Shamsy

Stegel has pretty much covered this question. There are the three wooden handle variants which have a standard wooden scabbard for 95's. Anything else is likely just an NCO slipped into a wooden field saya. That MAY have happened in the field, but unless the sword came from your own grandfather you'll never know. Being pretty consistent with gunto in terms of length and dimensions, a 95 will slip into most field saya. The pictures Bruce provides are of; The brass tsuba model with sleeve for extra retaining ring (which I believe is later stated to be a potential Chinese addition). The crude, field made aluminum handle variant, (which I've never seen an example of) but that one could very well have had a wooden saya and combat cover. The sword on ebay looked like it had a pretty loose leather cover. I admit I've not seen it bar on my tiny phone screen though. Did anyone get a good look to confirm it was tightly shrunken to the scabbard and not slipped over? The foot of the cover looked far too big for a thin 95 saya.

And very poor quality ones at that Bazza. These are the crudest of the NCO swords. I've never heard of a NCO with any kind of traditional blade. All of the recognised patterns and variants are without exception machine made.

I'm not certain if you're talking about preservation or display, so I'll offer both. For presentation it's pretty straight forward. Somewhere dry, out of direct sunlight and a with steady temperature is best. In UK, away from heaters or windows for example. With the occasional oiling, correct handling and treatment of leather it should last near indefinitely. Presentation is quite personal. I keep mine on large, multi stand kake. As has been recently discussed, these swords would technically be stored blade down, as this is how they were worn. I've always stored mine blade up as a katana, and neither will really damage the sword or scabbard. These things are pretty robust. Hanging is another option, from the ring. Bearing in mind the preservation aspect, it's really your decision.

I've also seen a blue wrapped one to. Never saved the photo which is a shame. Pierre sold it a couple of years back. Both of my wrapped versions have the he stamp, but there are some that have no markings at all. I still need the bubble handle version to complete my base collection. Stegel, sell me one of yours!!

You've done well

Totally original, totally correct. Both quite rare. If you pass on either please let me know so I can take a look.

Good morning all, I'll open by saying that I've never really studied sword fittings and need some help. I have a friend who collects tsuba and I found one I quite like the look of. I'd like to buy it as a gift or maybe for myself, but unfortunately there are so many fakes and modern reproduction out there. I don't know how you guys can spot it, but could you please take a look at this one and tell me; Is it real? How old is it? I hate to be layman, but what would I expect to pay price wise for a similar example? Thank you for your time and expertise.

Agreed. There's usually not a great deal to see in the tang of the NCO. Having said that, Bruce recently took a first pattern wooden handle apart and found a tang stamp, which was certainly interesting. I think that now the sword is in a stable environment Stephens advice is sound. A little oil on the blade and some careful attention to the leather on the rare occasion. Nothing that will change the shade mind. Also be careful of the stitching. If oil or any sort of liquid gets on old stitching it tends to rot or disintegrate. The cover is a big part of making this blade special, so worth taking some extra time. Have you determined if the cover was originally full length yet?

Since you are after advice, the very best I can give you is not to handle the sword without a pair of cotten gloves. This is no nihonto and should be treated differently as such. The paint is original and is quite susceptible to being destroyed by the oils, acids and chemicals on human hands. Some people, through genes, have better or worse sweat for such things. Think of silver and how it tarnishes on some people but not others. Anyway, cotton gloves are $1 for two pairs at the supermarket. I always shudder as I watch people putting their hands all over these swords. Considering that most of these swords have some degree of paint loss already, let's all have enough respect for history to treat these valuable and irreplaceable items with care. Not targeting anyone here and I'm quite proud to say the attitude on NMB is quite exemplary.

Oh darn!! I found that exact sword listed last night as sold. I realise now I must have missed it by days, not months. I may as well parrot everyone else and say 100% authentic. There actually aren't as many fakes of these as people seem to think and they are very easy to tell.

Well this is news. I've got all my NCO and handful of gunto edge up. I just assumed as a katana size blade they should be displayed as such. As Joe so succinctly puts it, it now makes perfect sense!

Not sure how I missed this post... Not the first 95 I've seen to be missing the serial numbers. These are vetted as 100% authentic. There are far more little oddities like this on 95's than one may think, which is why the are worthy of study by themselves.

Hi all, while I'm sure our members know how to pick a fake NCO, I wanted to share these. http://mountcastlesantiques.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=18&products_id=277 http://mountcastlesantiques.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=18&products_id=276&zenid=qot0424cgushvekob07rapkkq2 The really disappointing part is that I informed the site owner about the first sword and provided a comprehensive list of indicators the sword is not genuine. I offered to send photos or provide opinions from experienced collector's. After that I heard nothing. Today I checked, just in case the sword was pulled from sale, and lo and behold there is a 'rare copper handle' now listed, clearly of the same manufacturer. Truly disappointing.

Hi Bruce, I'm tempted to take mine off but won't. Nearly all the paint on the screw is intact and I'd prefer it to stay that way. Perhaps if I find a cheaper example I'll take it apart. Mine has the scarce thicker tsuba but is also a Seki sword.

Hi Tim, If you are interested in a cheaper wakizashi and don't find a flaw an over detractor I have one I'd sell you. It's in polish so ready for study and display, though there are a few scuffs and scratches. I asked for assistance in the following thread as I was not able to ID it myself: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/17184-mumei-shinto-wakizashi/ Great hada, interesting hamon; a really nice blade. However, it does have a small umegane about an inch from the kissaki. Such a shame. I'm not honestly sure what a fair price would be but I'd ask $800. If someone more experienced in pricing thinks that's unreasonable please tell me!!!! Anyway, I offer because you've paid $400 for some Wak that need a lot of expensive work, so in comparison this seems like a much better option.

Luckily some not far at all as this sword demonstrates!

Yeah, props I'd guess. Last one looks almost naval.

Dirt, oil and grease can be cleaned off. Removing a patina that has formed over the last few decades is IMHO the equivalent of polishing a tang on a nihonto or repainting a classic car that's original in colour. Shouldn't be done. Some patina can be created artificially but it's usually difficult to make it match a true time created one. I usually leave dirt grease and the like in the nooks and crannies. Best way to tell something is original since forgeries are great on rust and aging but miss the subtle details or where such grime should gather.

I've found a few habaki get stuck with dry grease, oil or rust buildups. A good way to carefully remove it is using half a cloths peg with the wedge against the habaki, flat side against the blade (any bit of untreated wood in a wedge shape will do, peg is just easy and available). Then gently tap with a small wooden hammer. Will pop off easily. A little oil helps.

Thought I'd share this. http://www.ebay.com/itm/WWII-Japanese-officers-Gunto-army-Type98-Sword-Brass-Fittings-Repro-P-23-/162060782685?hash=item25bb934c5d:g:IkkAAOSw2GlXK17H Some pretty top notch reproduction parts from China. I'm genuinely quite impressed with these. While I don't get the best resolution on the tablet, these look to be pretty detailed and correct. Certainly copied from a sword someone greedily sold to China. Much cheaper than the real thing. I expect to see a few older and incomplete swords patched up with these.

I though this was interesting since it was different, but not terribly desirable to me. The koshirae is pimp style gaudy. Really makes me wince.

To quote a collector of fine antique flintlock pistols; "Collecting is a disease and I'm glad I have it!" Some people seem to be natural hoarders, collector's and seekers. I'm one. Combine that with a grandfather who used to watch all the old war movies and guess what? Japanese Swords first caught my eye because they were actually considered weapons (not plated status symbols ), have set 'basic models' so it's possible to actually finish a collection, but there are also an infinite number of variations to keep it interesting. Currently I'm split between Type 95 (there is an end in sight!) and any fine nihonto that catches my eye. Will it ever stop? Nope. I will however obtain a great sense of satisfaction once I have the basic 'set' of 95's. But as Paul said, I love what I have and am very grateful for them.

You've hit the nail on the head! I have never had a parcel opened, damaged or questioned before and I've imported and exported dozens of gunto. This was my first and hopefully last time using FedEx.

Couldn't get this to attach above...

So since I'm finding this quite interesting I've gotten around to something I've been meaning to do for 3 years now. The mekugi got jammed in my late war sword in transit, so I was never able to look at the nakago, though I knew it had painted kanji as the late war Seki do. So having drilled the peg out carefully, I've taken the tsuka off for a look and photos. Disappointingly not the same markings as yours. Type 44 also regularly have painted kanji, as do the stainless naval gunto. It's pretty common in military swords. I don't think it really tells us much about the blade. I've still posted these in case you're interested in looking. I'll be interested in seeing more photos of what you've found. As has been repeated oft; as soon as you think you know all the Japanese patterns along comes a surprise.