Dave R

You have a nice Shinto blade in it's last ever set of user mounts,.... if they were ever such cheap Edo mounts you would have no second thoughts, but would value it for what it is. The last man to carry it in earnest was proud to be one of the "Emperors chosen companions" which was the official designation for a member of the IJA (as I understand it). The fact that it is all together after all these years tells you something about the regard in which its last legitimate owner held it. I would hang on to it, and I am not alone in my opinion.

This is one of those regular questions, and we all have our own opinions. Best general supplier of sword care products is https://www.namikawa-ltd.com/ if it's good enough for the imperial family, then it's good enough for anyone. Regarding oil, I use Kurobara, there are various suppliers of it, and it's the oil used by https://www.aoijapan.com/ in their sword care videos. Uchiko is "one of those things", and I heard it recommended by collectors, up until a few years ago, but not any more. The backyard cutters use it to clean their blades of sticky residue from plastic bottles and ties etc, but they are a special case. Otherwise received wisdom is don't touch a blade in polish with it, but uchiko the hell out of a blade in bad condition as opposed to using any other abrasive. Just my two-penny-worth.

For the touch hole, I suggest a silver insert screwed into a pre tapped vent, which was done with western flintlocks of the highest quality. Some even used platinum.

I remember the conversation, that was on here and I think on Japanese Militaria as well, but had nothing to contribute to it. I remember that one lead turned out to be about the unique Japanese anodisation process for aluminium that gave a yellow or golden finish.

Could be Suriage, or Machi Okuri. We really need more pics to help here. http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/suriage.html#:~:text=The blade shortening work or,blade is called "Suriage".&text=It is done to shorten,a "Machi-okuri".

They turn up in "field mounts" quite a lot, that is the type 98 but with the leather covered wooden scabbard, and the origin of the infamous "Tanker sword". In the formal steel scabbard much more rarely but they are known There is a whole thread (or two) on this forum, and lots of discussion as to why! (I got this pic for my personal files from here or another forum, sorry not to credit properly).

Speaking as a well known sinner in this area, I would keep to the Shin-Gunto theme. A lot of the wooden saya for the Army were black, because they were going under field covers, so the colour didn't really matter. Stainless blades are also found in IJA mounts, and Ohmura http://ohmura-study.net/900.html has something to say about that. You will have your work cut out to find a genuine/decent IJN Tsuka, whereas nice original Army Tsuba are relatively easy and affordable.

Well done, everyone thinks it's easy until they do it. I have done a couple of tsuka, but frankly it is so hard on the hands that I won't do any more.

Personal opinion. Grip bindings, "tsuka Ito" were often done by teen schoolgirls in a factory. I suspect markings to help with the job, for untrained lasses working to a deadline.... or even a post war repair. (I am not an expert, I am a geek). I will make a post with all my trashed tsuka at some time if requested.

One like this?....

I just checked, and though I have posted this before, on another thread, I think it has a place here. Bought from a Japanese vendor and sold as a full koshirae, I think it was actually a collection of pieces put together for sale.... The black paint/lacquer on the gilded tsuba is the bit I see as relevant to this thread. Not really clear in the pic's but the gilding is in good bright condition.

Also lacks visible means of attachment to the Tsuka. Very poor build quality, so I would say "not made by a Japanese".

Personal take on this, an older blade remounted in Showa era civil mounts (Saya has cross hatching in the Kurikata slot which I have not seen on older damaged saya) then taken to war. The tosogu could be any age from late Edo to Showa. Replacing the organic parts is fairly common especially on a sword intended for use either for cutting or Iaido.

There are examples even on here of blades markedly shorter than the saya, and various reasons given. Boasting, could only afford or obtain a short blade, but put it in a long saya so that it looked better. Alterations during the life of the blade, but kept it in the old saya. Sneaky, carried a short blade in a long saya for a fast draw to surprise the opponent. Mismatched after losing the original saya, often seen on "battlefield" pickups. Mismatched by a dealer, I have a nice sword and a decent saya, a pity they did not come together... but hey, they fit!

I have a wakizashi of this form, posted elsewhere here. The katana seem to be a specialist blade, apparently favoured for competitive test cutting nowadays.