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For me, I couldn't part with my gunto that was giving to Flight Engineer 2/Lt Willam Warburton from Flying tiger by the Chinese Communist new 4th army 4th division, which saves him from the Japanese army. Warburton was on B29 from 40th Bomb Group plane #237. It was shot down on November 11, 1944, on the mission to bombing target in Nanking.It's no a pretty sword but the story behind it is priceless. The group photo is NOT 2/Lt Willam's crew but other flying tiger pilots rescued by N4A.

and mor e

I had a couple of requests to put up some photos. Some of them have been shown on another thread, but what the heck, I always get a thrill taking it out and having a look anyway. A good "sword buddy" and I went to Japan, and my goal was to find a good polished papered SADAKATSU. And to be honest, the sword found me! Polished, Hozon papers, ayasugi hada, it ticked all my boxes. It took close to 3 months from the time I saw it, until it arrived due to deregistration in Japan, and shipping issues. Many sleepless nights, but worth it in the long run.

A special order Tomita Sukehiro made in 1944 for Mr. Nishisaka Takashi in shirasaya and shingunto mounts.

For me its my katana made by Shigetsugu in 1938

I'm home now after my first sword show at the San Francisco Token-Kai. I had an incredible time, learned so much, made a few purchases, met some great people, and can't wait to attend another show. For those that missed it, here's a few photos and a video I took of the event. My camera is just an older iPhone, so I imagine there are better photos out there, but here's what I've got. Me up and ready bright and early for the day. My wife tagged along for the morning, but I was left free rein for the afternoon I went back and looked at this BEAUTIFUL sword several times. A Hizento by the second generation, the owner had just completed a daisho by the first generation Tadayoshi and was selling this example from the same school: One of the best attendees was this little friend: A MASSIVE o-dachi: A Yoroi-dōshi (edited for spelling, thanks Piers D!). I had been hoping to see one! Ha ha ha, I'm not quite sure about the science here, but a great way to build community, and the dealer was incredibly nice! Very few kyu gunto present. I had been hoping to study more, but honestly, I think there were perhaps 3 total. Of course, I was foolish and didn't get a good photo of this display, which was several Juyo works, and the most expensive was $175,000. Beautiful!!

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Kawari are irregular outlined guards, they sometimes make up the shape of an object. There are many 'standard' shapes that guards can take - kawari are those that don't fit those standard types. As far as school or maker of your piece it could be Chosu, Bushu or even Kinai, I would only be guessing. It is hand carved and obviously not a modern copy. These images are of Kawari -gata tsuba. Those with the red box outline show rim versions and those without, you could class them as 'modified' to Kawari shape. The others are the finished shape of an object. I have in excess of thirty Kawari-gata in my collection, about half are 'modified' - so previously damaged and reworked. Sometimes Kobushi-gata [closed fist] guards are also called Kawari because of the irregular shape.

Some more photos here...

The one in the Kuniyasu print with the anchor on his shoulder is Taira no Tomomori (see George's post), also known as Shinchūnagon Tomomori, also known as Ikari Tomomori. "Ikari" means anchor. At Dan No Ura, after losing to the Minamoto, it is said that he walked into the sea holding an anchor. Wikipedia says he tied an anchor around his feet. Anyway, it was an honorable death, as they say. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taira_no_Tomomori But Suruga Jirō Kiyoshige is also a possibility for the motif on the tsuba in Alban's original post. The ukiyoe print in Dale's post #4 is from the set of 100 Famous Warriors. Suruga Jirō was a retainer/guard for Minamoto Yoshitsune, and enters the 100 Famous Warriors list due to his exploits in protecting Yoshitsune. https://www.Japanese-wiki-corpus.org/person/Jiro SURUGA.html I don't follow why he's holding an anchor in the print. It was no doubt more obvious to people in the 19th century. photo is of the Taira no Tomomori statue in the city of Shimonoseki (near Dan No Ura).

Thank you for your replies and sharing your choices. For me I couldn't part with these two swords with provenance to a Colonel(Naval Commander) & General:

SOLD

Thank you all again. I would like to clarify my post: Volker has been a pleasure to deal with and very stand up and generous with the purchase of this Tanto. Volker sent the Tanto out via DHL from Germany and that only took 4 days to reach NY, USA. It was only after DHL turned it over to the USPS that the nightmare began. As of today 8-12-2021 I was informed by the USPS via email that they could no longer track it. By posting the stolen post I never intended to compromise my friendship with Volker nor suggest that he is at any fault here, I also never intended to condemn DHL shipping from Germany to the USA. It was only here in the US that things went bad. My main reason for the post was to be pro active. If indeed the package went missing then it was my thought that I had many members/friends watching out for the Tanto to surface. I hope it makes it to its new home with me as it already has a resting place waiting. Again Volker is a great person to deal with and I hope to do business with him again in the future. I will keep everyone informed. Brian if you feel that I have jumped the gun with my posting or that it is better removed please feel free to do so

I really would love to own a 1873 naval sword, unfortunately these swords are very scarce now ! At least, here is from french national library an imperial Japanese navy uniforms books dated 1873, showing several drawings of officers and petty officers swords, as well as what seems to be naval infantry swords. Not the most precise drawing, but major interest is the early date of this book ! https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b105056001/f66.item.r=marine japonaise uniformes Bibliothèque Nationale de France / French National Library

Came across something I personally haven't seen before. A wood koshirae. Wooden tsuka but with metal menuki, fuchi kashira etc.. I mean technically I suppose the only thing that makes this stand out to me is the wood tsuka with inlayed fittings. But still, is there anything beyond aesthetics behind such a thing? The tsuka lacking ito and grip aspects seem less functional to me. Also does this look Edo to you? I get a Meiji sense, but I'm very much still training my eye.

Johan, you really need to purchase "The Craft of the Japanese Sword" from Amazon for $27 as Darrel suggested. All, or at least many, of your questions will be answered. For one thing, every sword blade generally has some taper to it, so does the shirasaya made for it. There are NO fixed sizes of thickness, breath and width. The dimensions of the sword dictate the size, shape, thickness, etc.of the shirasaya. As to the fit of the blade inside the shirasaya, I find it helpful to cover the blade with choji or mineral oil so you can see where the blade contacts the wood inside the shirasaya. Then carefully remove the oil stains from the inside of the shirasaya BEFORE gluing the two parts together. Good luck with your project. I'm sure the second shirasaya you make will benefit from the experience you get from the first one.

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/36534-photos-and-video-from-san-francisco-token-kai-2021/?tab=comments#comment-379095

It looks very poor in the way its cut. And not typical of that you see on either sue koto or early shinto. But what would i know, i could be talking out my ass

Wow love that kawari - Waves and Maple leaf design - with two paddles. [let me know if you want to sell it!] Not sure of one of the menuki but one is of a Child's doll. I have a couple of Kawari that are reworked from broken rims and one in the Metropolitan museum. [36.120.195] I can't help noticing the double sekigane - someone treasured it enough to remount it at least twice.

G'day Mike, As others have said there is a very good chance it will turn up again. I have had similar things happen to me on several occasions now and in all cases the swords did eventually get to me. I once had a sword disappear off tracking for 6 months, before turning up again. Cheers, Bryce

I think you're confusing this Bruce with a blade from Minatogawa shrine. Yasukuni-to don't typically have kikusui on it

Many thanks for posting this Michael . I have always wondered what one of the American shows would look like and yours is the first decent photographic coverage that I can recall seeing . You were lucky to be there. Ian brooks

Here's the shot of my loot upon getting home! I need to properly take photos and kantai the two katana I purchased, so those will be in the "Nihonto" sub-forum sometime in the next month. And finally is the short walkaround video I took. I didn't want to be too obtrusive, so it's probably about a third of the booths and really just a glancing view of most. But fun to see everyone!

Thank you for your enlightening and informative posts. I purchased these items knowing virtually nothing about them or this topic in general. I was very certain that they were authentic and old to some degree. The only signature I saw before buying was on the wakizashi, plus some rust and corrosion, and thought why the hell not! I have enjoyed learning quite a bit in just a few days, as has my son. I'm guessing he's probably hooked on the subject now. If there was one major piece of information I've not be able to garner it would be...Is there someone in person that I could find to give me an educated viewpoint that would help me decide whether to move forward on continuing my quest to learn about these blades etc.? I apologize if this question doesn't make sense. Either way, thanks again to you and all who have taken time to respond.

Adam, I too have a wakizashi that has a wood saya and tsuka with all the fittings done in staghorn. Even the habaki and seppa are of buffalo horn, the only metal being the unsigned, hirazukuri blade. The fittings represent the 7 gods of good luck, not represented as such but by their attributes - rice bale, stag's antlers, a sack, a staff weapon etc. Perhaps made for a village headman or someone similar. Ian Bottomley

Bruce Pennington...Stamp alert!

Hi all, Replying to an old discussion, here is also my Siam navy sword. Indeed, scabbard looks closely the Japanese 1883 one but I don’t know if number of these swords were made in Japan. At least they had the same origins : Wilkinson produced the very first Japanese navy sword patterns in the early 1870s and inspired the following patterns, so did they for Siam navy around 1877/1878. Siamese swords were first produced in UK and France, later blades don't show any stamp but I didn't know some were Japanese-made. I would be really interested in seeing Brannow sword if produced in Japan ! Last, I don't think there is necessarly signification to the symbol on the handle. It is direclty inspired by the gothic hilt of british Royal Navy swords, at a smaller scale. This particular place is usually dedicated to british crown over an anchor. For early Siam swords it was replaced by Siamese coat of arms, then just a plain pattern.

Alban here is another Woodblock print featuring a Samurai and a huge anchor. Title Seki sanjūrō sakata hangorō Print shows two actors, Seki Sanjūrō and Sakata Hangurō, one with a large sword and the other carrying a large anchor over his shoulder. Utagawa, Kuniyasu, 1794-1832, artist Created / Published [between 1815 and 1830]

first year of Showa was 1926 so 20th is 1945 add 20 to 25 (26-1)

its like a nihonto sadomodernism.

I changed it ,here you go

Yes Gunto Mounts.

still researching

There is room for everyone in the NBTHK-AB in my opinion regardless of whether they are interested in preservation, appreciation, or collecting. The unifying across all is a love for the items and sincere search for knowledge about them. For many of us who are members and even officers of that organization we spend a lot of precious time trying to foster those ideals as unpaid volunteer efforts to try and do everything we can to see this hobby not only survive but thrive.

George and Dale, your knowledge is remarkable!

That would be a fun outcome nonetheless. A part of history under that line of thought.

SHOUT OUT!!! >> Shohei Ohtani is Pitching today. Ohtani is the " Samurai of MLB Baseball " And home run leader!! At 38 now.

Samurai Monkey on ebay is the last person you want to reference for authenticity. No such thing as a pilot's kamikaze sword. While the parts may be real what he's presenting them as aren't. I believe yours is a copy as especially since the nakago looks badly shaped and Japanese did not make Damascus blades.

Alban - the image is : Suruga Jirô Kiyoshige in armor with a huge anchor by Kuniyoshi Utagawa (1797-1861)

I believe I got better results by using Acetone first. The greatest reduction in staining was achieved by repeatedly rubbing with an Acetone-soaked cloth. I followed up by repeatedly rubbing with Never Dull. I'm not completely satisfied because I desired 90-100% of the stains removed, however much progress was made on two of the three stains. That third stain was tough and I wasn't able to reduce it much - it's small, but quite visible. I'll just have to be satisfied with the results achieved. The blade does look better now. Thanks for the recommendations guys!

Damn, I HATE to see that topic heading. Holding thumbs Mike. I've had similar issues before, and I think you have a good chance of it being found somewhere. You need to keep the pressure on them. Keep phoning....email the managers and even corporate heads. Keep pushing...remind them this is a one of a kind item and cannot be replaced. Ask them for their investigation results. Open a police case for stolen property if you have to. "Report suspected mail losses to Postal Inspectors by calling 877-876-2455 or at www.uspis.gov" I would pester USPS at this point...but also keep up with UPS. I get very evil when stuff goes wrong. But it has served me well. You have nothing to lose, so go all out. Good luck!

G'day Guys, Here is my 1940 Gassan Sadakatsu made with steel smelted by the Japan Iron Sand Steel Industry Company. Beautiful tight masame hada. Cheers, Bryce

Thanks Steve. I realize some of this is "tomAYto vs toMAHto", but just wanting to get the mei variations down as closely as possible. I appreciate it, and all you do for us here!

THANK YOU! I was hoping someone would share some pics. You did a great job. Looks like a lot of fun was had.

Found one more smith with Tokyo First (東京第一陸軍造兵廠) 正武 Masatake 昭和十九年六月(1944 June) #644,Type 98,no star.

Peter, I believe there were 21Juyo pcs in the room swords and fittings best of the best if you drop a camera or anything away goes something people have spent their lives looking for and not to mention the costs with this , as James noted above just traveling with this stuff makes the owners nervous !!!! So thank you to the owners for bringing their prized items to the show for everyone to see and learn from as it was one of the BEST displays ever !! Fred Geyer

Peter I disagree with your assessment that it was a failure to USE it. You simply do not know what you are talking about. The event was attended by 90+ people and we did USE it as an education tool to enhance the mission of the NBTHK-AB. Additionally, there were professional photographs taken of several of the items and some of them will be available on the members only section of the NBTHK-AB site. More importantly I have to say I am somewhat disappointed that you think that just because you are a member of the NBTHK-AB that you are entitled for that organization to provide you with photos for an event you did not attend. What I think you fail to understand is that these items were provided as part of personal collections and are not owned in any way by the NBTHK-AB. So ultimately it is up to the owners of the items if they want those photographs published on the internet etc. Let me also remind you that it takes a tremendous amount of work to put on these presentations, not to mention significant cost and risk of damage for items, loss etc so when I see posts like this it is really disappointing to me personally to hear the complaint vs the thanks for going to all the extra work with absolutely no personal benefit. I also want to say these are my personal thoughts and not those of the NBTHK-AB.

Here is a (Kajiwara) HIROMITSU. It is dated December 1943. It looks like it started its life as a special order Civilian mounted sword, and later, taken to war in a leather combat saya. It has no stamps. The fittings are a complete set of rare Showa Period pine tree motif in brass, and a blue/green ito wrap often seen on WW2 swords. The blade is in full polish. This famous smith was from Fukuoka, was responsible for some nice traditionally made swords.

Vernon man bought treasure sword.. https://www.coastmountainnews.com/community/b-c-mans-rare-muramasa-sword-carries-cursed-backstory/ Best

An antique plans chest is a good option. They are generously wide but sometimes the drawers are a little too shallow. they are reasonable easy to find and they do seem to be getting rather expensive.