Scogg

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I also believe both swords are not Japanese. But still, they hold memories of your father and his friend with a shared interest in martial arts. So that’s something to cherish. Sincerely, -Sam

Speaking entirely personally, the Sho-Shin website took some time to get used to. The variety of fonts and colors, and unclear what is and isn't a link, felt very busy at first. I’ve gotten the hang of it now, and it's an awesome resource. Your project would be much appreciated, and it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time. Looking forward to it! It already looks great. -Sam

Thank you so much. Mine must measure 4.5mm. I was curious what was meant by “diameter” so I measured everything I could. I hope this is the right area. Much appreciated for your continued help. It means a lot. -Sam

Can you help me understand what the “Chyukan” is? You said the “U shaped part”, but I’m having a hard time identifying what/where this piece is. Is it this recessed area, the area that holds the spring, that I’ve highlighted with red?

Thanks @Kiipu, I’ll have to edit some things in my notes for more proper terminology. Here are photos of the top and bottom of the ferrule. No stamps or numbers that I can see, and the top has a curious circular grind/scratched pattern. Other than the latch assembly, the rest of the ferrule material appears to be copper, and is not magnetic. Does not appear to be plated.

And here is 300207 I think, a very long time ago, @PNSSHOGUN had asked if a consecutive number had ever been seen. This is the first i've encountered.

Thanks to Bruce's help, for the first time I have encountered consecutive serial numbers. These are on wooden handle pattern 6 swords, with the wooden saya that has the metal chape. 300207 ヘ 300208 ヘ Pretty cool to have the surrender paperwork with it too, showing it was taken in Korea in October 1945. Thanks @Bruce Pennington! -Sam

Maybe old news to some of you, but I found it fascinating how the tension spring for this latch was engineered. I put together an infographic to show how it works. The “spring” is a small, hardened piece of metal. There’s no solder, glue, or fastener involved. Instead, it’s precisely sized and held in place by tension and geometry; and can only be removed when the fuchi is separated from the other fittings. It’s no surprise that this piece often goes missing on some examples. Another good reason not to disassemble the Type 95 Gunto. (This is from a loose tsuka and fuchi that came to me without a blade). -Sam

My thinking was that the more modern gimei and explicit intention to deceive makes this one dangerous, and worthy of the fake section. Not your everyday gimei. -Sam

Hi Shane, @shanel82 welcome to the forum! Well done on the photo and orienting it correctly on a dark background. That helps legibility a lot. I am going to relocate your post to the "translation assistance" section, becasue I think you will get a faster reply there. Is there anything on the other side of the nakago? All the best, -Sam

Hi Joshua, and fellow Oregonian. While it's not specifically Japanese focused, you might be interested in the following Portland militaria events. http://www.oregonarmscollectors.com/gun-shows.html Lots of good guys with knowledge about guns and other various militaria. I often see Japanese bayonets there. I won't be at the January event, but I will be at the following February event. If you'd like, feel free to send me a message and I can bring along a book that covers some bayonet and stamp information. Best of luck, -Sam

Being a diagnosed dyslexic myself, makes this stuff pretty challenging. Even keeping word order and spelling straight in English can be rough. I usually reread my posts 5-10 times before I finally catch mistakes that other people notice almost immediately. Sometimes I don't even see those mistakes until I leave and come back with a fresh perspective. It gets even harder when kanji are involved, especially counting strokes. A lot of that comes from just not being familiar with another language, but it still takes a fair amount of effort. I've done it before, but I don’t really like using dyslexia as an excuse, because it’s just part of my everyday life. It’s very common, and most people who have it don’t even know, and those who do, often don't lean on it like an ailment. I literally don't even know what it's like to NOT have dyslexia . As I understand it, there's varying levels severity with dyslexia, so I must have the more common mild version... So it may be the cause for mistakes in spelling here and there, but it's typically no biggie. It makes me a slower and more careful learner, and I think that's a good thing. I even read slowly, which is how I was flagged to then be diagnosed while I was in school. I still have to google MENUKI and MEKUGI half the time, so I don't mix them up -Sam

A big part of me really wants to take some soft-metal jewelry classes, and try my hand at habaki making.

Good question Jean. This pattern of the Type 95 is secured with a barrel nut where the sarute is located. On later patterns, they added a mekugi in the more traditional location. Nice looking Pattern1 Copper hilt type 95. For those who may not know, they made less than 7000 of this pattern, making them pretty rare. Best of luck with the sale, -Sam

Hi @Nazar, very shiny! Yes, unfortunately this is a fake. The biggest tell aside from the brass tsuka; is the bohi terminating early. Also the stamps are oversized and incorrect. Among other incorrect fetures. I have personally never seen a genuine Type 95 with anything carved on the habaki. If one does exist, it would have been done after manufacture. All the best, -Sam