Michaelr

Kevin, Great Sword. It would look good on my wall. Thank you for sharing MikeR

WOW. Very nice. Well done. Thank you for sharing MikeR

Deborah, looks like a very nice sword. Great pictures. If it were mine I would be proud to own it. You came to the right place for information as this forum is full of great, knowledgeable people always willing to share that knowledge. Thank you for sharing. MikeR

Very nice. Your story just inforces what I have been taught, the blade picks you- you don’t pick the blade. Thank you for sharing and congratulations. MikeR

Ed, I love it. Looks very nice and very nicely mounted. I like you think this would look very nice in My collection. Thank you for sharing. MikeR

Mike J, welcome. You will find many Great People here always ready to help and share. It looks to me that you have a very nice sword that you can be proud of and with some family background. Take your time and , learn ( starting here was a great start) Read the information provided above by Grey, but DONT attempt to do anything else. Don’t be in any hurry to sell it, in less you just need the money. If it interest you and your uncle start to do some research and enjoy. Just remember Japanese Swords are addictive. Thank you for sharing. Nice sword, enjoy. MikeR

Thank you all very much for your answers. Dan to answer your question, yes I will be submitting my own blades as I have a table at the Orlando Show every year. It’s a great show and I always look forward to it. This year will be special for me as I have never submitted a blade to Shinsa. Thank all of you again. MikeR

Thomas I don’t want to hijack this thread from Joseph but I sure could use some help. I sent in the form for three blades along with my check for $300.00 for the Orlando Japanese Sword Show Shinsa. I have never done this before. I haven’t heard anything back yet ( I know it’s not until June) but I have no clue how it works or what to do. Could you explain what I should expect, how I should prepare my blades and what will be expected from me. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time while submitting the blades as I know these are important people and I am sure it can be a little hectic and I really don’t want to look foolish. Thank you, or anyone else for your time and help MikeR

Congratulations. Thank you for sharing. It’s just the beginning MikeR

Glad you came home with something, and a deal at that. Congratulations MikeR

Great pictures. Wish all that attend a great time, happy sales and happy purchases. Thank you all very much for sharing. See some of you at the Orlando Show in June MikeR

Very interesting. It should be an interesting discussion on this one. Thank you for sharing MikeR

Great job Tom. Just saved me some money. I was right behind you. Congratulations to both of you. MikeR

Ok I see it now. Thank you Bruce MikeR

Not sure Bruce, but I thought the anchor without the circle was the mark of the Kamakura Arsenal? MikeR

Great show, Great people. I will be there again in 2024 and will be glad to see all of my friends. MikeR

Bruce and Mal, thank you very much for the information and your time. MikeR

Thank you Bruce. Are blades stamped with the anchor from the Tenshozan Forge more common or less common than other anchor stamped blades? With a 42 date that seems early on. MikeR

A couple more pictures

Hello everyone. I just wanted to share a recent purchase. I believe it is a Type 97 Kai Gunto, with a large anchor stamp without the circle which I believe is for the Kamakura arsenal. It also looks like it is dated December 1942. Please feel free to comment and I hope you enjoy. MikeR

Thank you very much for the quick response. MikeR

The res of the pictures

Hello all and thank you in advance. I have attached pictures of a Type 97 Kai Gunto that I just purchased and am looking for any information about it that anyone would like to share. I believe the dated year is 1942 and it has the large anchor stamp from the Kamakura arsenal (?) which would make it a stainless steel blade. I tried to do my homework on the anchor stamp without the circle but couldn’t really find much information, so any discussion would be greatly appreciated. The blade is exactly 24” long, the Tsuba and all the seppa’s ( missing one) have matching numbers. If anyone needs any other information please feel free to ask. Thank you again. MikeR

Steve so sorry to read your post. I have been a military collector for more than 50 years and have had a few bad experiences, I have been one of the lucky ones. About 14 years ago I got my first Japanese Gunto and found this GREAT FORUM. I have only met a few of the members in person but ALL that I have dealt with here have always been GREAT. I set up a table at the Orlando Japanese Show and have always been treated like an old friend. In all my years of collecting I have never been treated better than fellow Japanese Sword collectors have treated me. Sorry that you have seen the worst side of this and can only hope that you can hang in there. I am sure that you have made many friends here and know those that are stand up. Maybe just step back a little and participate from the background but stay involved. If you ever just want someone to vent to or BS with pm me and we can have some good conversation. I am one of the good guys and proud of it. Hang in there buddy and try and look at the good times you had. MikeR

WOW Very nice Wish they were on my wall. Thank you for sharing MikeR