interesting thread. I have seen a number of Imai Sadaroku blades, but never a Sadayoshi. The two stories you mention concerning Yamamoto's sword are a bit confused I think... Watanabe doesn't state that he has the Admiral's sword from the death site, he has the "spare" midare blade...he doesn't say what became of the bullet damaged sword (unless I missed it). Akitsugu was not a child when Yamamoto was killed. He was in fact 16 and was apprenticed in the sword forge of Kurihara Akihide from 1940. As he was clearly involved in the military-sword world , I think the navy would have been the direct source of his information, since it was the Navy Ministry that was destroyed with its safe containing Yamamoto's Sadayoshi blade. BTW, The article from Watanabe is slightly incorrect about the shooting down of the two Betty bombers...Yamamoto's crashed in the jungle as he says, but Ugaki's plane went into the sea beside Bougainville Is. Regards,

This has been great. Until now I was feeling like the "Old Man" but now I realise I am but a mere youth of 54!!! I had my first sword when I was 6 years old It was a plastic excalibur but was sufficient to start the habit. I bought my first Japanese blade in 1984 but only started studying seriously from 1992. Much the same as Clive and Barry over the past couple of years I have been attempting to reduce the quantity and improve the quality of my collection. When I analysed it I realised I was looking at perhaps 20% of what I had regularly and the remainder occassionally just to check they were ok. So I decided to move some swords on (hence the "for sale" list appearing here last year) and to try and aim at fewer and hopefully better pieces. I also find that I am enjoyng my books a lot more than I did and am probably investing more in them currently than I am swords (like I should have done when I first started).

Here is another sad old bugger. Started when I was 19 in my third year of work buying a shingunto from a former schoolmate. This was a year after I began to "know" (in the Biblical sense!!) red wine - another continuing affaire (I regret I have but one liver to give my country!!). I'm 65 now, and like Clive I know what the really good stuff is and as the twilight years approach I've started selling out from the bottom and polishing down from the top. The "top" is a couple of Shinto blades around the nidai Hizen Tadahiro quality level and a smattering of other blades I like through to a Gassan Sadakatsu dated 1939. It's a very serious study and historically important as art and as a symbol of samurai culture. I could be here for hours, but will close by saying that, in general looking at the plethora of dealers in "bodged up" psuedo koshirae with blades in indifferent polish with those Westerners claiming to be "polishers", Chinese copies on the internet, and the high cost of buying books and the time necessary to put into gaining first-hand knowledge, the collecting of good quality Japanese swords in good condition and correct polish has to be one of the most difficult and challenging pastimes in the world today. Some of the best people I know collect Nihonto and this list is a great aide to continual learning for even sad old buggers. We even have fun from time to time. Regards, Barry Thomas.

I was born on 6th August 1945 (Hiroshima day) and bought my first sword in 1967. It was rubbish but I did also buy Yumoto's "Samurai Sword" and started serious collecting. Now I only buy very occasionaly and have sold many swords over the last few years and bought only 3 good ones with the proceeds. I have seen the best in Japan and cannot aspire to these so would rather not compromise. Rising 64 years of age, still teaching kendo and drinking good sake! A sad old bugger! Clive

All, I must be one of the real silver-backs. I started when I was 14, on holiday in London in 1954. At that time the curator at the V&A museum was Basil Robinson and almost all the Oriental Gallery was devoted to Japanese swords, armour and fittings. I fell in love with it all and bought a rather nasty little wakizashi from a shop in Museum Street opposite the British Museum with my week's spending money. When I got home I started making miniature armours from card and baby ribbon. I remember I used half a ping-pong ball as the helmet bowl. What was curious was that our local museum had an armour in a case by a doorway. I was so scared of it I wouldn't pass it unless my mum held my hand. As soon as I started work I started haunting the local antique shops, most swords being 30/- for katana and tachi and £1 for wakizashi and tanto. The former were of course 'executioner's swords' and the latter 'harri kiri' knives. From then on it was a slide into the abyss. I remember at one stage selling the junk end of the collection for £30 - 30 swords and a naginata -an I made a profit. When I married my mother ceremonially dumped my sword collection in the middle of the living room and informed my wife it was her problem now! As for the wine, women and song - I'm still trying to save up before I get too old to enjoy it, but I keep seeing other things and blowing my cash. Ian Bottomley