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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/06/2022 in all areas
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Akinobu Today I would like to show a new addition to my modest collection. Gunsui-hagane wo motte Akinobu kore wo tsukuru, 皇紀二千六百三年六月吉日 A lucky day in June, 1943. (Written using the Imperial Calendar system, so the year in the inscription is 2603.) ( SteveM you are the best, Thank for translation) Aluminum saya, full silver habaki, silver seppa, all parts number 1.5 points
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The links in the commercial list are websites whose owners are board members and are well regarded and seen as upstanding members of the community. There's several dozen websites located in those lists to peruse from! I recommend Ed Marshall and Andy Quirt. I am sure others will have glowing recommendations for the others too.3 points
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Meibun, (signature) Mutsu Daijo Miyoshi Nagamichi Toshiro ( the first cutting test On a day in the second month of kowa 2 (1802) (The blade was tested) by cutting through the armpits (o- wakige) by Mr. Ito second test: By Mr. Yuda Takenao on 21st day in the third month 11 the year of the rat,(1840) by cutting through the armpits (o-wakige)3 points
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Thank you gentlemen - I didn't do anything special, its all part of our "Apprenticeship" program, Fred is mentoring me in the role. Always looking to the next generation. With that in mind we are having conversations with the JSSUS, NBTHK and others about combining our efforts and providing more content online. Stay tuned! -tch2 points
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I don't sell that much online. Mostly i sell at shows. I read the thread about eBay listings posted here so figure i will give it a try, This is a second model NCO sword with brass tsuba (first model was copper handled). It is near MINT, in 30 years of buying Japanese swords it is the best i have had and one of the best i have ever seen. There is the original leather knot (early type with buckle) attached probably worth $3-400 by itself but it was there so i left it as found. Numbers match. If you are looking for maybe the "best" NCO sword available to add to your collection here is your chance.Blade 26 1/4" cutting edge, 38 1/2 overall. sold1 point
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The Mene armor was also interesting because it was published in 1913, when the collection was sold. A good pedigree is worth something. If you want to buy, but you feel a bit unsure, the nkbkhk papered armors will give you the comfort of a screening by Japans top experts. And the quality of a Saotome kabuto never lies. Th red urushi one (4) however is not a ‘Saotome and nr 3 has a poor quality for the school.1 point
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Hello, The post by "Butch " on March 27 featuring a type 3 gunto by Zuiho has prompted me to contribute my example. Listed below is my personal assessment and may not be entirely accurate but here goes: BLADE TYPE: Type 3 ww2 shin gunto by RJT approved smith ( as indicated by star stamp) SHAPE (sugata): Iorimune PERIOD: Showa WW2 PROVINCE: LENGTH (nagasa): 27 1/8 " , 87 cm. WIDTH (machi) : 1 5/16", 33 mm. (motohaba) : 7/8", 23 mm. THICKNESS: CURVATURE (sori) : shallow 5/8", 15 mm. FORGING (jihada/kitae) : itame Temper line ( hamon/yakiba) : Nioi based suguha midare with rough tobiyaki Note: Partial Choji-midare utsuri appears to be present on both sides. ( I call it utsuri as no line of nie or nioi is present ) POINT (boshi) : ko maru on chu kissaki TANG (nakago) : iriyamagata , kesho yasurimei SIGNATURE: signed on ura : ZUI HO SAKU with STAR stamp above Zui. DATED on omote: Kinoe or 21 st (year since start of zodiacal cycle), SARU (year of the Monkey ), NI ( 2nd), GATSU ( month) . This zodiacal date is equivalent to March, 1944. REMARKS : An assembly number 435 stamped on mune behind hamachi. Double press studs present on saya. Two screws placed one on each side hold eleven inch tsuka. Tsuka has wine-colored lacquered ito over imitation same' . Notes : The other smith name of Zuiho is Shigefusa. His real name is Kojima Kameta and lived in Tokushima prefecture. He had 5 students at his forge. Reference: Samurai Sword Kanetoyo Art Museum website, (Tokyo, Japan) . Cheers, William G.1 point
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William, Nice presentation! And thanks for adding yours to the database of RJT blades! Boy, they really struck that star lightly sometimes! Had to zoom in to see it. It was also an opportunity for me to fix my files. I had the wrong Shigefusa listed in my RJT chart! And I didn't have the connection that he had also signed as Zuiho. Now I do! As for "shingunto", it is my understanding that all WWII army swords were shingunto. The word literally means "shin" - new, "gun" - army, "to"- sword; or "new army sword." "Kyugunto" is "old army sword" referring to the Western-styled sabres. Now, oddly, "kaigunto" literally means "Navy army sword" but that is just how the grammar workout out. "gunto" became the vernacular for "military sword". The 'type 3' was in truth a variant of the Type 98 and had no official 'type' designator. It is a label created by collectors, most visibly our beloved Ohmura-san who used the term on his site, but is more accurately called the Contingency model of the Type 98, or Rinji-seishiki in Japanese. I use "RS" for an abbreviation or simply 'Rinji' (although Nick pointed out that 'Rinji' by itself means something derogatory in slang! Ha!). You can read all about this on Nick Komiya's articles here: Deflating the Myth of the Type 3 sword and Unveiling the Rinjiseishiki Sword 19401 point
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Nothing in this hobby is easy, Andrew! Many of these books are as rare as hen's teeth. I'd stuff some cash in an envelope and send it to the snail mail guy any day of the week!!!1 point
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It wasn't an invitation 🤣! Focus on the blades discussed, not me! 🤐 J.1 point
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You'll struggle to find a blade with modern papers in that range or in fresh polish, but you can easily find study pieces in that range. Can you give people here a bit more to go on for what you're looking for? Age? School? Signed/mumei? Length? Etc.1 point
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Ron, close, but no cigar. How about Daiō 大道 by Higashidani. See link below. DAI (大) Edit: Markus Sesko has it as Daidō 大道 in Swordsmiths of Japan, published in 2015. @Markus1 point
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Absolutely agree. None of us benefit if these items don't see the light of day.1 point
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Hi! Here is my Enfield rifle M1858 Navy If I remember right. It has Japanese round up markings and lovely cloud inlays on the barrel. They where fitted with eighter the yagathan bayonet or, more rarely, the fearsome cutlass. This one is fitted with the cutlass but you see both versions in my picture. Anthony1 point
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Please do post it Gary. Hopefully, all the hot-air surrounding cutting-tests has blown itself out and (hopefully) won't detract from the appreciation of another blade from your superb collection. Cheers, Jon1 point
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Most late Edo mon are a waste of time trying to associate with a certain family etc, and especially on koshirae. They became basically decorative at some point and usually lead nowhere.1 point
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The problem you will encounter is that the major families used three or four principle mon - the combination of these helped people to recognize not just the family but the generations. Over 250 plus years many second sons, cousins, retainers and servants were granted use of mon, therefore unless a mon is very unique it is a fools errand to try and associate a single object with a single family from a single mon. Add to this the fact that once the Shogun fell, everyone was encouraged to adopt a mon so anyone could be a Tokugawa, a Toyotomi or an Uesugi if they wanted. Mon books in Japan are thousands of pages long, listing thousands of families. If you are dealing with antiques and the object has several mon on it you need the Taisei Bukan, The Who's Who of Tokugawa Japan - it lists all the major Daimyo and Hatamoto along with their titles, income and mon. Keep in mind also that there were several editions of the book printed throughout the Edo period, so the families and mon do change over time... -t1 point
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Just bumped into this on the Kashima sisters's website, towards the bottom: (http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/flaws.html) "-Do not restore an original engraving- Some engravings in old blades have been partially erased by much polishing. I wonder if you would like to restore it by some craftsman. But please never touch the original engravings. Engraving is not only a decoration putting on the blade. It is a prayer of samurai old days. You should respect original engravings even though it is erasing."1 point
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How could it be a Koto if the maker is Tsuda Oumi no kami Sukenao? He's a 17th century swordsmith.1 point
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Look Babz, been around forums long enough know when someone's looking for attention online Stop it, its pathetic.1 point
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I agree with all of what Brian has written. It should be a crime, punished by thumb removal1 point
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"The Japanese were holding head chopping contests with living victims well into the Second World War." And there you go!-1 points
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I'm interested in your drag racing, what drag track do you use? What racing school did you attend and what car?-3 points