John C

Taking a step back for a moment, I see issues with comparing tsuba I see on auction sites with those that are obviously museum quality or done by master craftsmen. Is there no middle ground? In other words, aren't some "average" quality tsuba still legitimate (pre-1868)? How does one tell the difference between a legitimate Edo period average craftsman and a "Mr. Suzuki" repro? John C.

Steve: Did you see this in the for sale section? John C.

The showa stamp indicates it is a non-traditionally made arsenal blade. I believe the rifle is a type 99 Arisaka carbine (missing the cleaning rod) and the bayonet is a type 30. It should have arsenal marks on it as well. John C.

Steve @Swords Check out this link about Japanese headbands from Nick Komiya. The article talks about them being for school girls. https://www.warrelic...aze-headband-595403/ John C.

At first I was thinking a kamikiri, however it's too big for that unless the yatate were very large. John C.

They all still appear to me to have the nanako hand punched, as opposed to cast or molded. If they are "copies" they at least did some handwork on them. John C.

I agree that folks should do their research on things before purchasing, hence the popularity of yelp and other review sites. But, again just my point of view, that doesn't excuse the seller from making false or misleading claims about their products. If anyone can make any claim about their product then qualify it with "but we're not experts", Pandora's Box is opened up and all accountability re: fraud is lost. I acknowledge, however, there is a difference between ignorance and intent. Sometimes people just don't know what they have. But if that is the case, maybe they shouldn't make any claims about it at all until they do their research. Just my two cents. As someone who upheld the [rule of] law for so long, my sense of fairness runs deep and I get irritated with the blatantly false descriptions I read online. John C.

Swans? John C.

I think the seller should accept some responsibility for selling fake/forged/inaccurately described items. We condemn the poor buyer for buying this stuff. But he/she is simply relying on the opinion of the auction house. In other words, the buyer trusts the seller's assessment because we can't be experts at everything. Personally, I don't blame the victim for getting duped by, what is supposed to be, a trusted source. I think the auction site should be held criminally and/or financially liable. John C.

P.A. Just a minor note. I think Gilles is correct that the belt has some age to it. It appears to me the thread used on the belt is a cotton or burlap weave. If it were a modern repro, it would certainly have been sewn with polyester thread since it is more readily available. You can also see a minor bit of fraying. John C.

Agreed. I have both, with the majority being on the blade. The photo in the second post is one for sale in Japan with the same signature. Maybe it was his thing? Below is another one, which I believe has the same last kanji. John C.

Here is the link to the completed auction. https://www.ebay.com/itm/226567130030 John C.

Bruce: Not sure if you have this one. Matt recently sold a kai gunto with (?)63 marked on the tang. No other stamps. John C.

Has anyone seen this type of fitting before on a gunto? Looks like bare wood, leather cover, integrated dust cover? I think it might be on a type 94. https://www.ebay.com/itm/135530722493 John C.

Steve: I find his prices to be a little high. And I think he is using the word gendaito in its literal sense (present day sword). There is no star stamp, made in 1944, I would assume showato. https://www.ebay.com/itm/405311634756? He is also selling a Kanenobu star stamped gendaito for twice that price - again, too high. But if he thought the Sukenobu was a true gendaito, he would probably ask for more. Just my two cents. John C.

Agree with Brian. A little nicer than most since it still has its leather cover (usually missing or never had one). Most of the time the nakago (tang) is rough and unsigned on these, however it may be worth a look to make sure. The leather cover should come off, though it may have to be worked a bit if it is stuck on. John C.

Sorry about that. I took the pics of the mei with the tip up, similar to the other example, thinking it would be the same as swords. I'll try to get each part individually but my camera is limited. Thanks for taking a look. John C.

I knew it would be tough. Here is the same mei on a different yajiri being sold in Japan. I contacted them, however they couldn't read it either. Can anyone take a wild guess? John C.

@Bruce Pennington @Jcstroud A Takayama to souvenir being marketed as a kai gunto. https://www.ebay.com/itm/396128692162? John C.

@Bruce Pennington Mune numbers on a RS type 44 late war. https://www.ebay.com/itm/365208008429? John C.

Is that the Chinese style of ito wrapping? John C.

Hello: Let's see if I have gotten this right - to me, this looks like a molded iron piece that has had the sprue lines filed off then gold paint applied as a decoration. The arrow points to where I think the gold paint has flowed into the file marks. This is present in many places. I do not intend to buy this! Just trying to identify reproductions. The tsuba can be viewed here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/335789558777 Thank you for all your help in identifying these issues during my learning process. John C.

Nope. As I noted earlier, I was not intending to buy just trying to figure out what would cause that particular defect. I have seen this defect on many tsuba (pseudo-tsuba?) and am trying to learn what to look for in terms of construction methods. This thread has actually been very helpful to me. John C.

Hello: I'm including 3 shots of the mei. I have seen it on other yajiri, however not translated. Any help is appreciated. Thank you, John C.

I don't want to take this topic off in a tangent. Suffice it to say that Choice Theory has limitations - it assumes people are rational and can make rational decisions despite emotional context and psychological makeup. Current research suggests there are too many social and individual factors that influence one's choices for everyone to have the same level of control. In other words, not every choice can be made rationally all of the time by all people. John C.