hillman

Brian, good catch on the filed-off seki stamp. I'm starting to see Aoi Art sell more showa-to, so maybe the Japanese authorities are not as strict as before on these non-traditionally made swords.

https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-gunto-noshu-seki-ju-kojima-kanemichi/ I just saw this listing on Aoi Art for a Kanemichi gunto. It looks like an oil-tempered blade, and I'm surprised that it received Hozon certification. Has anyone else seen gunto like this receive NTHK or NBTHK certification? Not sure if NBTHK standards are lowered now?

The eBay bid's currently up to $3,650...I guess there really is one born every minute... Joe

It's quite sad that Mike at Komonjo has been selling some questionable items of late, what with his loads of bare shinsakuto blades. He used to have some decent swords from Japanese dealers, but maybe his supply has become somewhat limited over the years. On the other hand, showa22 on eBay seems to have an endless stash of gunto from big named smiths each week. Maybe he has a time machine that allows him to go back to WW2 for his stock. Joe

Wow, forgers are now considering even Koa Isshin Mantetsu blades worthy of gimei: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HA712-Japanese-Samurai-Sword-Koa-Isshin-Mantetsu-Blade-in-Kyu-Gunto-Kaigunto-/161809595569?hash=item25ac9a7cb1 Seems like this was done on a Shinto blade? Joe

I appreciate everyone's feedback, and the general consensus does seem to be that the ji is stained. Gerald

I had guessed it might have been cleaned with acetone by a previous owner, since I've only used uchiko, but the patchiness seems to be on the crystalline level in the steel. I've included two more close-up shots of the ji (my camera's macro function is awful BTW), hoping to depict this.

Ken, this blade is by a gendai smith working in the Bizen tradition, but I'm not familiar with similar hataraki in Bizen work. Gerald

My apologies...thanks for the reminder to sign my posts. Some of this hataraki does extend above the shinogi, getting close to the mune, but its too faint to photograph because of the burnishing there. Gerald

Yes, I've cleaned the blade of any residual oil or dirt. This is a gendaito, so it's not that dirty to start with.

Hi everyone, I just received a new purchase, and have noticed some type of hataraki on the shinogi that I am unfamiliar with. So, I thought I'd see if the experience on this forum will be able to assist me. The hataraki appears to me to be a very faint hitatsura, or a very bold utsuri, and is found on both the omote and ura, throughout the length of the blade. It's also not apparent unless viewed at the right angle under proper lighting. It's also not the hada, which can be seen underneath this. Here are some pictures to illustrate what I'm describing. Any feedback would be helpful!

I guess different collectors of nihonto might have different motivations for acquiring them. From the fellow collectors I've met, many fall into these 3 general categories of collection: 1. Historical interest - How Nihonto played a part in Japanese history. Many in this category like fully mounted swords. 2. Metallurgical interest - How swordmaking craftsmanship has developed for Nihonto. Collectors here mostly like blades in shirosaya. 3. Practical interest - The functionality of Nihonto. These collectors like beefy, long blades. Just my 2 cents... Gerald

I came across this shobu zukuri sword blade recently, and upon reading the mei, found out that it was a stainless steel blade like you would find in many kai guntos. What's more surprising, this blade was made in Showa 4th Year(1929), and had some horimono on it too. Here are a few pics. Enjoy. Joe Hillman

If you're in Tokyo, you'll always want to stop by the NBTHK mussum near Shinjuku station. Aoi Art is right by the museum too, so that's a plus. ALso, if you have time for general Japanese artifacts, then you can also stop by the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum in Ueno. I saw a Sanjo Munechika, and a real Masamune, among other big names, in their armory department. Have lots of fun with looking at some high end swords. Cade

I too don't think it's an acid etched Chinese piece of work, and it looks a genuine Nihonto to me. But it sure isn't a big name smith that forged it. The nakago seemed to have been quite unprofessionally redone to hide the prior mei. But with the nice hamon, it might be a reasonable buy for the blade itself?