Shamsy

I let the seller know the sword was a Chinese reproduction, but unfortunately they have decided not to update the listing. There is a standard disclaimer of course, so they aren't strictly guaranteeing it is period. https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-WW-II-Japanese-NCO-OFFICERS-KATANA-BATTLE-SWORD-WITH-MATCHING-NUMBERS/332997092938?hash=item4d882c664a:g:D4YAAOSw-QxcMDQz I thought it worth including here because they're really good photographs.

Well spotted gentlemen. Looks like I saved myself some frustration not bidding. After I saw the frankly brilliant work that someone did to 'fix' and replace the all aluminium sword prototype'scabbard latch, I've had less confidence with these 'officer purchase' 95s. After all, they were only supposed to be temporary, until the officer could purchase a proper sword.

There are a few examples of these swords with guards removed. Pretty sure it was F&G who first make reference to one where the guard was carefully removed, though I don't recall whether a reason is given. If it has been intentionally removed or lost during war time and you care about such things, it is best to leave 'as is' .

Though it does bear a striking resemblance to the prototypes scabbard. Conjecture, really.

I wasn't able to decide if I thought this was genuine, or if it was a recent throat alteration, like the one Stegal saw manufactured for the aluminium prototype sword. It is well made, but I cannot find pictures of the one Stegal posted, so I can't comment on the quality of the fake to compare. I'd cautiously say genuine.

Those carvings on the blade are identical to the Chinese sold ebay swords.

The British were very fond of putting plaques on just about everything weapon they captured. Pistols and cannons often bear plaques or inscriptions too. It's a fantastic boon to those collectors like me who want to know a bit of history behind an item. Would I pay the 4,600€? Goodness no, but it is a lovely looking sword.

Great read, Bruce. Is there any evidence that whichever company or manufacturer made these fittings wasn't making them as private purchase? Sorry I'll clarify that since they were all private purchases. By that I mean whether this style was proscribed under regulation or not.

Well I only have a single mantetsu and it's in great campaign condition. 95s...well I've got mint and I've got shot-up, rusty and clean. Not really much of a story though.

Don't take it personally, Peter. You will find that people have specific collecting interests or knowledge. Anything outside of that is worth a look, but I'm guilty of not contributing to much outside of 95s. That doesn't mean I'm not interested;I just have little to add and am happy to quietly read and absorb, letting others take the lead.

I completely disagree. Most swords come from veterans as they were obtained. Some dealers or individuals certainly changed parts, but I think saying most is a gross misrepresentation.

Very possible. Family blades were mounted for military use and sometimes the only addition was the combat cover.

You need to post it blade up, so people can read it...

Missing the leather retention button collar that would sit over the fuchi and pass through the tsuba. These break pretty easily, so no surprise. Any evidence from seppa marks that the tsuba was switched?

Now I look closely Chris, it does look carved. I've never had one of these swords in hand (for obvious reasons) but I'm fairly sure that they are stamped and it's the paint making it look flaky. Bruce, I'll have a look and edit this comment when I have an answer.

They're about a third of the cost of real deal, Brian. I've only seen Iijima ones, though they do have unique serial numbers. Chris, the stamps aren't perfect, but remember these are under paint. There are also so many different iterations of genuine cannon balls that these are perfectly valid if viewed alone.

Righto. So if you've been here a while you might remember me talking about the Polish made 95's being the best examples of reproduction swords I have ever seen. Properly aged into a fake, they can be near impossible to tell from the real thing. So here is an example to post finally. It's not 'fake' and the seller is making no claims that it is anything but a repro. They even correctly state the country of manufacture. What a gentleman/woman. So what do you do if you find an Iijima sword then to know it's the real deal? That's a hard question, because Iijima, IMHO more-so than any other contractor, has varying peaks and troughs in quality. So the best thing to look for is patina, in all those key spots that are so hard to replicate correctly. You will also notice that the edges of the seppa are not nicely crimped, the stamps are not very well struck (though the paint obscures some), the sarute is long and very triangular (though there is some variance in these normally), the fuchi has been painted and the forward tsuka nut is not quite the right shape. Sorry to say these tells are not current across all of the Polish repros and there is a degree of quality variation. Everything else about the sword is pretty spot on (no, the bohi is fine. There are variations in those too). A well aged Polish sword transformed into a fake is tricky to spot and the 95 collectors may not agree or be able to offer definitive answers. If in doubt, walk away.

It looks a lot higher than the other. More like the standard ones. I think I'll have to get and compare the other one, see if there really is a difference. Cheers Bruce.

Thanks for the pictures, Bruce. Do you have one of the scabbard suspension ring? Is it lower than usual on your example? Otherwise, very interesting to see the date stamps. Having not taken one apart I've not seen that before. Great community of collectors here, really is good to be part of it.

Thanks all. I've got one with three restamps, and seen a few others with one or two as well. But never the leading 0, which was unusual. Other than the hanging ring location it looked good, so glad to hear my judgement was sound. Agree it's been horribly overcleaned, but it's a bit unusual and cheap enough, so will add to the collection. Cheers

Agreed. I expect that's where the blueing from handle and guard went as well. Definitely overcleaned.

Hi all, Bit of a mystery to me. Found this 32. It has no stamps and aserial number starting with 0. The scabbard has a struck through number starting with 0, thn is matched. We basically don't see the Chinese 32s in Aus. I compared it to my own collection and the fake Hamish posted. It's the right size, it's correct in all details, bar the scabbard ring looking lower than usual. It's well made,bit has been over cleaned. Thoughts? I'm personally going real but unusual.

It still looks like a nice sword irregardless.

I thought this would be an interesting discussion, so I'll add my own piece. There are far lower quality fittings than the sword in question which are genuine. I admit the seppa are ugly and look modern, but who knows. The main thing I don't like is the blade. The kissaki is not well formed. In even the worst Japanese swords I've seen, the kissaki is still (by all standards) beautifully shaped and proportioned. So I'm going to be on the fence. Fittings look okay, but blade is not what I'd call Japanese quality. I've added in a few pictures of a very low quality Japanese 98. The fittings are ugly casts, but the blade is well made (again, I say this understanding it is not an art blade by any standard). Unsigned, unstamped, only got painted numbers. Well formed kissaki. The police katana in Dawson's is basically identical quality, and most of the swords with the Seki sticker are in low quality mounts (yes, the same sticker as the one I have pictured, not the gold foil one).

Wear gloves for the NCO too. Paint too doesn't improve with handling.