Josh

Jean... I like your answer the best I'm pretty satisfied with the answer that it's a stainless steel, the smith was working at a steel producer at the time so it makes sense. Still, I'll email Aoi later today, see what they say. I'll post their response here. Chris, I think I saw one on their site that was made 8n the same year as a terrible terrorist attack in Japan. I've gotta say, it didn't make me any more inclined to buy it!

Not sure this is the right place to ask, but here goes. Came across this tanto, and the signature caught my eye: https://www.aoijapan.com/tanto-motte-ouko-hideaki-saku-fukushima-shi-zo-showa-3-nen-boshin-oki-hi1928/ 以桜鋼秀明作 (Motte Ouko Hideaki Saku) The kanji 櫻 used in the actual signature is an older form of 桜. Both mean sakura, and 鋼 means steel. The only explanation provided on Aoi is "The Tanto is made of Ouko(special iron) Hideaki". So, what exactly is this 桜鋼 (ouko), or "sakura steel"? Any ideas, or might this just be something that only the smith and the person who commissioned the tanto would know about?

Sounds like you got a great deal! If there's a better swordsmith in the US than Howard Clark, I haven't heard of them. I hope you enjoy and continue to learn.

Funny you brought up Enomoto Sadayoshi, Alex and Wim, I saw that auction posting and was blown away by how good that sword looks. I almost posted it on here to make sure someone bought it! And Jean, I keep telling myself that I need to get one of his knives - they look great. I spent a day with him at his kagiya last year, as I know many others here have, and had a great time.

Good post Paul, this is the sort of thing everyone new to collecting should read. I'll add that, as Kirill Rivkin points out, even if the certifying body does everything right, a dishonest seller can find a way to attach good papers to a different sword: http://historyswords.com/2018/10/23/kiyomaro-modern-papers-and-100-guarantee/ As you say, the only real defense against this on a personal level is by educating yourself on the subject. I will add that we're blessed to have a lot of educational material available to us, as well as expert individuals and organizations that are willing to give their opnion, both of which help us to properly identify a sword. But, the only way to keep them is to keep supporting them. In other words, keep buying/reading/critiquing those books, keep renewing those memberships, keep looking for opportunities to see real swords up-close, and most importantly, do whatever you can to spread the knowledge and appreciation of the Japanese sword. And, not to derail the thread, but if you're someone that doesn't believe that a large, prestigious certifying body full of experts can't get it wrong, remember that the FAA certified the 737 MAX as airworthy!