Kotetsu1959

Thank you Moriyama san for this helpful information and interesting photograph!

Thank you to those who contributed for your kind input. I neglected to show the inscription on the reverse side, and will correct that oversight. Note the blade is katakiriba, hirazukuri on one side and shinogizukuri on the other, an unusual feature. The question of whether tamahagane was employed in the forging probably cannot be definitively answered. The carefully controlled shape of the piece, precision of file work/signature and yakiba/polish are not consistent with an item that was "churned out." Both time and skill was required to produce this little knife. It is certainly no masterpiece, but I am confident it is Japanese. Any additional input is welcome, though perhaps we will have to settle on it being a high quality utility knife.

Bruce, You have that B series in naval mounts that I sent pictures of. Does that fall in 1939 according to your research?

Thank you for doing the implicitly necessary suffering attendant to writing this useful work, and so perhaps saving us a portion Dr. Rivkin. There is information here that is of benefit to most all of us!

I concur with Bruce. The tassel looks as though an older skirt was married to a newer strap, with a never seen before addition of random hardware thrown in. I think of AOI as a reliable dealer, having been very pleased with a naval dagger I purchased from them. I am surprised to see an item like this on their site.

Paul was incredibly generous, and would often invite friends to examine his treasures in hand. He was also generous about loaning pieces for sword study events. With a collection like his, it was a considerable effort to pull out all his amazing pieces to share. I was fortunate to be invited to his home, and to bring a Japanese American engineer friend. On that occasion also present was the late Professor Arnold F, among the kindest and most sophisticated men in this field, who with Paul's permission brought another friend. Paul had prepared for this visit by having all his best pieces laid out, including his impressive matchlock collection. He and his wife hosted us all for dinner. They went to a great deal of effort to create this opportunity for us. Paul spent a lifetime carefully studying nihonto, honestly and generously sharing what he knew and what he found. Hearing Paul describe the process of purchasing the Norishige tanto, with other interested parties trying to convince him it was a gimei piece he was crazy to throw his money at, was by itself a fascinating treat. He trusted his own judgment, while at the same time realizing his judgment was fallible. Also memorable was how Paul would happily admit to being much impressed with some swords that Tanobe Michihiro would dismiss as completely unworthy of a man with Paul's exceptional collection. Paul never lost his enthusiasm for nihonto, or his generous spirit towards others who shared his interest. Paul's loss is a great loss for all who were fortunate to know him, and to our field of interest. He was an amazing and modest man, who patiently built a truly incredible collection. We can only hope that some of his treasures are acquired by people who possess Paul's generous spirit of sharing this art.

Here at a couple more genuine general grade tassels not previously pictured. Note the fineness of the thread used, and how subtle the zig zag effect is relative to reproductions. The knotting of the “berries” differs on these two. They are both significantly more lean, tight and flexible in form overall than reproductions, which tend to be stiff.

John Plimpton's book illustrates about ten variations of leather sword knots in the first appendix, some of which do not have a collar at the top.

Don’t we have enough in this world to be angry about without pulling a hair trigger here to blast someone based on the assumption of a mean spirit? One of the most destructive aspects of our hobby is that some dealers take advantage of those who are less sophisticated. I applaud Dee for making people aware that caution must be exercised as we evaluate what the market presents to us. It would be helpful if we all were more cautious about blasting one another without very careful consideration of the reason. Here it is clear that Dee’s focus was on the sword, and what was being presented about the sword. The shift into a personal attack was wrong. I respectfully suggest an apology is in order.

The resolution limitations of our host blur the distinctions somewhat, but side by side the differences stand out. Unethical sellers will of course resort to placing artificial wear as a means of blurring the distinguishing aspects. As with swords, seeing examples side by side makes the differences stand out more. For all but the most dedicated purists it is difficult to justify the disparity in price between the best reproductions and genuine examples.