Brian

Gentlemen, this is a superb example of an educational and very scholarly discussion. Thank you all who are participating, and we even have a minimum of bickering.

I don't think what Dan has is crap by any means. There are collectors for every level and there are some nice tsuba there. And to each their own. BUT...it is important to acknowledge the fact that is is always good advice to buy ONE very good item, than accumulate 20 average ones. We might choose not to go that route...but at least acknowledge it is good advice. I don't even follow it myself, as spending is spread over a great time, and if I save up a decent amount, it is better spent on bills and debt. Easier to pay out small amounts without missing it too much. BUT...I'll never recommend that as good advice. But ONE good item if you can. You'll learn a lot. I'll leave this with the ever-so-common event that I find myself in, buying knife collections here. I soooo often get someone calling me to sell me their husband's "extensive" knife collection. I go there expecting to find some good knives mixed in with average stuff. And to give the lady a decent amount of money. Only to regularly be met with a 100+ collection of gas station and Chinese flea market knives, none of them worth more than 5 bucks. I have to decline and explain. It's not a pretty sight. So yes, you may not plan on selling. But someone is going to have to, at some point. Luckily there is a market for antique tsuba...even average ones. But always keep this in mind. And even if you choose not to follow the advice, it is still best to pass it on to novices as best practice.

I don't think it lost a decorative element. I think it is the decorative element.

The kanji look odd. But that yasurime looks convincing. However...that style of "chippy" carved mei, even if real, is mostly confined to arsenal/mass produced Showato, so at best you would likely be getting an oil quenched wartime blade, that is more suited to militaria collecting than handmade Japanese swords. If that's your thing, the price is cheap, and it turns out real..go for it.

There is a thread or article somewhere on this forum somewhere about this. I could be mistaken, but I seem to remember that it was general practice after a battle for a team to go out and collect weapons. I don't think there was any negative aspect to it, it was routine and part of the battle strategy. I suspect it was a vital part of the cleaning up after a battle and done with the collecting of the bodies etc.

Unpolished Jumonji yari don't fetch big money, as the cost of polishing is prohibitive. This one is very rough. But they are popular, and most of us love them. Shipping is however always a hue problem. I'd have a wild guess at this being worth around $1000 to $1200 at a rough guess.

Pretty sure this IS a Showato, yip. And is illegal in Japan.

Is this not something that was added to aid in cutting tests?

I may be presuming, but I think @Andrew Ickeringill will confirm that each sword requires its own style of polish, and there isn't "one size that fits all"

It's definitely not real unfortunately. A decorative wallhanger.

Beautiful job Tom.

Calm down folks. Julien is nice enough to to engage here, that is more than many are willing to do, and the fact that Ray vouches for him says a lot in my mind. This isn't a witch hunt. Let's be polite, and maybe if you have questions, direct message or email is best. If you choose to post here, I'll be watching for rudeness or confrontation. I prefer dealers/sellers feel welcome enough to post here. Thanks for posting Julien and all the best.

Love that small teppo shaped one.

As Tim and other said , this is a kozuka (handle) and kogatana (blade) that was carried as an accessory/utility knife in the side of the scabbard of the sword. Basically call it a Samurai's Swiss Army knife :-) Sometimes the blades are forged and folded and have a small hamon, sometimes they are plain steel, hardened. They are collected on their own as well as with the complete koshirae of the sword. The blades aren't permanently installed. Sometimes friction fit with a slight bend in the tang, sometimes pine pitch etc. Often they can be moved or removed and are loose. Not huge value, but a pair like this would go for over 100-150 bucks. Nice little accoutrements and decently well made.

Why do so many of these lack the pan cover? Argh. I think 3 out of my 4 are missing that. Wish someone made blanks that could be hand fitted and altered.

No, nothing wrong with posting it...I just wanted to remind people that they have a wealth of knowledge there available anytime, and not to forget. All good.

Steven, There is no need to have the sword authenticated if all you want to know is whether it's genuine or not. It is. 100% Japanese antique tanto, a few 100 years old. Now as far as the signature is concerned, fake signatures were very common throughout the history of Japanese swords. It's thought there may be more false signatures than real ones out there. However that doesn't make a sword fake...just sometimes not by the person on the signature. Shoshin means genuine signature. However either way, the signature doesn't tell anything about the quality...you get fake signatures on any quality of sword. So the only reason to submit for papers would be to get the signature verified or not. But you don't need to do that expensive exercise if you just want to know if it's real or not. It is. Nice piece, especially being in shirasaya with the fittings separately. You can remount it in the fittings anytime in seconds. But it's best left in the resting scabbard with the fittings displayed with it. It's a nice item, doesn't need anything done to it at this point.

Guys, you literally have the English Token Bijutsu issues in the download section...for free.

Diameter? No...there isn't supposed to be a diameter measurement since they aren't round apparently, and those certainly aren't correct if they are giving a height, width and thickness. Just confuses the issue.

Yeah, I would also get generic ones from Namikawa and fit them yourself. It's pretty easy.

Bear in mind a proper polish is $150+ PER INCH. You need to decide if you are a militaria collector or a Japanese sword collector. Financially, you would need to appreciate the craft to spend money like that, as you can't do it just for the financial impact.

Good sword most likely. But probably belongs with someone who will spend the money having it professionally restored. This isn't a sword for someone who just wants a nice wartime sword. You could likely swap it for a decent Showato here. Will cost a lot to put the edge back (you don't sharpen a Japanese sword, it's somewhat of a by-product of a proper polish) so swap it out and get what you really want. This will likely be a stunning blade once restored. Yes...someone took off the edge deliberately. Very sad...maybe they had kids. Who knows. But it's not ruined.

Well worth a refresher read

You see habaki crafted to fit the hi, so no reason why seppa wouldn't match too.

I would never use glue on this. A good brazer can do a repair that would be fairly invisible. Looks for specialized welding services near you. I had an aluminium dagger guard (not Japanese) repaired by one, and you would never tell. They will identify the metal and match it.