Death-Ace

Thanks for the comments, guys! Yessir, someone definitely definitely took some cleaner and went to town, unfortunately. The other wakizashi the guy was selling had a tsuka that didn't fit, so makes me wonder if he switched it around. The tsuba itself is a little loose fitting as well. I'm thinking about selling the gimei Kurihara Nobuhide to pay some of my loan as well as to have some extra spending cash , so may use that on a window to see what activities is on the blade. The tsuba, I'm going to study a bit more as well. From the looks, someone mentioned late Edo, so I'm going to check some schools. Also, going to try and narrow down if possible Shinto or koto.

The fittings!

Went out of town to go to a gun show this weekend to sell a all-matching Type 94 Nambu rig and this follows me home! One of the tables told me of his shop in town with many pieces of militaria and a few swords, so I went over. A few were showato, two others very tired and abused and a further two I could not tell if showato or gendaito and were a bit abused, so did not take a risk...funny enough, they were priced all the same and cheap enough, but money is a factor! I did see... get this one which caught my eye due to the koshirae. The blade appears to have been cleaned and unfortunately the nakago as well. The good news is the blade was straight, no chips, very minute pitting with a nice bohi. It appears to be a shortened katana, but the 24" nagasa and 5" nakago almost appear to be an o-wakizashi or uchigatana? The hamon, barely noted without proper light looks like suguha-hotsure. I did notice possible ware in the blade, with two most notable in the pics (one very small one near the habaki and the other in the hi, but the horizontal ones I can not tell if due to a rough hada or if the blade is a little tired, as they mostly appear about a few inches from the kissaki where it is notably thinner. It has quite a bit of meat left thankfully. The koshirae looks to have been a well done set at one time with the tsuba quite artistic. The habaki is a copper two piece. The koiguchi piece is missing and the tsuka, matching in theme, appears to be be too large as well as unaligned with the mekugi-ana although it's possible due to some missing seppa? Unfortunately, time has strutted it's stuff once more and it too is in rough shape although repairable! I may sell this one in the future as I have a possible gimei Kurihara Nobuhide I would like to send to shinsa to confirm, but if it turns out to be the case, I may sell that one and keep a hold to this for a hot minute. Always have had a fondness for wakizashi and bohi. ​

My condolences, man. If dads are anything else, he'll hang ten for another hang out to see his kids. Take care, man and it's always good to see the board watches out for one another!

People have bad days, but hopefully it'll be resolved. Maybe just hectic last minute packing.

Ahh, my apologies. I thought you meant it was already on eBay receiving bids. Probably should get more sleep, haha!

I can't seem to find it :/

Lovely suguha hamon. Blade is definitely a peach!

I don't blame ya! Also gives it another plus with the leather cover saya. I hear you, though. I've sold some things a good friend or two have given to me, but it was either that or something else. But memories are never ending.

Looks gorgeous! Very tempting and kudos to you for giving everyone a chance at it. Hopefully, it'll go to someone who'll appreciate it as much as you did and keep up you and your best friend's hobby. Something tells me this will be going a "bit" higher that 550.00. Imma check my piggy bank lol

Gah, never mind, didn't read bone's full post. My apologies, nice blade however!

Definitely is a beautiful blade! Shame about the cleaned nakago, but I like it

I've wondered about this too. I've also seen cuts ( normally three on the right side of the katana mei right in the edge in the middle or 3/4 the way down). This was on both showato and gendaito, if I can recall. Wonder if this was for the same reason?

Well, I'd say just list it here for first come first serve, unless you want to put it in eBay. Choice is yours!

Wow, looking forward to seeing that blade! Happy Hunting, Lev

Hi George. I posted a question about it earlier, but no one ever responded. This was on an auction with six other blades brought back by a Navy LCDR. Three were either tattoos or souvenir knives and the others consisted of a very nice showato, a Nagamaki Naoshi, a Shinto blade, and this. The longer blades except the Nagamaki appeared to have the shirasaya and the showato's Tsukas were drilled by the side of the mekugi to take out the mekugi, and then cut in half from there. The others appeared undamaged while this one I couldn't tell whether it was damaged in the process or the smith or forger decided to punch out the mekugi-Ana for appearances. Regardless, the hole by the mekugi was created by some drill and while I do have the original mekugi Ana, it was cut clean in half by the person to take it out. Here's some photos from the auction and some amateur pics I took. Makes me wonder if someone didn't even think about just pushing out the peg or were just too lazy to try. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/15336-katana-from-auction-kurihara-chikuzen-no-kami-nobutaka/?fromsearch=1

I'm a bit Leary of RIA. I hear they normally overprice their items or have quite a bit of refinished weapons sold as "original finish." Never seen the prices their blade lots go, but considering the amount of publicity they get, most likely have quite a few bidders.

Thanks, Stephen! I really do get antsy when it comes to rust. Once I get back to my "hiding place" tomorrow to clean my guns, I'll definitely do that and hopefully it'll subside. By the way, what was your MOS, may I ask? I'm just a Doc FAP'ed out to Stone Bay at the moment, but have been enjoying my time green side thus far (hopefully it'll still apply if I'm ever transferred to the grunts).

Thanks again! I managed upon some chopsticks and toothpicks lying around, so have been using those. I seem to have gotten the majority our last night, but these photos show what remains. The brightness make it look worse but this stubborn rust is honestly what's left. Thanks again! Lev

Ahh, sorry, typing from an iPhone and didn't correct everything! Meant to say choji oil. Will do! Been using a Q-tip right now and been careful to ensure it stays in the Mekugi Ana. Figured as much, active rust (especially on cars) is my biggest pet peeve. As for a pick, I'm going to try the nearby antique stores after some range time. Wish me luck! Thanks again! Lev

Hi guys! Sorry for a redundant question. Just took a look at my ShinShinto blade today and must have overlooked this lil problem. I noticed a bit of red rust (not bright red, however) in the mekugi-Ana. I took a small amount of choking oil and a soft brush and carefully got some of it out without affecting the patina. However, a small amount of darker red rust remains. I am think about a small bone pick or a toothpick to attempt this. But my conscience has me saying it should be kept there but I'm not sure if this is a problem, or just a normal part of aging. Can anyone clean my conscience? Thanks! Lev

Even if any major flaws were found, which there do not seem to be any, although pics are few, I think it's a good but. Nice blades in nice mounts! I'd ask I'd there are any fatal flaws and a guaranteed return if any are found. Otherwise, grab it! Lev

Hi guys! I shared this word last year but I was wondering if the nakago on this blade was screwed up by a drill or some sort? All the long blades at the auction came from a veteran estate and all the shirasaya and the Type 98 mounted appeared to have another hole drilled beside it bit did not affect the other blades. This one had the hole right next to it drilled and it appears the mekugi was perfect sawn in half during the process. The enlargement appears to have only occurred on one side, with a mark shown on a part that was not. However, I am not entirely convinced this was the case. It also appears to be punched. The blade may be an early 20th copy of a Nobuhide so I'm wondering if it was done just as an attempt to make it appear late Tokugawa period, even when drilling was beginning to become the norm. Looking forward to any opinions! Lev

Possibly an old koto blade bought in the Meiji era by a tourist and on his travels, had a koshirae created by a craftsman in one of the other SE Asian countries. Trades with other cultures were known during the Edo period for weapons and this could have been done then as well, although the habaki looks well taken care of with the blade, so not sure how true that could be. Another thing I think of as plausible is a blade taken by a Christian Samurai during the early Edo Period diaspora to his new homeland. To keep his heirloom, and adapt to his new culture while keeping his identity, he may have had the new koshirae fashioned. A reason so, could have been to also avoid possible punishment if the Tokugawa regime were to expand their boundaries in occupations. Last I can think of is blade with bad koshirae that a GI had completed on an island before the home stretch, but that's a bubba story! Lev

Gorgeous examples! Thanks for the study pieces. Ed, again, you definitely have had some truly amazing blades under your belt...or around the sash, haha. I'm thinking WWII copy as well, now, or maybe a Meiji piece. The mounts are missing the tsuba, but not middle quality Type 98. Thanks again! Lev