16k

I’d be tempted to say Rai too.

POST EDITED: I guess Belgian post is very similar to French post, and so are our customs Read my post (#40) here. Lots of advices about importing swords. Also, tariff code is the same for Europe as a whole. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/30488-shipping-issues-alert-all-post-items-affected/page-2

Shinshinto for me. Bakumatsu period (but keep in mind I’m no expert!)

I do believe it is traditionally made indeed! what is the patina of the nakago like in hand? Brown, blackish, dark chocolate, light brown? I suspect it is much darker in hand than the photos show. So far, I’m leaning pre war blade, maybe Shinshinto.

First, I can say your socks aren’t world war 2! Then, it looks like a very nice sword overall, well finished. Do you have closer pictures of the Hamon, where we can see the activity and the surface of the blade? A shot of that ware would be nice too. And also a shot of the whole naked blade, just like you did for the koshirae, without anything, not even the Habaki. It would help in determining possible age and if traditional or not.

Money.

If I were Brian, Now that this explanation is out, I’d lock that thread before it becomes something else.

Gotta say I’m not seeing it either...

I collect other stuffs as well, and trust me, this isn’t limited to this hobby. There are jerks everywhere, opinion fights everywhere and trolls everywhere. It helps accepting it when you think a hobby, a forum, a club, whatever, is just a representation of our world and shows the best and the worst in everyone.

I don’t know the full story as I try to avoid Facebook as the pla...Coronavirus, but it seems to be a lot of noise about nothing. Damn, I just pressed the "like" button to Paul's post above.... does it mean I’m now considered as an accessory to the crime?

Could that be one of those Han-tan-ren we’ve discussed in the past? Looks very much like one of them.

it’s a nice sword Greg. I have one quite similar. I bought the blade bare and chose the koshirae with the different options they had. I chose an overall lobster theme with lobster Tsuba, Fuchi and kashira. The tsuka is black same with brown leather ito and the saya is black and segmented to recall the segmentation of a lobster's body. Nice Hada (tighter than yours) and good looking Hamon too. Somehow, even though it’s not a nihonto, I like it because it is MY conception from start to finish.

I love reading Paul's articles. Thank you Brian, and thank you Paul.

I have just read this thread for the first time. Very interesting and as usual, great investigative skills, guys. However, I’m wondering about something. Yes, this are souvenirs but how come they were allowed? I mean, war time blades are still illegal and were being destroyed because they were weapons and not traditional and yet these non traditional blades were manufactured in spite of the ban? Am I missing something here?

Bruce, most of the time, Seki swordsmiths used a takanoha pattern on the nakago, so chances are great it was made in Seki following the Mino tradition. Moreover, there are togari in the Hamon, also typical of the Mino tradition. But I’m no expert and could be wrong.

Lots of questions here! First, $300 was a hell of a deal! It needs further inspection for flaws or what type of blade it is, but if you check eBay, Kai gunto usually go for about plus or minus $2000-2500. So that’s a very rough ballpark. If it is a Gendaito (but I doubt that), I may go for more but in order to determine this, you need to post pictures of the blade naked, without Habaki, in its entirety and with close ups of the nakago and the Hamon. As I said, your blade was made in Seki. They produced many sort of blades from cut out blades to partially forged to rust resistant (often used in the navy) to fully traditional forging. The price will vary accordingly. Cosmoline was frequently used by G.I.s when they brought back blades. I can be cleaned. I’ve never encountered it myself but heard it can be cleaned with oil. You’ll find a care and maintenance guide here: http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/faq.html

The most up to date is Markus Sesko’s Swordmiths of Japan A-Z.

Your blade was made in Seki. Nice example with a same saya and unusual chuso as Dave pointed out. Congrats! EDIT: to the real specialists: the presence of that chuso and the (apparently) absence of stamp. Could this be a pre1937 blade?

No concerns, just waiting for updates in the long run...

The latest elite PPK has replaced the pleather ito. They’ve also modified the geometry for better cutting. If it weren’t for that too regular, acid enhanced Hamon, this would be a perfect sword.

it’s a sound reasoning, but there’s something I don’t like in the proportion of the nakago in comparison to the width of the blade. But maybe it’s a visual trick induced by the presence of the Habaki.

Mark, I don’t doubt your story or the age of the sword, but everything is wrong for a Japanese sword. Whatever this is, it’s not Japanese., sorry.

If you consider the price, the flaws were totally acceptable to me. Whoever bought it had a good deal.

Oil tends to hide the detail, Hada especially, do you think this would be the same here?

What do they advise to remove it? And since you have it in hand, does it change the outer aspect of the metal (glazing...)?