Mister Gunto

Don't feel too bad Steve. We've all had "the ones that got away". In the meantime, read through more of the threads here on the forum to help you recognise the next good one to dive in and buy...or recognise the bad and avoid wasting your money!

Beautiful blade Chris! Congrats!

Gorgeous piece!

Ouch!

They turn up on Ebay fairly regularly. Just check the photos carefully, and ask questions before bidding. If you have any doubts at all....don't bid. You could also try posting on here on the board's 'Wanted to Buy" forum. Someone here may have one they're willing to part with. That's where I got mine.

Decent enough original wartime-made Gunto, and the bring back papers add some value. But $250k? My oh my. Shoot for the stars, I guess. As an old guy once at a gun show once told me, "Some people are REALLY proud of their stuff. "

Wow, Jim! An amazing set-up!

Currently, for an original unmessed with Type 95 in nice condition, you're probably looking at $1000 - $1300 range. Be aware there are fakes out there, some of them pretty good, unfortunately.

Hi Andrew, No, hamons are present on Showato and WW2-era Japanese arsenal blades as well. Often they are made from Western-type steel and oil-quenched (rather than the water-quenching for actual Nihonto/Gendaito) . And in many cases the hamon is false, and was wire-brushed on at the factory for appearances. From the photos, I cannot quite tell about the hamon on this blade. And as Grey mentioned above, we'll need to see photos of the nakago to know more. The koshirae is not in the best shape. And the scabbard is missing the kabutogane (the metal cover at the bottom tip). Not too hard to find a replacment though. Better photos are definately needed before you commit to buy.

Interesting. Not sure if that's a lightly stamped Showa, or a subcontractor's mark. Never seen a Showa stamp on the back edge of the nagako. It's usually on the side.

Wow! Very cool blade

Very cool!

"A real genuine samurai sword for just $44.95? What a deal! And what could possibly go wrong?" Ahh, the Knife Show. I remember those guys. They've drawn blood from themselves quite a few times while on-air.

Wow, really unique find Bruce! I wonder if the blade was chromed in an attempt to make it rust-proof for duty overseas? The added "bling" factor of carrying a chromed weapon would also have been pretty popular at the time.

Ditto. And that koshirae looks like cheap cast alloy.