Scogg

Sitting in the airport now. Hope to attend the show this afternoon, and all day tomorrow. Safe travels, everyone! Take pictures to share! I’ll get a few too. I’ll be the scrawny guy with a mustache, please say hello if you find me. -Sam

Whoops, my misunderstanding. Sounds like a fun trip! I’ll let others take over, because I’ve actually never bought from Japan. One thing I would recommend being very familiar with, is appropriate sword etiquette; so you don’t find yourself in a situation where you’ve unintentionally offended anyone. I even re-read these links sometimes before going to shows. https://swordsofjapan.com/nihonto-library/nbthk-etiquette/ https://www.nihontoownersclub.com/etiquette Safe travels! -Sam

Hi Davo , that’s is a tall order! I am into this hobby for years now, and still do not have what I consider “enough” knowledge about Nihonto. Getting your Connoisseurs book is a great start. When you start to read it, try not to be intimidated. It will take some time to be comfortable with the vocabulary and that’s totally normal. I would often read my connoisseurs book alongside “Marcus Sesko’s encyclopedia of Japanese swords”, so I could cross reference vocabulary and definitions. My recommendation is to view your sword study through a timeless lens. Understand that to fully understand Nihonto, it may be a life long journey. Going to Japan in October may be too soon to understand it a deep way, but not too soon to enjoy some swords, learn a lot, and catapult your study in a positive way. I’m sure others will have great recommendations for your trip. All the best, -Sam

Thank you Dennis, well said, and I appreciate the clarity. I wish you the best, and look forward to your future input here on the board. Thats enough AI talk for now, everyone. Lets get back to the Sukesada -Sam

Hi Dennis, It appears it got the papers wrong; and we've found that AI can be incorrect or misleading when it comes to Nihonto. Over the last couple years, we've had a few discussions that have tested the capabilities of AI and Nihonto with varying degrees of success. That said, this is a public forum made up of real people who genuinely appreciate their swords. Most of us prefer to engage in conversation with others who share that same appreciation; not with AI-generated content. Using AI for things like improving grammar, clarifying wording, assisting with research, or helping with the occasional translation is one thing. But when the majority of someone's posts are copy/pasted AI content, it starts to feel less like a conversation and more like talking to a robot. So I suppose the real question is: do you want to be part of this community as Dennis, or as ChatGPT? With respect, -Sam

WOW I doubt they've even received the item yet, and it looks like they're even reusing the goodwill pictures ! Bummer, -Sam

Thank you Mal! It is always cool to see these wartime smiths work and read their info. @Rawa A good question. My reason being it’s not a Nihonto, and it’s in REALLY bad condition + without visible hamon. I feel that between its non traditional nature, and its poor condition, that it’s below the standards of the NMB. Also, because it’s worth very little in its current condition, I think an eBay auction is my best bet for a fair deal; as I can accept whatever someone offers (I have no idea what to ask for a showato in “relic” shape ). I think it’s probably best to sell away, donate to the board, and keep whatever extra for whatever catches my eye next. As always, i'm open to hearing any counterarguments to my plan. -Sam

Thank you both! Much appreciated! -Sam

I got this sword in a small bundle and would love to know the translation. Full disclosure: It’s seen better days… And I will likely be putting this sword on an eBay auction because it’s not the item in the bundle that I was focused on. If it sells, I will donate a small percentage of the proceeds to the NMB for the translation assistance. All the best, -Sam

Hi @SWD10, Ive edited your post for your privacy. It’s best to share phone numbers via private message. You can send @chosen_mosin a message by going to his profile by clicking on his name, and then clicking the little envelope icon. We don’t want you to get a bunch of spam calls or anything. Let me know if you have any questions or issues. Best of luck, -Sam

Relocating to sold archive. If deletion is preferred just let me know. Congrats to the new owner, -Sam

Here is part of why people say Juyo is a competition. Written by the late Darcy Brockbank who was a respected scholar of Nihonto. It’s a web archive article, so you’ll have to scroll down a bit. I have learned a lot from Darcy’s contributions and am inclined agree with his view https://web.archive.org/web/20201022000337/https://blog.yuhindo.com/hozon-is-a-test-juyo-is-a-competition/ Please understand that this is just one side of the argument here. I don’t presume to know what Jacques believes. Lovely sword by the way! -Sam

Thanks John, I came here to check. Honestly, these days, not a bad price. I wonder what price it could have realized if it were marketed better, on a different platform other than goodwill. I hope it shows up being posted here someday, so I can record the saya number . -Sam

Hi Ben, I agree with Rob. Definitely a fake or repro. The biggest tell is the tip of the blade. The profile of the tip is wrong, and also the groove ends too early. Another big fake identifier is the dimpling on the handle; it should be raised and even from the casting process, whereas your example looks like it’s been punched inward with a tool. Other less obvious signs are the font of the serial number and the the stamps on the Fuchi. When it comes to Japanese swords, beware auction “papers of authenticity”, as their goal is primarily to SELL. Hope this helps, All the best, -Sam

Of course not, that would be silly

Fair enough, it is just my opinion and I know it’s not shared by all. The nihonto message board is also dedicated to the study and preservation of genuine Japanese swords and fittings. @Jacques, that’s why I said not only/exactly. Does the translation of a hozon paper not state that the sword is worthy of preservation? I always understood the word HOZON itself to translate to keep or preserve. @LastSamurai, in an effort to clean up this post, maybe @Brian can delete some of our discussion to get your post back on topic. Best of luck, -Sam

I've seen people use papered blades for practice, but I do not condone it. There's plenty of showato out there, and modern swords that are better suited for practice. NBTHK hozon papers are not only/exactly an appraisal. HOZON basically means "worthy of preservation" whereas Tokubetsu Hozon means "especially worthy of preservation". So, a blade that the Japanese experts at the NBTHK deem is worthy of preservation, should not be swung around or used. That’s my view, -Sam

Nearly at $3k now. Someone knows what they want

I wonder too. I am surprised to see any copper appear on goodwill, especially one that has some provenance. Considering it’s already over typical aluminum prices, I imagine at least two of the bidders have an idea what it is. Allow me to correct something: My statement before was slightly misleading. I have this sword recorded from a source “Donald Barnes” and also in Dawsons cyclopedia. But one of Dawsons cyclopedia source was Barnes himself, so while it appears twice - both appearances are from the same source. I wonder if this sword was donated by someone who inherited it, or figured the metal handle meant it wasn’t real. Who knows, but could be a good pickup for someone Photo from Dawsons cyclopedia:

I'd love to know if the Saya has a matching number or not. For what it's worth, with SF around the corner and having recently purchased another blade; I will NOT be bidding on this copper 95. I hope you, or someone on the board acquires it for a good price. If someone here gets it, please send me a message about the saya serial number. Happy hunting! -Sam

I believe it's legitimate. Nice to see the remnants of the leather sarute is still there. Some of the Pattern1 blades didn't get the arsenal stamp next to the serial number; we see several without the blade arsenal stamp. Looks like the suya stamp on the fuchi may have been double struck, which is a good detail for my notes. I have this specific sword #161 recorded from a couple different sources, and I believe it's number is listed in Dawsons Cyclopedia also. Thanks for sharing, -Sam

The seki stamp on the tang, that the red arrow in pointing to, is widely understood to identify non-traditionally made swords. Collectors refer to these as “showato”. Meaning this particular blade is not a Nihonto, and therefore recognized as a weapon in Japan. It would be illegal to own there, even if a relative carried it in WW2. Link for the showato info: https://www.japaneseswordindex.com/showato.htm Link for sword law details: https://www.jssus.org/nkp/japanese_sword_laws.html Excerpt from the link: “Only traditionally made Nihonto can be licensed, i.e. swords made in Japan from Tamahagane 玉鋼 (and Shinto swords that are inscribed "Motte Namban-Tesu 以南蠻鐵" ["made using steel from the southern barbarians"]). This means in effect that it has to be either an antique, or made by a contemporary, licensed smith. Mass produced WWII swords (so called Showato昭和刀) and foreign made swords are not eligible for Torokusho.” Beware trusting the embassy officials, as they might not know how to properly identify the difference. I do admire your goal and feelings toward your sword. I just encourage you to consider that fate placed it with you, and maybe that’s where it’s meant to be. All the best, -Sam

Thank you Thomas! The “I owe you one’s” keep piling up . Much appreciated. Sincerely, -Sam

Sounds like an interesting sword. Typically, you see the swordsmith name on one side of the nakago, and a date on the other. I have heard of swords with the officers names inscribed on the nakago, but in my years of collecting i've never personally seen one. Thanks for sharing your sword with us. Best of luck, -Sam

Good eye Conway, I didn't even notice that small mark half under the seppa. Almost looks like the top half of the Nagoya sea creature stamp. Possibly a sub-assembly number makes sense, thank you. I am mostly curious about the main stamp above it. My first thought was a naval anchor that's been stamped over, but nothing I find quite fits