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First it's indispensable to know what really is a kazu-uchi-mono. Mino produced a huge amount of them and indistinguishable by their mei. Worth reading : http://www.nihontonorth.com/blog/the-kazu-uchi-mono

And here I am.... There is a definite style of koshirae we label as "Satsuma" and the term is as good as any, though we need to differentiate from the distinctive mounts known to be used in the Satsuma Han.... Which is one of the reasons I prefer to call them "Okashito." It's a largely ignored area by collectors because they are fairly shabby and the blades often tired or even flawed. Dealers love the term just as they love "Pilot Swords" and "Kamikaze Tanto", they do have a living to make after-all. I have tried to define what makes a sword a Satsuma, because there are a lot of swords that look like they may be, but are in fact probably just cheap swords. I was frustrated in this endeavour before, so I will just say, if it has washers as menuki and the spiral type Itomaki (katatamaki) them pay attention to the blade.... It was thought to be usable, but not worth keeping!

Hello, While browsing a little i stumbled on the following page with many items shows with description & photography of the Tachibana family collection. Not too many swords (which is why I'll post it here instead of the general subforum), but many other items (ceramics for example), which are pretty cool as well. All in all i think they did a great job with details, descriptions and photo's of everything that is shown. https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/tachibana-museum?hl=en

Oh, I didn’t see that metal under the leather. Thanks for pointing that out! So, disregard my point about the blade being old. It still could be, but the odds are, now, that it’s a war era blade. But it could be either, and seeing the Nakago is the only way to tell. I see prices around the $600 range for something like this. So if you got it for 3-400, you’re doing well.

As they say you learn by your mistake's.I to have been sucked in by this seller i bought a blade signed Endo Mitsuoki and thought it was a bargain, Before it arrived i sent him a message asking if he had a habaki for it and when in ww2 was it made this is the reply. komonjo: Hi Vic, This is much more recent than WW-II. Bare blades I list are consignments from a Japanese dealer. He says he gets them from wholesale dealer auctions, but I don't think so. It is nearly impossible to see so many gendai bare blades in auctions. I think he has either a starving sword smith or an apprentice making them, then adding a recognized names on them for marketing purpose. The blades who all the signs of being traditionally forged and tempered, but I don't trust the signature. They are marketed for martial artists who want solid traditional blades but priced lower than antique ones. From some feedback I got from past buyers, they are darn good cutters. Regards, Your previous message I am new to collecting Japanese's swords is this blade from WW2 cheers Vic. komonjo: Hi I don't make or sell habaki. Sorry, Your previous message Hi There do you have a habaki to fit this blade that i could buy cheers Vic. Your previous message Oh s**t i have a lot to learn i can,t believe i just bought another fake, Hope it is not made in China New message from: komonjo (4,183) Hi Take a look at it with your eyes, and show it to your friends. I don't think Chinese are capable of producing this kind of blade, yet. I say YET because they've come a long way since their fakes started appearing on eBay in the early 2000s. But I don't they've reached this level. Also, this is circumstantial, but the fact that they are consignments from a dealer in Japan tells me that their chances of being Chinese fakes is very small. Japan has very tight regulations about bringing in swords from abroad. In order for them to come into Japan legally, they will have to be un-edged "decoration" swords. To import them in that condition, and then polish and sharpen them into the current shape would make them too costly, I think. Best,

Here is one of mine

Not sure if this has already been posted, but just in case, I came across this interesting article: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13068309

I’ll pray for him, I lost Pretty Woman 10 years ago from a cancer, I am still shedding a few tears when I think of her

Thanks Jacques - according to that article, the use of oroshigane, i.e. steel made by the sword maker himself, is common with these swords. Markus also has an interesting article about oroshigane and shinto smiths, in which the meaning is can refer to sourced tamahagane that was further refined. https://markussesko.com/2018/09/30/oroshigane-mentioned-in-signatures/

Thanks for the replies gents, and thanks for the photo Dave; that would be exactly my hoped result if I indeed wind up with it. I restore a lot of things as a hobby, from old cars and trucks to gas pumps and coke machines, and I have a fully outfitted wood shop on my acreage as well so I am more than game to tackle the restoration of this sword, however with most specialty things there would be lots of advice and tips needed as the last thing I would want to do is create unnecessary damage to a historical item because of my ignorance. I know we aren’t supposed to talk valuations on this part of the forum, but I’m thinking if I could get it for 3 or 400 dollars I would still be fine. please let me know if I am off base on that gents.

Just one further comment...You can purchase a more age appropriate tsuka on ebay, however, they won't be the original fittings and they will never fit your nakago properly. Should you decide to restore the tsuka, I would also highly suggest requesting a darker same' as pictured above on account of a new pure white same' would not look right with the overall age of your gunto.. Good luck, Dave M.

This is an example of one of my Shin gunto tsuka's restored by Fred Loman which was in almost as bad of condition as the one shown! Dave M.

This is precisely the type of sword which is a excellent candidate for at least a modest restoration! The fittings are in good condition, the saya appears in fairly decent, the blade appears to be ok, albeit the cosmoline. Tsuka will need reconstruction.( Possibly David McDonald or Fred Loman on Tsuka.) However, as others have mentioned, proceed cautiously!! Love to see it when completed should you decide to restore! Dave M.

It depends if you are a "fixer-uper" kind of guy, or just want a nice gunto for your collection. Dave can get you connected to some guys that can do the re-wrap. There are various places you can buy menugi for the tsuka (handle). Search this site for "cosmoline removal" and you'll get several discussion. All in all, a fairly do-able project, and you'll still come in under the price of an intact Type 98 on the market. The leather covered saya is the "combat saya" or "informal saya". Value varies with each collector, but they sell in the same price range as gunto with metal saya. Like John indicated, it could mean there's an old family blade inside. Family blades brought to the war were often re-fitted with the leather-covered saya. Need to get that mekugi (pin) out of the tsuka and take some pictures of the nakago (tang). It might be signed, it might be old.

I think it's a bit of a collection of parts. The saya is samurai era with no sign of ever being covered or having a haikan. The tsuba is really nice, shin-gunto style with bright gilding under a splash of black lacquer. The tsuka is well shaped,, tight ito with good knots, and fuchi, menuki and kabutogane are all steel/iron with worn copper plating and gilding as appropriate. The fuchi was pierced for a chuso retaining clip, but not the tsuka. The "same" might actually be sandpaper or something similar. A real wartime economy job, but not skimped on the workmanship!

All the bits are there, though the tsuka is missing Ito and is broken near the end. Nothing that cannot be put right though.... What I do like is that it still has it's sarute which is rare, and a nice one of those runs at up to £50 to £100 in the UK on it's own. As the shogun says, it all depends on the asking price.

.... Something I just remembered, these were so cheaply assembled that sometimes the blades were glued into the tsuka with resin or lacquer, so be careful when dissasembling. In the case of the sword starting this thread, I think it's just a lower end sword and not an Okashito/satsuma. Not every tsuka had menuki, I have one in my collection without. Hemp Ito over shark skin and clear lacquer over all.

On the blade? These have absolutely no meaning. They're gibberish in any language.

Bought several items from John over the years. Always great pieces and great service. Also had a chance to visit his gallery in Cairns in 2019. Many amazing items on display. John was kind enough to give my kids an antique American coin during the visit. One of my children has now become a coin collector thanks to John. All the best for the new year mate. Hope to see you again in Cairns post COVID.

Here is mine

You may get some pm's. Personally, I would take a bit of that with a pinch of salt. Especially talk of kantei masters. And I wouldn't be putting a value of CAD3500 to a sword with fukure and not in full polish. I think a chat with Nick Ricupero in Canada is in order. Or chat with @b.hennick

Straight from the horse's mouth as it were!

I got a kick from this passage[ "Rapiers were commonly used to stick enemies in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries." John

The tsuka appears to be cracked, perhaps it could be repaired when going for a professional wrap for display.

Hi Todd, to be quite frank....this is a big project piece, what price is she asking? Straight away you would looking at buying a replacement original Tsuka (about 100-200usd for a nice one), finding one that will fit could be tricky as well. As for the blade....it looks pretty rough but that may just be old cosmoline. If the price is right and the blade is old or signed it could be a fun little project. Do not, under and circumstances, use any sort of abrasive material or cleaning solution to clean the blade!

Reading it now. Good history! From a sword perspective, It's interesting to see, in the few pictures with swords, how many of them are civil swords re-fitted in Navy combat saya. The same' is white, which I'm assuming was the original of the civil tsuka. Many of the photos seem to come from 1938, so the Type 97 might not have been "on the streets" yet. I can see why Fuller was tempted to say that the NLF troops were using Army tsuka on navy saya. Most shots are taken with the sailors' hands resting on the kabutogane, so it's not possible to tell if civil or Navy; but there is one shot where two tsuka are clearly seen. One is civil and the other has a military kabutogane, which as far as I can tell, is Navy.

4 Simple tips for taking a better picture. 1) Don't hold the object as the shot won't be steady 2) Use a bright clean white light (a close lamp) or back light of strong natural light 3) Use a single contrasting color as a background (black works well) 4) Try many angles and many shots, post the best. Enjoy

It's very possible that 中 mark may indicate the Midsize for Tsuka, it looks has smaller space for the tang than the usual ones. ホ（Ho） is Army Arsenal Kokura First Factory inspection mark(小倉陸軍造兵廠第一製造所廠検査印).

A common practice does not mean its a good practice, it's generally done with very little care, primarily to facilitate sale. Given that there is a large portion of signed kabuto that do not have windows in the Ukebari it was clearly not a universal practice. A borescope can be inserted through the Tehen to look into the interior without damaging the Ukebari.

Tom, the price has been lowered, as there were no takers when it was higher. Obvious, I know the price is probably not a screaming bargain but it seems fair. The sword is tired (polished down), nakago is deteriorated. This is all reflected in the price.

Just a few thoughts on these so we don't miss out on possible hidden gems in the future. Tobacco pouch pins don't come in pairs, so the pairs above are not pouch pins. The lobsters have unusual pins (too thin for antique menuki) and shape, so they are probably modern pressed menuki for modern decorative swords. Menuki are often repurposed for Tobacco pouch pins, obidome (the decorative "buckle" on the thin rope that goes around a women's obi/belt on her kimono), Western broaches, etc. If you look carefully, you will see the vestiges of menuki posts (in the middle) on a few of the items in the picture and the later added two thin pins toward the edges (that shows that it is a menuki that was converted to a pouch pin). Finally, some menuki were glued on with pitch and never had any pin or post at all (see one above that appear to have their backs filled with pitch). I'm not saying any of these are gems, but you will often find great menuki that have been converted to other uses.

I think the people are more greedy then stupid.

I have seen too many nice blades singned "Bichu osafune sukesada" and thinking about genbei, hikobei and yosozaemon (or shishibei) are also "Sukesada" and are some of the top smiths of that time, i cant belive that they are the lower end of sengoku blades. Nagayama count the sukesada smiths as leading swordsmiths in sue-bizen not only the 4 i mentioned. Also nagayama wrote that the kazu uchi mono have a irregular size in the midare hamon and many yaki-kuzure, shingane appears and they are generally from 65 to 70 cm nagasa.

I can try, Christian, but I’m an awful photographer. Will try though as soon as I have time.

Take that $105, & buy a couple of reference books from Amazon. Your next purchase will be much more informed.

Hi Jacques, When I say "provided they even exist", I’m not denying the existence of the term or the sword but referring to a theory by Dave R that I believe is interesting and could be close to the truth. According to him, those so-called Satsuma swords were actually simple Arsenal swords. He thinks the term Satsuma Rebellion Swords was coined to refer to Satsuma-age as it is well known Satsuma Samurai used their swords until almost nothing was left of it and, by analogy, those poorly made arsenal swords were assimilated to Satsuma-age. This, of course, is just a theory but one I think makes a lot of sense. Why would Satsuma rebels only used poorly made swords when they certainly had their usual Samurai swords? JP

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Katana-Tsuba-Crab-Basket-Sword-Equipment-Japanese-Sword-Samurai-Antique-M638/284092202276?hash=item422536fd24:g:twoAAOSwr7RfvKtN https://www.ebay.com/itm/Katana-sword-guard-crab-basket-sword-equipment-Japanese-sword-prop-tsuba-h-292/274584701363?hash=item3fee8609b3:g:k9wAAOSwF2tfuPOy Two ebay sites with the same junk - right down to the same pictures used but by two sellers. https://www.jauce.com/auction/k493388709 Japanese, Jauce site. Also the same stock pictures used. No imagination. buyer beware!

Seems that Screw called differently on Type 95 and Type 98? It called 鳩目On Type 98,目釘(猿手受兼用)on Type 95.Maybe because of 目釘 go through the tang 鳩目 doesn't? PS:The collectors in China call that screw 大目釘 or 尾部目釘（尾部螺絲）for Type 95.

People who stick their heads in the sand and refuse to educate themselves... aka as a wise conman once said, "there's a sucker born every minute."

Its my first Katana, so spending the extra money to have it professionally polished wouldn't be a problem fro me. Even if its not financially smart, its my first and carries more meaning to me. I do wonder though after the polish how much it would be to get it professionally inspected to verify the smith. Thank you for the help everyone, I was hoping someone on here was familiar with the smiths work and could see if I was in the right direction

Invaluable is an exchange for auction houses from tooth brushes to Kmer statues. I know Artemis. They have a wide range. You must know what you are doing. John

Anthony , I found one on Amazon that you can use with a smart phone. I can avoid cutting the Ukibara.

The katana is sold. Thanks for the interest and the nice comments. Mittens goes to the oncologist Friday morning and will start chemotherapy that day if they feel it will help him.

Sorry, but I just had to post this - does anyone see the Smiley face with the bamboo hat? Or is it just me? Ha!