chrisf

LMAO,no,it's my bloody eyesight!!! What's the first on the left?

Blue and brown looks like field officers' shingunto sword knot up to the rank equivalent of Captain I believe,then the red and brown is also for shingunto but for major,senior officers were similar but with zigzag stitching.The others may be for the kyu-gunto swords which preceded the shingunto. I'm sure that someone will give you a more precise and accurate briefing along with values.

Have a peek at my thread 'Is this a Showato'.....

Ditto,many thanks for the time,effort,instruction and entertainment Chris,we are fortunate to have you on this site.

Jacques,perhaps you would like to explain the difference between an art saber and a simple weapon?Not a trick question,I just wondered if you realised that all Japanese swords were made as weapons and not as works of art and that the term 'art sword' was devised in the aftermath of WW2 (when thousands of swords of all types were destroyed by being shovelled into furnaces) in order to protect and conserve remaining swords as a part of Japan's cultural heritage.

Likewise George,I didn't feel that confident when I posted my answer,less so now!

Is this in UK?

Who sir?Me sir? It's the look of the steel and activities,I had a Showato by Nagamura Kanekiyo a couple of years ago that showed similar characteristics as seen in some of the blades you've shown,I think overall it's just the feeling you have after owning bundles of Showato and some good swords as well,in other words,intuition and guesswork!

Well done Chris,what a treat the last week or so has been for us gendaitophiles,the 'Kiyokatsu' thread was excellent and many thanks to George too for his input,some great posts based on well researched and documented facts and now you can treat yourself to a bit of a chuckle while we would be sword fanciers make a right pig's ear out of your little test! I have no doubts that I'll be waaaaaay out but my call is that all are Showa-to except 1,3,6. No.1 looks a bit like some Akihide school hamon that I've seen (although there look to be 'hard' spots at the peaks...) No.3 looks to have recent polish and visible grain (polisher wouldn't polish Showa-to would he?OR WOULD HE?) No.6 looks traditionally made. I rest my case.....I think....

Hello George, I've read and re-read but cannot find any explanation of what the difference might be,the blades look to be the same and there seems to be no difference in the way they were mounted,I've seen both types with pierced and solid tsuba,Koa Isshin mei always look well cut and I've seen Mantetsu that look slightly more 'chippy' but who knows?...

$6,766 which apparently was the equivalent of £4,218.20.

Recently I've been going back over Mantetsu and Koa Isshin info but cannot resolve the following in my own mind,1937 sees the introduction of Mantetsu swords and from 1939 the usage of the Koa Isshin phrase but Mantetsu swords are still produced just as Mantetsu,so were both swords produced by the pipe welding technique or is there a material difference between them? Visually they look the same but are they?

Sorry but I think it's rather simplistic to compare the work of RJT to nihonto in general,RJT worked within specifications set out by the Imperial Army and did not have a free hand in what they produced,the same situation applied to Yasukuni smiths. You may not be impressed with their work in general but I am.I feel that they reflect the age in which they were created,they are real swords made to be carried into combat and there was immense pride in being involved with their production. I have owned swords made by Horikawa Kunitake,Endo Nagamitsu and currently have a Taguchi Masatsugu and a stunning Kuniie,all of which are more dynamic,practical and appealing than some of the swords that I've owned or seen from earlier periods especially many 18th and early 19th century swords that were produced as items of commerce rather than real weapons.

Excellent post George.

That's fair comment but it's hardly surprising that sellers put them on ebay as opposed to the major auction houses,at least on ebay there's no buyer's premium (yet!) which in many UK salerooms is now a whopping 20% plus VAT at 20%. I was amazed to read 'no returns' by the vendor which would no exactly fill me with confidence but it's interesting to see swords like this and the Shibata Ka that sold recently and nice to know that they are 'out there' somewhere.