John C

Steven: If that's the only "bad" spot, you could accept the blade as is. Only a polisher could tell you if it is repairable, however pumping another 2,000 into that blade to make it perfect would extend beyond its value. I don't think you are going to find a perfect rig at an imperfect price. Either accept that blades at this price will have flaws or be prepared to dish out another 2 grand for a perfect one. For me, if he is offering a discount, I would take it and have a decent deal. Others may only collect perfect specimens and return it. John C.

I was seeing "Subadir" so took a guess that who ever wrote it didn't spell it correctly, however you could be right. I couldn't find any references for Subauer. John C.

If the scrawling on the first one were spelled a little differently (Subedar) it could be a military rank in South East Asia. Roughly equivalent to warrant officer. John C.

In defense of Bruce, it was Chris Bowen that mentioned it was 1943. But I think you're selling your chart a little short, Bruce. I think the Gifu connection does help because it's a consistent result. You may be able to narrow down a list of shops from that piece of info. John C.

@Bruce Pennington Bruce: Did you notice during the sword making video (at about 16 minutes) they were talking about the Yamato-den (school) and showing three dots in the shape of a triangle? They were on a variety of tools. Hmmmmm.. John C.

My initial thinking was letters assigned to manufacturers. But I also wonder if it were a dating system, a la the way letters are used in the UK to date silver objects. John C.

Sorry about that. I misread which kanji were missing. John C.

Mike will ship promptly and it will be packed well. The origami is current and seems legit. He does mention the tsuka, and so probably the rest of the mounts, is mismatched. The only real question is whether or not something has happened to the blade since it was papered. You'll have to take a close look at it when you get it. I can't speak to value. John C.

I believe the third radical in line two refers to "fish". The fourth radical may refer to type of fish. John C.

I believe the top mark (cross in a circle) is the Shimazu family crest. Dai Nippon on the right, Satsuma in the middle, not sure about the left side (style perhaps?). John C.

The last word in the sentence is obscured (disposal), however the swords were to go to Nippon Steel as scrap (which, interestingly is possibly buying US Steel for 14 billion). John C.

I wonder if any of the Yasukuni swords ended up in US museums re: the last line in the note? John C.

Dennis: I wouldn't use a detergent oil or one designed to "open" pores (e.g., 3-n-1 or WD40). I use food grade mineral oil. Sword oil is 98% mineral oil and 2% choji (clove) for scent. Sewing machine oil is fine as well. In addition, some internet folks use olive or canola oils. Stay away from these as they are fatty oils and will eventually go rancid. John C.

The blacksmiths of Tomonoura say they use the same techniques for making both anchors and swords. John C

Speaking of tanto... Out of polish, however here is a Tanaka Munetsugu dated 1943. John C.

Bruce: I think the mon is the same one as the thread above, though I haven't looked it up yet. John C.

Steven: Obviously "very good" is subjective and open to interpretation. Personally, I don't think you overpaid (top of its value maybe) because the koshirae seem to be in good condition. If the blade were perfect and in perfect polish and being sold by some members of this board, it would be in the 3200 dollar range rather than 2300. It's a decent package and wasn't priced exorbitantly. Mal Cox has some really good info on this smith, if you have downloaded his excellent monographs from the download tab. John C.

This site has popped up before using ebay sales from other members here. John C.

The second pic is the date = showa 19 (1944). John C.

Steven: I think the mei is legit. Here is a pic of mine for comparison (not very good, but you can make out some kanji). And just to emphasize, this is the son Shuji Kanenobu (his father went by Niwa) John C.

Just to second Grey's suggestion. I had the same thought. John C.

Probably doesn't mean anything, however there aren't any assembly marks or numbers on the parts we can see. I would expect to see something - a shop stamp maybe? John C.

This may sound silly, but if the stuck sandpaper is the issue, have you tried a strong vacuum cleaner (hose) to suck it out? John C.

Bruce beat me to it - it is indeed a stamp as we would expect to find. John C.

Yes. WW2 showato. Are there any stamps? You may find a seki or gifu stamp on the tang. John C.