John C

Noah: Just my humble opinion, however after reviewing the documents on the auction I think there are too many questions. Family histories tend to get embellished over time. As the others have said, the sword is not one a Japanese soldier would have normally carried. It's too crude and the fittings are after market (possibly newer). In addition, it seems like it might be a wakizashi. Again, that would be unusual. Also, in the picture of the purported owner of the sword, he is not wearing a sword! Interesting collection of objects, however if the sword is what interests you I would take the story with a grain of salt. John C.

Colin: Here is a link that does a great job explaining the differences with the type 95. https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/ija-type-95-nco-sword-info-228172/ Of particular interest is the thickness of the tsuba; 11mm for the early types and 9mm later on. The type 95 switched to an iron tsuba in 1941. Keep in mind all of these things can be switched out at times. As for oil, choji oil is traditional. It is basically mineral oil (90 to 99 percent) with clove oil added. I would stick with mineral oil. But do not use products designed to "open" the pores of the steel, such as wd40. John C.

Nicholas: I am very new to this hobby, however I was given some advice when I posed that exact question. It was suggested that I not make, or have made, new koshirae for swords in shirasaya. The main reason was cost and, like you said, the potential for damage to the blade during fitting. If you find a set of koshirae you like, you can display it with the sword without it actually having to fit. But like I said, I'm new and others may have dissenting opinions. Regards, John C.

Thank you guys for the links. Regards, John

Steve: Thank you for the translation. The google app was able to translate the words but not the meaning. It makes a lot more sense now. I have seen other leaflets with the same stamp, cancellation date, and Nagoya reference. I was never sure what they were. Much appreciated, John C.

Hello folks: This is only vaguely related to swords, however some of you might find it interesting. This is a postcard that depicts the Doolittle raid (1942, I believe) on the Nagoya arsenal plant. The left side shows a soldier's uniform with sword while the right side shows a peasant? or farmer's? outfit. I can just make out a 93 on the farmer's outfit and another kanji I assume means killed or deceased (please correct me if I am wrong). The postmark is 1945. Just thought it was an interesting item to share. John C.

Hello: Probably an easy question, however can you all help me identify the style of this tsuba or point me to the right thread? I know I have seen tsuba with geometric cut outs on one of the threads before but I cannot remember which one. Thank you, John C.

Here it is. But it's just a broken blade for .99 cents! https://www.ebay.com/itm/394343215742?hash=item5bd0aff27e%3Ag%3AUysAAOSwtYdjesli&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoESP%2FM8Y94bUdjx1HigJbLrXeGO66vWZy180LquXhDXi93CIAk2fBMvG3Q2%2FN5NNdLIFmL0xoyH7SzWLG%2B33RchVcFa1FJNEovbjkjhRK%2FWDvJ19xlYBXpZzqGM6gpDtQoZGwqOgMz8H3vqMi8%2BHphDnsXDGJ6SCRD7N%2BwOmbVRh%2FpeqH%2F6CEf8JtRoOu%2F1HpWY5vwyxlTt5W8jbj9P0Ekg%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8i96t2TYQ&LH_ItemCondition=4|10 John C.

Not sure if this fits this thread, however here is a numbered blade. Blade is signed and dated (March 1943) but no other information (blade is broken with no koshirae). There is no bo-hi or serial number on the actual blade, so probably something different than a type 95. John C.

Not sure how "old" they think it is, however the chain is welded and the handle has spot welds. Can't be too old. John C.

Bruce: I think this may be one of the souvenir swords referenced by your article "The Mysterious Naval Landing Forces Sword." https://www.ebay.com/itm/255826611966 John C.

A little revival of this topic. Here is a Kanesane with hot stamp that Samuraimonkey42 is selling on ebay. Is this the same one described by Adam? The hamon looks very much the same. https://www.ebay.com/itm/115142144354 John C.

Looks great! Did you ever get the name of the smith confirmed? John C.

Ahhh. Makes sense now. Thank you very much. John C.

Hello guys: I attempted to translate this mei from an origami. I think it says Bungo ju Fujiwara Mino saku. Is that correct? But is Mino a last name? I can't seem to find a listing for it except as a province. Also from the same origami, my Google translate app has the sword description as "armpit finger", which I suspect is not correct. Can you help? Thank you, John C.

Nick: Looks like there may be a stamp (anchor in a circle??) on the tang near the base of the blade. If so, can you get a better picture of it? John C.

Sorry but you will need one of the experts on NMB to help you with that. What I can say is they will need some close up pics of the blade hamon, kissaki, and any marks or stamps you can find. John C.

Bob: I am very much a novice at this, however I have some observations that are just food for thought. The kanji is put in a place that is somewhat unusual (centered rather than katana mei or tachi mei). Also, the way it was cut seems unsure and unsteady, as if maybe the swordsmith himself didn't put it there. In addition, from the pics anyway, the rust inside the kanji looks "newer" and is not the same color as the surrounding rust. I am not sure if any of that means anything. It could have been put there by the actual sword owner. Just some things to look at. John C.

Bob: Does the nakago (tang) look like the one pictured? If so, can you post pictures of the tang and a picture of the edge of the tang. There should be some marks there. Thank you, John C.

Ray: I sent you a message via your Gmail account. John C.

Guys: My apologies. I must have an older version of the list. The serial numbers are not on the copy that I downloaded. Would you be able to direct me to the latest version? Regards, John C.

I don't have a picture of the actual blade. I was researching auction sites for serial numbers. I do have a pic of the information sheet listed with the auction. John C.

Bruce: If you are still collecting Mantetsu serial numbers, I have 3 more for you: 1. RA 766, Spring 1944 2. YA 710, Autumn 1942 3. Unk 125? (see pic), Winter 1939 John C

Lee: Just more food for thought. Umegane, in general if filled correctly, are not considered fatal flaws. But the question may be how many imperfections are you willing to accept? John C.

Yuliyan: This may help. A link to Richard Stein's page on origami papers. It describes how to interpret them. http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/origami.htm John C.