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Yours to do as you want. But this forum consists of collectors and guys who don't even speak over a Japanese sword in case they get droplets on it, and who won't put a sword on a hard surface. Not hard to work out that watching someone cut household things with it would not go down well. Really, don't hold it against guys who hold these things in such high regard. Posting stuff like that publicly was never going to end well. It's nothing personal. Topic closed.

Chris Bowen is not infallible. I saw this post on FB. His whole argument for Kunimori swords being Showato, comes from some very old articles and hearesay. I do however think that like a lot of us, we were given a lot of mis-information in the old days. Many myths and erroneous information has now been found out and altered. But here we are 2021 and there's those who still endorse these myths and erroneous mis-truths. Ikkansai Kunimori, are Gendaito. The have proper Jihada, they are water tempered and have a distict Nioguchi. Also, they get papered.

I do owe Chris Bowen an apology, even if It turns out to actually be a Gendaito. He spent the time to give me his thoughts and I was not a gentleman. I was a bit animated and over reacted on FB. I don't expect to be able to rejoin the page though. I wish him the best! Best Regards, Corry

Here's a few...

Hello, Here are few photos of fuchikashira and menuki set before and after cleaning. This was done with mechanical cleaning, without damaging original patina. I highly value opinions off all board members so please let me know what are your thoughts and If possible what could still be improved. This is not my work, however craftsman who did this do not speak English so I post those pictures instead. Regards, Krystian

Chris, At first I was a bit offended by your comment. However at the same time I realised that this is an amazing compliment. For a person such as yourself, with so much experience in the field to consider work off this quality to be impossible. While in fact it was achieved, is great compliment. At this point I have to add that this was done as a show of craftsmanship. It took around a week of work under microscope to do. So from economical point of view it does not have a lot of sense. It is much easier to remove oxidation and dirt together with patina and then just make new patina. Here are some photos of kashira made during cleaning. I hope that they prove that no gold was added. To add gold you need perfectly clean piece. On those pictures you can see different stages of oxidation being removed, with no spots missing gold.

Johan, I think that is really quite nice! More comment: SHIRA-SAYA means 'white SAYA', so yours is correct! Fresh HONOKI is also white. I have no idea if poplar has similar properties compared with HONOKI, but in any case, the wood should not be treated. A SAYASHI will NEVER use sandpaper on a SAYA! There is always a risk that some tiny particles may find their way into the SAYA and start their destructive work on the steel! There are some videos on YouTube where you can see that ONLY cutting tools (KANNA, KIRIDASHI or KOGATANA, and NOMI) are used in SAYA making!

Oh man. I'm not trying to jump on the beat up on you bandwagon but you are definitely on the wrong forum to say that these antique works of art are meant to be used. Theory goes we are caretakers keeping them safe to pass one to the next generation. Machetes u buy at Walmart are meant to be used...

The papers Steve M show in the link should pretty much end the discussion. I've been into Nihonto for close to 30 years and I still make mistakes. I don't know what you paid but you're not getting ripped off with the Kunimori.

Your set on what you want to believe, far be it form me to try to change your mind. Im out

my untouched, like new type 3 shin Gunto was in a prominent collection for over 42 years and came with this original rotten, blue brown company officer tassel....

That was painful to watch. Shows the importance of who Nihonto should and shouldn't be sold to if it can be helped. Seeing an old sword being used by someone with no training on pool noodles on youtube is just painful.

A more valuzed oppinion than mine would be to send the blade to a Shinsa if a new buyer wishes to. I can gurantee that the blade wikll paper / achieve Hozon. My images are poor as this was quick listing when I had intended to fund another purchase. I may relist the sword with better images

Hi. I placed an add in the Wanted to Buy section of this forum looking to buy a kabuto. I received a personal message from a member here stating he knew someone selling one and provided me with an email address. Contacted the person who sent through some photos of a kabuto but no price. I enquired and he quoted £2100. What He didn’t know was that I knew if was on ebay and located in Japan. Here is the ebay link. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Antique-Edo-Period-Kabuto-32-Ken-Suji-Helmet-Samurai-Armor-Maedate-Free-Ship-/384241427651?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0 This person, via this forum, offered me a kabuto that seems wasn’t his to begin with at £500 more than the asking price on ebay. So this is a reminder that unethical people lurk here. The forum member who initiated the contact is not active with no posts, just lurking in wait for the unsuspecting. Mark

There won't be 'rebuttal' videos as we are interested in preserving old Japanese swords, not playing around with them like manchildren. Good luck buying/selling on here in the future.

Nice to see those photos &examples Stegel and Volker. looks like they were there, just very few survived past the war's end. I have never seen on "still in place". Thanks.

Certainly some life saving work done there. I like them, and they live on now for future collectors.

Just an opinion, but this doesn't look like Showato to me. It's carefully and well signed and finished off. Now that isn't conclusive...but it leads to an opinion. Hamon looks better than oil quenched.

Pieces ready for the skip - now ready to grace the best of collections. Very well done.

I'm not an expert on gendaito but afaik the ikkansai Smiths made gendaito, and have been papered by the nbthk See

So this is just for show

I just bought a late Edo matchlock pistol. It's unusual and pretty ornate. It has this plaque on the side of the stock. Can anyone help with the translation or a general idea of what it's about. Thank you in advance.

I decided to add a tassel to one of my RS guntos. And, I found an interesting photo on the Ohmura site showing a pilot with an RS and a Type 98 next to him, and the RS has a tassel attached. Furthermore, from our discussions here, and the photographic evidence provided (thanks guys!), we can confidently conclude that tassels were attached to RS guntos with or without sarutes.

Wow. On the first picture you show i have bet that the gold is rubbed of because you see the copper. But on your last pictures there is the gold. I'm confused totaly. Good job Krystian. That hobby is total crazy. You think you have seen a lot and then came another around the corner and destroys your knowledge totaly. Krystian if you think that i would offend you than take my pardon. I'm not the person who offend intentionally.

Stamped swords are still a cut above the NCO ones. Showato are often still made by a smith, hammered and shaped and tempered although in oil. In other words, not fully traditionally made, but far more work than a mill steel NCO blade.

I am fairly certain this sword was made in China during World War 2. The late Bob Coleman even stated as such. In my opinion, there were a couple of factories making these. Later on, the design evolved into the 應刀 [emergency sword] for Japanese use. I think @Shamsy has one of these later versions. Unfortunately, this particular sword seems to have had the brass work polished. ww2 sword?, Post #18

This is how predictably pathetic your life is. You looked at this old conversation. Looked up everything on pirate Japanese swords and the name Ujiyoshi. Found the video on YouTube and read what I said and put the two together and decided to sound clever on here and the youtube post section. Like how lonely and pathetic are you to attack me for cutting a pool noodle with a sword that I own. What sword have I ruined and how did it effect your life soooooo much that you come to slander another member on here ? I suggest you really take a look at yourself. Half your comments are passive aggressive......that usually means there's a lot that you don't like about yourself so you act out.

I could not reply any earlier since I had been on vacation. Dear Morita San. thank you very much for your kind help. I greatly appreciate it. Thanks so much. I am very happy to see that the Sayagaki has some nice history to add to the blade. The blade itself is a Shinshinto Katana by a good but not importnat maker and has unfortunately not been well cared for hence being in need of a full polish. I will be share some pics when I have the blade in hands or have it back from polishing. The Shirasaya will also need to see some work as I plan on keeping it. Somebody had mounted a Tsuba on it. Thank you very much again for this great translation.

Oregon Post Office does seem to have a way with things. I remember sending you something that took on a fair amount of damage. The only other item worse off was a package to the UK that had been stabbed clean through, but somehow missed hitting anything other than the negative of the sukashi tsuba inside.

Dear NMB Members: Due to the overwhelming number of Emails asking for photographs of, or do I have this or that, I MUST SADLY STATE I WILL NOT RESPOND TO ANY EMAIL UNLESS IT IS FROM SOMEONE WHO I CORRESPONDED WITH IN THE LAST TWO DAYS. I WILL BE LISTING ITEMS ON A WEEKLY BASIS ON THE NMB ( two or 3 items or a particular category of art which could be as many as 10 pieces ). I am sorry to take this step, but the heavy load of Emails from people just wanting to be curious and NOT serious buyers is affecting my health. I hope you will all understand. Thank you to those who have made a purchase and I look forward to assisting and continued sales on my terms ( I think they are fair terms ). ... RON WATSON

Back from dead is accomplishment enough! Great work on those, congrats.

With the shortage of materials during 1944-45, I would be curious to know if there was a shortage of tassels produced also. This might also have an impact of the lack of tassels seen of the RS types.

Another one on a Kyu gunto . Ian Brooks

Thomas, I appreciate the feedback. Honesty is why I ask. I am grateful for a good eye taking a look at it as I make a decision. Your feedback helped me look at it with a finer eye. My impression of muromachi has tended to be that you will typically find a functional over supreme quality make to many of the blades. So I always kind of saw that looking at it. In general old o-kissaki blades come with a price premium so this one even if not a supreme make seemed to have pretty decent health and even features for the price. But the price alone was enough to let me know it's not a top tier example as nihonto prices go. Plus it is mumei. This sellers photos are always kind of dark and feature lite so another reason I was hoping to hear someone's experience with the seller. I even find it difficult to see much of the boshi in the photos. The koshirae is pretty plain and I don't see any real age in it but it's clean looking.

Geoff, I knew I had seen a drawing of the original RS. Nick Komiya re-posted for me. It shows the tassel tied through the hole in the kabutogane. Now, we know that Officers (and enlisted) personalized their stuff often, and it would not surprise me to find that several had sarute added to their gunto. Nick's post: https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/f216/unveiling-rinjiseishiki-sword-1940-a-793016-post2194291/#post2194291

And don't forget Star Wars, for which which George Lucas borrowed heavily from "The Hidden Fortress."

BTW Yojimbo is on HBO/MAX for the time being. Last Man Standing (1996) A 1996 remake of Yojimbo starring Bruce Willis and Christopher Walken, and written and directed by Walter Hill. Last Man Standing moves the samurai story into a prohibition era town in Texas, where gangsters, bootleggers and prostitutes abound.

It was interesting to learn, a while back, that the western Magnificant Seven, was modeled after the movie.

looks absolutely pristine for a Ko Bizen. Could it be shinshinto Bizen instead of Ko Bizen? There was a Bizen Yokoyama school Sukekane... Just a thought, attractive blade nonetheless

Had a few RS swords with Sarute. This one is original, still has traces of the "bronzing" finish used on many outfits.

Jimmy Hayashi?

There's a reputable sword polisher in San Francisco?

Greetings, it’s been a while, I hope everyone is healthy and safe during this pandemic. I recently purchased a kyu gunto and I believe it is a Murata Do in Mukade Giri Maru style.

Here is a blog entry by a fellow collector, speaking on flaws on old blades. I'd recommend giving it a read: https://blog.yuhindo.com/fatality/ Trust what Darcy says, man knows his stuff!

Some wow in his hamon

For those sending expensive items please consider using the apple airtag for your own proof of tracking.

Please consider registered mail. https://www.stamps.com/usps/registered-mail/ It has its own room, when you drop off at PO, each time it's handled it has to be signed for and noted who did it. UPS store is a racket, they rip you off in price. One of the few things I've lost was via UPS store.

Sorry, but this does not look Bizen to me.....Bungo is a different call to Bizen

Every Ikkansai Kunimori that I have seen ( I've probably seen 20+) and except a few that were too dirty, all had a distinctive Nioguchi and quite noticeable Hada. These traits, I have never seen on a sword that was Oil Quenched.

Postal services these days dont know what day it is!!, im hoping its just sat in a warehouse waiting for someone to do something about it. Best of luck.