paul griff

Hello, Ha,ha...like that one Stephen..." yesterday-to "... Regards, Paul.

Hello, The discussion may have detracted somewhat from the original post but to interesting avail.. I originally bought a Mantetsu and a Shinbu-to before they gained their relatively high price status..Luckily ! I feel those were better times when someone starting out and/or on an average wage could buy a nice gunto and get " bitten by the bug " and trade up the ladder...Getting difficult now for people to start out....Maybe this is relevant to the original post....I don't think a lot of the afformentioned blades were worth a polish a few years ago...but now...? Regards, Paul..

Hello, What a sword ! " The business " as they say..! My choice if I had the cash....Someone will get a great blade there..! Good luck.. Regards Paul.

Hello, Yes,well spotted and well done... Regards, Paul...

Hello, Back to the question...Would a proper polish be a financially viable proposition on Gendai-to ( and that includes Yasukuni -to ) swords ?.... ' No brainier ', not necessarily so..! With every polish the shape,thickness and structure of the blade will change and you may in fact be altering what the maker intended it to be ! And what may you uncover ? Just because it's got a particular name or stamp on it doesn't make it a good sword ! Take for instance a Yasukuni shrine sword offered for sale by a well respected U.S dealer recently....Sword by Yasutoku or alternatively pronounced Yasunori....A very nice sword still in gunto mounts in original wartime polish and displaying a 'ware'...indeed, considered in the Nihonto world as a ' non - fatal ' flaw but nevertheless this is a fault between layers normally due to a poor weld...! Take a chance and polish it...maybe it will go...or maybe it will get worse...? Enjoy the sword for what it is and who gives a damn what name is on it...? If you are in the U.K bring what you consider to be a quality mounted blade with you to the next Birmingham Arms fair in June and let's do a " blind taste test "....I have a sword with a Showa stamp in gunto mounts and it feels ' the business ' but most people would poo,poo it in favour of these hyped up big names....Again,enjoy the sword not the name..... Regards, Paul....

Hello Death-Ace, Nice sword,looks like somebody has done a good job restoring the saya...nice picture presentation on the attachment, well done.... Regards, Paul.

Hello Ed, With that pitted,blackened nakago and nice lines looks like a good koto blade...For a fighting sword 64cm is a nice length so the blade should be nicely balanced...Well done,nice find... Regards, Paul.

Hello Ed, Nice sword.....To me the dent adds to it's character. I have owned swords with a similar dent in the saya and wonder if the dent is caused by railway carriage doors ? Many German dress daggers have dents and these have long been attributed to rail carriage doors....! Regards, Paul..

Hello Grev, Look forward to meeting you.. Regards, Paul..

Hello, Mine are scattered around the house so this offered a good opportunity to do some dusting...! From the top :1 Gimei Tadayoshi with special order fittings and nice history..2.Namboku-cho , again, nice history,,,told the wife to bury me with this one ! 3 Emura..4 Shinbu-to Toyo Hamono knife co ltd., 5 Mantetsu . 6 23rd Generation Kanefusa in lightweight wooden saya ..7 Type 32...Thank you for a very interesting post.. Regards, Paul..

Hello, Nice looking Mantetsu...Have attached some photo's of the one I have for comparison...Hope they are of use.. Regards, Paul..

Hello Rayhan, Beautiful blade.. Regards, Paul..

Hello Denis, I remember that program and,if my memory serves me right the G.B pound was riding high ! Ah,never mind.. Regards, Paul..

Hello Darren and Flying Dutchmen, Well done, bargain !....Also try and remember to sign your name to the post ( forum rules ) .Good luck with your collecting.. Regards, Paul.

Hello Darren, Welcome to the forum.....The attached photo's are from " Military swords of Japan 1868 - 1945 " by Richard Fuller and Ron Gregory...Hope this helps.. Regards, Paul..

Hello, Very interesting lessons from this post...I struggled with identifying blade construction when I started collecting despite buying many books....Thank you.. Regards, Paul.

Hello Windy, Just got in after a busy week otherwise would have replied earlier and advised you to stay clear....It's a copy...one of the better ones but still a copy....Seen it on the saleroom.com...! Most of the pointers have been highlighted so I won't rattle on too much,but : says throat is wrong,numbers are wrong,no definition to acceptance marks and a terribly fitted and poorly casted hilt and awful paint job..... On the plus side it's good to have a fake closely at hand so you can learn and compare when you get real ones.....Nearly everyone's been ' tucked up ' at some point...part of the learning curve..! Regards, Paul...

Hello, Carlos,I remember your sword ( if it's the same one you first put on the site ) and it's 100%...If you look at the sword by Shamsy in post no9 look at the seppa and how poorly it fits and how new it looks ! Mauser 99 in post 15 look to the scabbard throat and you should see the brass sleeve visible.Also with the MountCastle example the paint still looked fresh in the overly large fake serial number on the throat.....Shame really because the one that is on the site with a painted hilt but marked sold is a real one,and nice too ! Regards, Paul..

Hello, Good reply Wayne...Greg,don't know what the collecting situation is like in Canada so can only inform you of the current U.K market and what's to offer...Nco's swords are fetching more than ever and everyone's catching on fast...I only look at original unrestored and unmolested ones...£500 at the bigger sales like Birmingham a little less at the smaller sales and that's cash only..! No copper handled ones at any of the sales and the people I know who have them won't sell them...! Quite a few officers ones but they rarely have tassels....A nice officers type 98 with unsigned Shinto blade £1500 ...a really nice sword but it remained unsold at the end of the show...Standard type 98 with Seki blade were fetching around £550 ....Tassels on their own selling very well and they attract a lot of attention.... I took a sword with me to seek advice from a wise owl ,took the bag off and people were all over it like a rash when they seen the generals tassel !! Without confusing you more..set your budget,get the best original and unmolested example of either sword from a reputable source ( great buys on this forum but beware of that big Internet auction site that's very popular ) ...this way you won't be disappointed and you will be " bitten by the bug ".....Regards Paul..

Hello Greg, Of all the WW2 era swords ( made in Japan or in Japanese territory 1939 -1945 ) the Mantetsu is hard to beat....My opinion of course ! But what a sword ! Old swords especially Koto have a kind of ' magic ' feel to them...well balanced and light in the hand...but the Mantetsu means business,may feel a little heavy but it's tough and holds a wicked edge...the equivalent of that famous U.S 12 gauge you reach for in times of trouble!...Only my opinion but the Mantetsu 'does what it says on the box'...Look around and you will get a Mantetsu cheaper than a NCO's sword....I like all Japanese swords but have never failed to be impressed by these blades... Regards, Paul..

Hello, Judging by the fittings and the saya it looks like a really nice,well looked after sword....Would be nice to see the blade....Well done.,. Regards, Paul....

Hello, Looks like a superb cared for example to me...There's plenty of German daggers out there in similar condition so why not Japanese ? I'd buy it ! Regards, Paul.

Hello, Nice sword and I agree the veterans name carved into the saya adds to the swords appeal...The marks on the washers (seppa) and guard (tsuba) are all arsenal assembly details and when they are all matching it normally means nobody has taken it apart and messed around with the bits.....nice and original as when it was put together in the assembly area but using a traditional old blade. Regards, Paul...

Hello Carlos, Nothing wrong with this one.....a nice example nco's model with the correct stamps. Regards, Paul... P.S. Has your car still got the big wheels ?

Hello, Nice sword..As Stephen pointed out leather is the way,trim it nicely and it will feel like a different sword....Also make sure the peg ( mekugi ) is a tight fit even if you have to make a new one..I have to do quite regular for a friend who imports swords from Japan just as you have... Regards, Paul...