Kolekt-To

Bruce, they do appear surface level, so maybe they can be safely removed without risk of damaging the blade. I may consult with my mentor when he returns from Token Kai this week.

Thanks Barry! I haven't tried any of those chemicals on this blade or the other blades with these type of stains. I think I would begin with alcohol, then try the others if that didn't work.

I have this Gunto, and a couple more, that have a few of these stains on the blade. I believe these stains are quite common, but what, if anything, can or should be done about them? What are they? How do they form? Should they be removed, or left alone? Photos attached.

Good points Brian - I hadn't considered it from the safety perspective, but it is, indeed, important for safety (it's function is to hold things in place, afterall). I wonder if sellers are looking at it that way, or simply from a "missing part" point of view. Perhaps buyers should instruct sellers to put a pin in place before shipping to reduce risk when the mekugi is missing. I think going forward, when considering a sword without a mekugi, I'll ask the seller to insert one before shipping. Sounds like the right way to go. Thanks!

$3800.00 CAD = $3026.88 USD. For potential buyers in the U.S. Good luck with the sale Steven! Definitely looks like a quality piece.

Being new to the hobby, and having had just enough time to recognize some hobby-related patterns, or things that frequently pop up, I have to comment on this phenomenon of "The missing pin". I see this included in For Sale posts for Gunto and Nihonto with great frequency - quite common. And, now that I've been into the hobby just long enough, I find it humorous. In many cases (too many cases, I believe) the seller does not include information about the sword and the blade that potential buyers would really be interested in, e.g., age of the blade, name of the swordsmith, qualities and characteristics of the blade, the story behind it's acquisition, etc. No! They make sure they include the fact that it's missing a little piece of bamboo for the tsuka that can easily be replaced by fashioning one from a chopstick and costs nothing, or next to nothing. As if that alone is going to be a major factor in reducing the value of the sword - we all know there's a number of things that will reduce the quality of the sword (most importantly the quality of the blade, it's age, and the smith), but the mekugi is not one of them. However, these sellers (I can't see them being hobbyists or having much awareness or knowledge about sword collecting) give significance to a missing mekugi. They frequently take time to point this out as if it makes a difference to someone who is considering shelling out thousands of dollars for their antique sword - as if it's going to be a deciding factor in the purchase. Makes me laugh! What do you guys think about this "missing pin" phenomenon? Text and photo below for reference. "Condition Report Antique condition. The pin is missing. Damage to the leather sheath. See photos."

That was an intense, and memorable, scene from The Pacific.

Here's a scene from the 1971 Japanese film "Battle of Okinawa" featuring a wounded NCO with his Type 95 - looks like a 1st version Type 95 to me.

Thanks for info guys! Here's a photo of the Tsuba. I think it adds evidence to support Bruce's sentiment that it was originally civilian, then re-fitted for the war.

Hey guys, I just saw this up for auction on the invaluable site. It's described as a veteran bring-back NCO sword, but to me it does not look like an NCO sword (though perhaps it was carried by an NCO?). I think it looks more like a civilian sword of the Showa period. There is a signature on the tang (but no markings on the other side of the tang). Also, it comes with a small tag with name of the veteran who obtained the sword (I did not post that photo here). What exactly are we looking at?

Trystan, thanks for the recommendations and scene photos!

Thanks! I watched "47 Ronin" a couple of months ago. Will have to watch "Last Samurai" - missed that one. Regarding Gunto scenes in movies, I've seen some in WW2-themed movies, but it's usually just glimpses of the sword. For example, in the Japanese movie "Yamato" (2005) you catch glimpses of dirks, one scene featuring what is portrayed as a "Yamamato Dagger", and another scene where an officer self-deletes by falling in his Type 97 on the deck of the sinking ship in one of the final scenes. In the Japanese film "Oba, The Last Samurai", I believe the Banzai attack scene at the beginning of the film shows an officer charging while holding his Gunto. And, there are various combat scenes in movies such as "Wind Talkers", "Hacksaw Ridge", etc. where Japanese officers are featured attacking with their Guntos drawn. Also, in the series "The Pacific" (I forget which episode) there is a scene where a soldier comes at Sledge with a raised Gunto and Sledge uses his M1 Garand to dispatch the attacker. In the movie "To End All Wars" (2001), Guntos are seen being carried by officers in many scenes throughout the movie. However, in regard to Guntos on film, in my experience, they are usually only featured in fleeting images in rare scenes. I think what's been stated here regarding Japanese movies, especially within the Samurai genre, is where the viewer will be treated to Nihonto featured prominently and more frequently.

Hey guys, I was wondering what movies could be recommended where Japanese swords (Gunto or Nihonto) are featured. "Kill Bill" immediately comes to mind. Lol. I'm aware of some war movies with scenes featuring swords, but what about Samurai movies and other types of movies? The series "Shogun" was recently recommended to me - I read the novel as a kid, but never watched the series. Recommendations?

Thank you Chris! Ja, das ist gut - sehr gut!

Well, the good news is that aging process can begin again and some years from now they'll appear darker - might take some years. Anyway, I'm fitting them to a sword that I'm planning on keeping, so I'm satisfied. But, I get your point. Next time I do this I won't clean them as thoroughly so they can maintain some of that "aged" look.

Check it out - I restored the patina on two sets of Type 97 menuki that I recently acquired. I'll need one set for the tsuka re-wrap that David McDonald will do for my Kai Gunto pictured in my previous post above. Here's the super easy technique I used: Distilled white vinegar with Himalayan sea salt (sea salt - very appropriate in this case. Lol). Placed in a saute pan on the stove, added the sets of menuki, brought to a boil, removed them from the pan in less than 5 minutes. Then rinsed in water, and then lightly buffed with fine steel wool. Rinsed again and dried. I'm very happy with the results! Attached are before and after photos. Note: This easy technique will work with Brass, Copper, and Silver. There is an even easier technique where you allow the piece to sit covered in Ketchup for 30 minutes, then rinse and lightly buff with steel wool. Maybe I'll try that technique next time.

Hey guys, remember I'm a newbie here. Lol. I'm going off what my mentor told me - I trust the guy and know that he has a solid reputation in the collector community. I'm not sure if this sword is papered or not. He told me that he has swords that are papered (probably some of the ones that I saw and handled last weekend were papered) and that he has several swords in Japan that are waiting to be papered. He told me that one has already been papered and is "Juyo" status, and that it will be more months ahead before he receives those swords back from Japan. As the relationship develops, I expect to learn a lot more and that more will be revealed. And, though I was witness to some great swords, I saw only part of his collection. Currently, I'm not even aware of all the questions I should, or could, be asking. I'm at that stage where I'm just happy that someone with a lot of knowledge and experience is sharing their wisdom with me in person, and that he's helping steer me in the right direction so I can reduce my risk of making costly mistakes. I'm confident that I will be made aware of more details about his collection we proceed. I did ask him how he acquired that particular Minotagawa sword (remember that he has several in his collection that I'm aware of) and he told me that he got it through a contact (in Japan, if I remember correctly), but did not reveal the name of the source - and I wasn't going to pressure him for the name of the source (we just met, and I need to be respectful and develop a trusting relationship with the man). No doubt I'll be posting more great photos of swords from his collection in the future, and I will try to ask the right questions and get more information about the swords. I hope to post photos of swords that I can be proud of from my collection, too. Currently, I've got mostly low-grade showato, but I'm shifting gears and seeing the value in aiming higher.

One more photo of the Captain's sword ("Masataka" - Minotagawa shrine smith - blade in Type 97 mounts). Such a beautiful blade!

Thank you Brian and Volker. As a newbie, I really appreciate your comments. My thinking in regard to this hobby was transformed in the course of a few hours.

I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity yesterday to meet with a long-time sword collector who is well-known within the Japanese sword collecting world. The man has been collecting for over 40 years, knows his stuff, and has solid connections within our hobby. I will refer to him as my "Mentor". He will be at the SF Token Kai next weekend and will have swords on display and for sale. As a newbie, who only began collecting this year, I am very grateful for the meeting as I gained so much information and greatly benefitted from this man's knowledge and expertise. I brought half my collection to him for evaluation and I'll say it was, indeed, a humbling experience. He provided me with a knowledgeable assessment of my swords - there was a fair amount of disappointment related to some of my purchases, but I also had an unknown gem among my swords (one of my swords has a 350 year-old blade and I was not aware of this until my mentor read the tang and consulted his Hawley book to confirm). The guy definitely has set me straight when it comes to collecting, and I'm now on a new course with my collecting goals. Glad I met with him before I got too far into this hobby! In addition to evaluating half of my collection, he showed me some of the swords in his collection. I was amazed and impressed! He had at least one Gassan Sadakazu sword and some from Minotagawa shrine smiths. He had high-class guntos and old, immaculate Nihonto from various sword periods. I was able to handle these swords and observe them close up. Attached are photos of a Minotagawa sword made by Masataka that was one of the swords that belonged to the Captain of the battleship Yamato that was sunk during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 - obviously the captain did not have this particular sword with him at the time as he went down with the ship. So, it was a fantastic 3 hours I spent with my mentor and we'll be moving forward with him continuing do so sword evaluations for me and even some repairs (he's got years of experience and a workshop with all the tools). I'm very grateful for the experience!

It's a "Pineapple sword"!

Best photos of a "Pineapple sword" I've ever seen!

Good points Peter, but isn't interesting that they do, in fact, have at least some value with some collectors even if only from the perspective of "Historical" artifacts. They were made for Japanese Army officers during wartime, after all. Some find value in that fact alone.

Stephen, I've heard that the value of Baseball cards has skyrocketed since last year, and that they've increased in value more than any other category of collectible.

I'm new to collecting. Began collecting WW2-era vintage pistols last year, and began Gunto collecting this year. I still add to my pistol collection, but the Gunto collecting has consumed me this year. Parts of my collections are pictured in the photos below. Always had an interest in WW2 since I was a kid (Grandpa served in the war - U.S. Army, ETO), but, as stated, just recently got into collecting. I'm learning these are expensive hobbies. Lol