Scogg

Thank you for reviving this old thread! These 95s with hamon are nice looking Would love a link, or the serial number + stamps if that information is available. Cheers, -Sam

My brain says: OWARI My heart says: AKASAKA My gut says: I am just guessing Whatever it may be, I like it. -Sam

This item is now SOLD So I'm not moderating myself in the rare event I sell an item here - I'll request that @Brian please archive or delete the listing Donation to the forum incoming. Cheers, -Sam

For what it's worth, I am now able to log into NMB on my work computer after about 72 hours of "DNS ERRORS". I didn't do anything special, it just started working again. Like others have said; local ISP issues makes the most sense to me. Cheers, -Sam

On hold.

@lorn9800, Your sword is a genuine Japanese sword. NOT a copy, fake, or repro. The paperwork that you have is misleading; maybe incorrectly and/or poorly translated. (or maybe even for a different item?) The signature may or may not be genuine, but the sword absolutely is! Take good care of it. Cheers, -Sam

Photo of how the saya fits

Type: Wakizashi Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage : I suspect Suriage or O-Suriage Mei : (Mumei, Signature) : Mumei Papered or not and by whom? : Not papered. Era/Age : Unknown, see description Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? : Koshirae Nagasa/Blade Length : 20.2 inch (51cm) Sori : 7.3mm Hamon Type : Suguha Jihada : Masame and Itame Other Hataraki Visible : see description Flaws : minor scuffs and scratching. Saya shrinkage and doesn’t fit snug to tsuba. Sword Location : USA Will ship to : USA Payment Methods Accepted : PayPal F&F preferred Price and Currency : SOLD Other Info and Full Description : This wakizashi in koshirae has a decent polish and is a good option for a beginner on a budget. Offering it here before I try on eBay, and I’ll make a small donation to the forum whenever/wherever it sells. Has a nice suguha hamon and intact boshi. Overall a healthy looking sword. I believe it’s osuriage. I suspect sue tegai, but my kantei is not sharp enough to be confident, could be mino- More study required. Nagasa: 51cm Total: 65.5cm Kissaki: 3.2cm Motohaba= 27.1mm Sakihaba= 17.5mm Motokasane= 5.9mm Sakikasane= 4.1mm Sori= 7.3mm Pm me if you’re interested or have any questions! -Sam

@Swords just incase anyone missed it, At it's current length this sword would be considered a Wakizashi, and not a Katana. 3600 for a suriage wakizashi, in it's current condition, without papers? Interpret that as you may. Best of luck, -Sam

I'm not super familiar with the hanger chains or how to identify fakes, But determining if that's a genuine chain could help piece together some of the story for the owner. These swords are mysteries... We know they aren't Japanese, likely Chinese, but that's about it. The chains on the other hand are better documented; and can be worth a pretty penny on their own. Just looking for the silver lining for the owner, Cheers, -Sam

If you go to the forums page, linked below, and scroll all the way down. You can then click on “Theme” in the bottom left. That should give you the dark mode option you’re used to, and maybe some others https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/ Hope that helps, Cheers, -Sam

Happen last week for me, and this morning on my work computer. With an error message about DNS. I tried my coworkers computer to go to the NMB homepage - and encountered the same issue. I cleared my DNS cache, deleted cookies+history, restarted the computer and internet router. Nothing seemed to work, and NMB was the only website seemingly affected. When I got home, my home laptop has no issues and I'm browsing NMB just fine. Weird though, I never experienced this issue before last week. -Sam Edit: It's always worked on my phone though

I made this guide recently to help folks take informative pictures of their swords. Taking photos against a dark and nonreflective background works best. As clear as you're able to. Also take a photo of the entire sword without fittings, centered from above - so the general profile of the blade can be seen from tip to tang. Tip north, and tang south. If you can get a good clear photo of all these things, it will help with identification. But keep in mind, that even perfect photographs might not be enough to definitively identify a blade, and expert in-hand assessment may be required (especially if condition is poor). But with the right pictures, the experienced people here can provide info and steer you in the right direction. Best of luck! -Sam

@Bruce Pennington appears to be happening to me again today

Hey Bruce, this exact thing happened to me late last week. Couldn’t figure it out. Eventually everything went back to normal by the evening As a precaution I deleted my cookies, restarted my devices, and made sure all my updates were.. up to date. That didn’t immediately fix the issue for me though. Glad things are working again. Bizarre though… -Sam

I'm sorry it took so long to let you know. I was reluctant to speak up for Jean; hoping he would address the inquiries about his wellbeing directly, or publicly. After a couple days of not hearing anything, I felt it was time to let you know - because I didn't want you or other members to continue to worry. You will always have my respect Stephen. Sorry things played out the way they did. -Sam

Sorry for reviving this old and long thread, but I spotted something on Facebook that’s relevant to the OP @Coldramen Seen on Facebook, here is a KEN mounted in koshirae with a very similar tsuba. So similar in fact, that it coincidentally is missing the same KIRI flower that my example is missing, even with the visible soldering underneath! Anyway, not trying to revive the off topic discussion, but this seemed relevant to the topic in question. -Sam

Here’s an unusual one of mine. Little mice/rats on what I think might be corn; or more likely millet. Can’t see their tails for ID. Hard to tell in the photos, but one is blackened, the other is brassy. Nothing spectacular, but something I can contribute -Sam

Thank you for clearing that up for me, Jacques Much appreciated, Cheers, -Sam

A swordsmith who signed Taira Shigemori is listed in my translation of FUJISHIRO KOTO HEN book. Does anyone who has a copy and can speak Japanese confirm? I only have the translation and it does not include oshigata. Page 502 SHIGEMORI TAIRA [MEIÔ 1492 BUNGO] SUEKOTÔ CHÛSAKU Signature: TAIRA SHIGEMORI Index SHIGEMORI TAIRA [MEIO 1492 BUNGO 221

Hi John, nice sword! Thank you for sharing. My records imply that your sword was made between June 1939 and September 1942. Other more experienced members on the forum may or may not be able to narrow that down. Yes, I can confirm that is a lightly stamped "TO" ( 東 ) on the blade. It is believed that the KOBE stamp with the "K" in flower, was dropped and replaced with the Ichi "-" in flower at some point in time. While the "K" KOBE stamp makes your sword particularly cool and scarce to collectors like me; the average Type 95 collector may not recognize it's relative rarity. Most have blinders on and only care to recognize the rarity and desirability of the copper handle pattern 1's versus the later paterns - and care less about the diversity of stamps and arsenals. I don't agree with this outlook on 95s, but it's what I see in the market, unfortunately. Hope that helps address some of your questions. Cheers, -Sam

Thank's ya'll for bringing this to my attention; and Chandler for the link. This is right up my alley! Looking forward to placing an order, and also the Yamashiro book. -Sam

Sorry for being a bit off topic. I was able to find a Taira Shigemori of Bungo listed in my translation of the Fujishiro books, although very little info is included. Same smith perhaps? Below in quotes: "SHIGEMORI TAIRA [MEIÔ 1492 BUNGO] SUEKOTÔ CHÛSAKU Signature: TAIRA SHIGEMORI"

Hi Joseph, I am the person who commented on your facebook post asking about the tsuka. And I am sorry for implying the sale might be a scam in the other thread that is linked above! I see now that you are an inquisitive owner of the item looking for information - and not trying to do anything nefarious. I'll edit my post on that other thread with a strikethrough to reflect my misunderstanding. Bruce makes really good observations that also gave me pause. I think a new set of photographs, including what Bruce requested, and of the tip of the blade, will help determine what we are seeing. Can we also see the spine of the sword, and the entrance to the scabbard? Anywhere there is wear-and-tear on the handle, does the metal look "silver/grey" or does it look "Brassy"? Cheers, -Sam