Dave R

 It has certainly been messed about with,and the haikan reversed during the process,  the saya cover is not original to the saya and has been put on the wrong way around. For me the big issue is the poor shape of the kissaki.

 Not so much a Gunto, more a traditionally mounted sword fitted with a haikan for use in the war. Is that a leather covered saya?

On 5/1/2022 at 2:45 AM, Bruce Pennington said:

 No way to know, but I'd lean toward choice 2.  I still don't see a G.I. creating and threaded nakago end like this, but I don't know European blades.  Maybe it's possible they had some with such nakago ends.

 Many late 19th early 20th cent. German sabres and bayonets used this type of nut. Pics of a Blucher Sable in my collection, before it was repaired. 

The conversion programme from type 32 to type 95 gunto will have left a lot of hilts spare. I will stick my neck out and suggest that this is a factory made or semi official trench knife/dagger.

I have imported a few blades over the last year, from countries in the EU. Rarely had problems, and the biggest delay and fuss was with UPS! nb These were not nihonto, which I think have special problems because of the cheap fakes and media scaremongering.

This is what I have... 

List of Permissible Controlled and Prohibited Items - Updated 19 Oct 2020.pdf

5 hours ago, ChrisW said:

I am seeing what appears to be a mish-mash of parts paired with a 'kamekaze' knife: an inexpensive mass-produced blade for Japanese aviators.

But I would wait on more educated opinions on what you might have. I could be very incorrect.

  I agree, but that said, if the blade really is a WW2 aviators dagger, it's worth money!

 This is a pretty big gap, is there a saya and do they all fit together otherwise?

 This looks very like (or may even be) the one in the Royal Armoury Leeds. In the 17th century Western blades, Solingen, included were folded and forged steel,  not homogeneous! In fact it's only from the mid 19thC that this steel appears from the Bessemer process.

My ten-pennyworth is that it's a theatre made fake, either by the CB's or the Australians, both groups renowned for this activity. Made to be sold to the  second wave of troops who wanted a "reel samury" sword to take home.

 These were even mentioned in the 1960's war comics I read as a nipper.

 In the past when reshaping or making from scratch I have improvised a "hag's tooth router", it might not be the authentic way, but it works. It also helps if you are not practised, or have issues with your hands as I do nowadays.

Ordinary rice is usually not good enough for a decent glue. I use Sushi rice and overcook it from fresh. Another issue is if the pre cooked rice is already salted, and I don't need to tell you how that can be a problem! Sometimes there are other additives as well, like veg oil to give the grains a shine, and aid separation.

Read here.... http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/Sueyuki1.html

They can be very helpful. The first time I bought off them I just wanted enough Honoki to make a tsuka only. They dug out a couple of off-cuts for me!

 I have found this place to be useful and have bought off them a few times. They take pay-pal and are OK dealing in English, and do ship abroad. 

 I just checked and they are currently sold out of Honoki, which happens from time to time. Which is why I bought some last time, so I would have it when I needed it.

https://www.namikawa-ltd.com/product-list

As I understand it there are two types of sword that go under the name of "Satsuma". Swords made in the Satsuma Han with a distinctive koshirae, and swords that have been refurbished for the armoury that tend to have a very cheap mount, often of recycled pieces.

 This looks like one of the latter, and they are usually poor condition blades, with perhaps one more fight but no more polishes in them.

7 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

Not to get off-track, but I'm appalled that studios still use actual guns on sets.  I cannot imagine the necessity for that.

A lot of conversation about that incident on the set of "Rust"! A film done on the cheap, and an almost inevitable result.... And no, it's not a necessity, some directors have not used real guns since the start of the century.

 Personal experience, doing a short promo for a local TV station my "Uke" was a little too enthusiastic and broke one of my fingers, so hard a hit it burst the seams of my buckskin glove and spurted blood! What pi55ed me off was that I had told him he was  scripted to be the victor and so had no need to try too hard, but he wanted to show off to the camera..... Well he did that, shooting ended early, the crew were NOT impressed in the way he thought they would be, and I never gave him any more work.

1 hour ago, Kiipu said:

 

 

 Back in the day news reports claimed she had lost a couple of fingers, now known to be  exaggerated, or perhaps just a little "predictive" and surgery was more successful than expected..... Point is even prop swords can injure.

7 hours ago, Paz said:

I've just gone ahead and brought a book on the subject of the shinsengumi  Thomas. 

Funny when I googled serizawa kamo , I'm met with anime characters. Boy I hate manga. 

 I think the anime will be the one about the (more or less fictitious) adventures of the Shinsengumi. Anyway, here's the dude, and here's his armour... usually worn under his civvies.

I have the DVD of "Azumi" and they had a "omake" at the end about scenes and production where they explained the trick with the no blade sword. It's how they got the shots where she does some serious cutting where the blade looks to pass through the various targets.... including very thick wooden supports  for a watchtower.

 One of my favourite films..... ah, cute girls with swords, what's not to like!

 Just to say, you will very, very rarely (nay never)see a real sword of any type on a film set, for the simple reason that you can not unload them! Commonly you get three types of sword, the "Hero" sword (often a steel blade) for close ups and exposition, the on set sword in fibreglass, and the stunt fight scene sword in rubber. 

 On a Japanese set it's usually a wooden tsunagi with a foil wrap because of licensing AND on set safety. In many scenes, no blade at all and a blade is CGI'd in in post production. In "Azumi" they used no-blade swords for fight and cutting scenes, and when the star got hit with a tsuka  all filming halted, and she was applauded for continuing later in the day!

 Even with this accidents happen, Sandahl Bergman lost a finger to a fibreglass sword in Conan, because the wrong sword went on set, it was supposed to be a safe rubber blade.

 I plead special interest here. 

18 hours ago, robinalexander said:

I will also add a pic of the small metal (brass?) build-up that has been 'fixed' to the nakago.  I suspect this was done in order to take-up slack between the blade and seppa because it is too far back to be an adjustment for a tsuba....but I would be happy to receive any thoughts on that 

 Please check that this is not a brazed on tang to the blade..... Something that I have seen in the past, and was done to deceive.

 I posted the broken sword pic, as an example of the sort of damage that would need the radical reshape in the field.

 I think the tang would still be the clue as to original intent of the maker, a Showa Katana had a very substantial nakago, very near the length of the Tsuka. A wakizashi would have a shorter one, and perhaps also near the length of the shorter tsuka for such. So I would think that a cut down in the field would be out of proportion.

"Not sure about logical in marrying up the picture with the actual wording in the caption...i have to admit I am a little lost with that one."

 Broken sword in need of repair!