Brian

It's all over the news here, and apparently is continuing. https://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/648580-massive-internet-problems-in-south-africa-2.html

I was told there was an issue but by the time I logged in, all was working fine. The whole of SA has had some serious internet disruptions the past few days. Apparently massive DDOS attacks launched against all the ISP's, and most have had some serious problems, so I'm guessing that was part of it. No-one knows why or by whom, but it's a large one, and taken down most of the providers for a bit. I expect there may be some lingering issues over the next few days.

Yeah, but it's only really ayasugi hada that comes close to people's expectation of damascus

They pop up occasionally. Junk with a signature. There was one on Pawn Stars

Because he's probably using a translator and copying/pasting and not choosing to remove formatting, so it pastes the format from the website it was copied from. Have mentioned this numerous times. It even gives you the option to remove formatting when you paste it. Oh well.

It's been discussed here often. There are PLENTY of sellers who are listing items that are for sale elsewhere, for much higher prices. If they sell it, they attempt to buy it from the original seller, and make a profit. If they cannot get it, they cancel the sale. Not illegal, but highly frowned upon. But we have seen many sellers of tsuba etc on eBay listing stuff that is for sale on Yahoo Jpn etc. Not uncommon at all.

That article is misleading. The first pic appears to be a fake too. The hada you'll see on unpolished swords or ones not fully professionally polished looks nothing like that. In fact, it's barely visible in most cases. And looks nothing like layering. The closest you'll find is visible hada like on Gassan ayasugi hada etc, but in most cases it will appear more like this... There are high end sword oils recommended, but for the average sword that is found out of polish and has been cleaned with Isopropyl, a few drops of any decent gun oil will work to prevent rust. Don't pour oil on the blade or leave a thick layer. A quicj spray or a few drops onto a clean soft tissue, and then wiped over the blade in one direction will leave enough film. If you can see pooling or droplets, you have used too much.

The Type 98 is likely genuine. Wipe it over with pure isopropyl alcohol and then oil lightly. The second shinogi line is likely a stripe in the gunk from the sheath. But it looks ok so far. The Kai Gunto is definitely a complete and poor fake. Even in polish, real Japanese swords don't look Damascus, and the hada is subtle. A vivid pattern like this is a sure sign of a fake. Focus on the other one. If both mekugi are out, you should be able to tap off the tsuka. Make sure you are using something like wood or plastic and you should have minimal chance of damaging anything. Seeing that tang is vital.

I was thinking tokusa! Dried and used to polish shirasaya?

All the info you need is in that post. A decent Gendaito.

Well..it's in this section, so has to be something related to Tanegashima?

That type of hamon is very unlikely to be oil quenched/Showato. Suspect this is a good sword. I'm guessing it's for sale somewhere and you haven't secured it?

That tsuba-shi!!

I guess in the 8 years since then, I changed my mind Will edit accordingly

What Sam said...

Gets later and later every year. Soon it's gonna be a Xmas show. I liked the end of Oct, beginning Nov. Great weather. Hmmm

Mario, you are almost convincing me to take the trip from Jhb to Cape Town. Hmmm. The boss has been wanting me to go to Durbanville to check out our new shop..maybe this is a good time for a few days down there. Congrats, looks awesome. Really nice to see this sort of stuff in SA. Best of luck!

Baby Joe, Your considerable efforts are really appreciated by all of us. Thank you.

Wow...just wow. Doesn't get any better documented than this. Incredible history there.

An easy repair by a jeweller with low heat. Silver solder or similar. But I wouldn't bother, nothing to be gained from that.

I see a signed John Yumoto. Someone should be interested I am sure.

Some interesting ones. That cloisonné one would do well on an auction, international bidders seem to like them.

A lot of explanation. But it is STILL what I said it is, and is oil quenched. Not a Nihonto, and common in the militaria market. Nakago makes it soooo obvious. You may not like the truth here, but it remains the truth. https://www.ima-usa.com/products/original-japanese-wwii-era-tanto-dagger-in-shirasaya-resting-scabbard-traditional-handmade-blade?variant=40457944268869 And they are wrong here too...it is clearly oil quenched. https://therionarms.com/sold/com195.html

That's a lovely tsuka wrap, congrats. Glad to see you didn't delve into metal restoration. The fittings so far look great.

Yours is a WW2 soldiers utility/general use tanto, of the type maybe bought for good luck or to take to war or available around that time. Usually not traditionally made, but still liked by militaria collectors. Nakago is always a big giveaway.