robinalexander

Anyone every had a Tsuka that was glued on?

ohh did I mention I have been wrong before

Could be right Chris...in any event, while I do collect a few orphans, personally I would pass on this one. Rob

Interesting. Pierced tsuba and notably the mune (back of blade) appears to be Hira mune and that will send signals to some members but I am just not sure what that means in terms of manufacture place/time. I'm staying with island sword (Burma/Philippines) Rob

Sunny, from the scant pics posted the saya/combat cover appears to be genuine (to me) and by the ito binding and mix of military and 'civilian' pieces on the tsuka, (and I'm going out on a limb here)....maybe an island sword BUT....those two crosses on the tang are real turn off anything genuine in terms of the blade... two wrongs don't make a right . Or on the other hand, they are so crude and clearly not trying to copy anything resembling a Japanese smith, they may just be period island manufacture. Any more pics of the bare blade full length both sides? Rob

Ren. Wax?....I wouldn't at this point....just light oil maintenance until you know more abouf the blade.

Lay the sword down...use a piece of timber with a straight flat face and place it against top seppa (dont go near the chuso pin) and gently tap the timber with a wooden/plastic mallet (or tack hammer) and keep moving it around the seppa until it starts to give and come away from the blade. The seppa, chuso pin, tsuba and tuska (handle) should all come away together and then just work them off (keep them in order if you can). Just take your time and be gentle.

Aiden, Good buy for 400 US in my opinion but I do tend to collect some orphans. To remove peg (mekugi) you need something cylindrical and flat on the end....slightly smaller diameter than the mekugi peg thats in there. Try a large nail and cut or grind the point off,, so its flat and then then lightly sand so there are no rough edges. Then use it GENTLY to 'punch' the peg out. From your pics, it appears that the biggest end of the peg is on the same side as the chuso button (release button). If that is correct, then punch (softly/gently) the peg out from the OPPOSITE side. That is, you would be pushing the larger end of the peg out first. Only one peg is normal for yours. Yep, looks like cosmoline on the blade and everyone has a favourite removal potion but for my money, I would recommend a US product called NEVR-DULL it is impregnated wadding and while remove the old grease and put the blade in a much better position. Will take a lot of rubbing! Wont hurt the blade or impact on any hamon that may be lurking underneath. make sure you wipe it all off when finished each time and lightly oil. Dont clean any rust etc from the the tang (under the handle) maybe post a couple of pics and seek further advice on this point. Rob

Yep I would certainly go into bat for any of those Chris. For me, they are just more desirable. Having said that, I totally understand that collectors are not all looking for the same things in a sword

Chris, It just looks too good to be true. Was it removed from circulation shortly after production? Was it issued to a 'base wallah' who was stationed in Japan for the duration of the war? I am not saying its not genuine and no doubt it will sell for a motsa but but I'm afraid I could not bring myself to bid on it, even if I had the money for this copper 95.. Rob

Chris ... with all due respect that cracks me up I wouldn't like to be talking Nihonto in Deutsch...you do pretty well Rob

Nice clean package Gareth

Mike, Stephen's comment was spot on and if it was obtained in Japan it wouldn't have any surrender tag (linen or wood). Does it have any 'story' or any paperwork? If not, then the only thing I could thing I could think of, and its a loooooooooooooooooooong shot, ( ok, I can hear some members chuckling now ), is that if the blade was 'made for someone' or 'presented to someone' it may be shown in kanji on the tang. I reckon the possibility of that happening is remote to say the least but if its not highlighted then you cant exclude it. So as Stephen says, post a couple of clear pics of the sword, blade and both sides of the tang and this may add something to your question.....or not. We all like sword pics. Rob

Well done Geoff, I agree with your sentiment on this entirely. Rob

Wow nice find Bruce. That is a fantastic copper with such a low number....could easily complete my collection with a small lottery win but time will beat me unfortunately

Thats a very nice sword to have Volker. Would live to see some pics unless I have missed them on another thread? I have done a LOT of research into Australia's War Crimes Trials 1945-51 and own a Teruhide brought back from Rabaul by the first Aus. Judge Advocate and later prosecutor Capt. Stanford Asprey. Again, out of interest, a pic of Lt Gen. Takeo in custody of Aus. Forces.....maybe the same sword? Rob

Volker just in case you weren't aware, Lt. Gen. Takeo's death sentence as a war criminal was never carried out. He died in Japan in 1965 Rob

Very nice Gareth, I'm thinking a Type 94 (pierced Tsuba, central chuso, solid and quality fittings and same) cant see whether sarute is barrel type though. Great hamon and package all-round Rob

Is it possible that sellers are simply using the information that is available to them in terms of manufacture date. For instance Wiki (extract shown below) appears to show any modern blade made from 1876 to present is... ... you guessed it...Gendaito! Classification by period[edit] Main article: Japanese sword § History Each Japanese sword is classified according to when the blade was made.:[10] Jōkotō (上古刀 "ancient swords", until around 900 A.D.) Kotō (古刀"old swords" from around 900–1596) Shintō (新刀 "new swords" 1596–1780) Shinshintō (新々刀 "new new swords" 1781–1876) Gendaitō (現代刀 "modern or contemporary swords" 1876– present) I am sure most have seen these time lines on various websites and I can understand why there is confusion with new collectors when this information is so clear.......not to mention the ever ongoing debate about exactly constitutes a Gendaito blade (but PLEASE don't go there now! Another time line below showing Gendai era 1877- 1945. Very confusing for many.

Elissa, Sorry but I agree wholeheartedly with Tom. Rob

Another good find John but what do you make of the silver sarute? That is new to me. Rob

Welcome Roger, (AngryBaconGod that has a ring to it ) Other members will chime in on your question but to save time, could you remove the handle (tsuka) by removing the wooden 'pin' (mekugi) and exposing the end of the blade(tang) that is now under the tsuka. It may, or may not , have kanji on it but In any event could you take and post clear pictures of both sides of the tang. Rob

Tony, I'm no expert but have bought a few of these. For what my opinion is worth...I would buy the blue one (maybe early production tassel). I would not buy the purple one for the following reasons. 1. Its purple and if it was faded, it would be a faded purple tone, not the vibrant shade as it is. 2. The purple you can see on the knot is quite newish/clean/vibrant rather than more touched/used as you would expect a knot to be. This is also inconsistent with the condition ofmthe tassels themselves. 3. In my limited experience I have never seen such a purple shade (faded or not) and therefore I would wonder about it, every time I looked at it. All my opinion 😊...... look fwd tk what others (particularly John thinks). Rob

Nice find John...wish I knew what they were saying.

PS....somewhat ironically, I was working for Australia Post at that time