Stu W

Pricing aside, does anyone have any concerns regarding the noted dealer? I don't stray far from gunto mounted gendaito so am not really familiar with the seller. Thank you Regards, Stu

You would probably benefit from watching the International sale section of the Estand over at Wehrmacht Awards Forum. Although originally German based the Japanese section has grown considerably and gunto are often available. However, you will need more than 500 to get into anything decent these days. Better budget for 1200 USD unless your tastes run to the more salty. Regards, Stu

It appears to me to be a WW2 period Type 98 IJA Officer sword. The Seki stamp would indicate a non traditionally made blade. The piece appears to be in reasonably collectible condition for a militaria enthusiast. It would probably not be of interest to a collector of traditionally made swords. As to value ... varies by country somewhat due to local availability but I'd suggest a value of 800 - 1000 USD wouldn't be far off. http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/military.htm Regards, Stu

Hi KM, The fakes certainly are getting better and I agree that one should not make a decision to purchase based upon those small images particularly if they are new to the field and had not viewed them in larger format elsewhere. Regards, Stu

Hello nambu2, Welcome to the forum. Spending time reading is one of the better ways to enter the hobby. Doing so will enable you to learn the characteristics of both military and art swords as well as how they periodically cross over in terms of their mountings. The IJA Type 95 NCO sword you show is a perfectly good Japanese military sword. As mentioned by KM it is fully machine made and has nothing to offer a collector of Japanese art swords but might well appeal to a collector of WW2 militaria. Given what I can see of it in those pictures I'd suggest a value in the 450-550 USD range if sold through a militaria forum venue. I'd suggest reading on line before buying books. At least in the short term till you get an idea of what you might like to acquire. Good books are worthwhile but expensive and if you are of limited means you want to make sure the ones you buy are on point. Prematurly buying an expensive book that will leave you baffled is not the way to go in my view. I remember getting a copy of The Samurai Sword by John M. Yumoto from http://www.satcho.com some years ago and it was a great way to get the basics. Still sold by them at about 20 USD I suggest it might be a way to start. It's shown in their Introductory section. I found The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords a much more in depth work but also to my liking once I got more familiar with the basics. It's listed in their Reference section as is the following work on military swords. If you should choose to collect military swords then the current gold standard has to be Dawson's current edition of the Swords of Imperial Japan:1868-1945 Cyclopedia Edition. I'm sure others will offer suggestions based upon their likes and experiences. Regardless of which path you take I hope you enjoy the study of swords. Regards, Stu

+1 Regards, Stu

Indeed I did Peter.

Hello Peter, The blade is indeed Showato. I'm guessing penmanship (chiselmanship?) was not his strong suit. Regards, Stu

Thank you very much. I'll go back to my flash cards and see if I can reconcile that in my mind. Much appreciated. Regards, Stu

Hello Guys, This mei is giving me difficulty. I believe the second character is "yuki" but am unable to get the first character. It's similar to an example of "tada" that I have seen but not close enough for me to call it. Can any of you assist me with this? I'd appreciate any assistance. Thanks, Stu

Thank you. Regards, Stu

Anyone have anything more to add now that additional photos have been provided? Gendaito? Regards, Stu

A beauty indeed Daniel and I'm pleased it's now in your hands. I miss it already but a guy can't keep them all. Regards, Stu

Value ... from those very limited photos - 600-750 USD. Regards, Stu

Value is hard to tell from those limited photos but even if it's in great condition, which that one is not from what I can see, it will only be worth about 1K USD. Decent examples with non traditional arsenal made blades can often be obtained for between 500-800 USD. A top quality polish will run you about 125 USD per inch of cutting edge. Lesser polishes can be had but given the value of the sword there really is no point and you will only get what you pay for. Regards, Stu

The micro-crystalline wax Rennaisance (Ren) Wax does more than just provide a protective coating. Unlike some other conservation waxes it is made primarily from oil and retains its ability to lubricate as well as protect. Those of you who know me from my previous life as a dagger collector know I am a fan of the product and have used it for years on a number of surfaces including leather. The application has allowed my to bring many a salty bayonet frog and dagger hanger back to life. I've also used it on a sword combat cover with equal satisfaction. Other leather dressings may be just as effective as Rennaisance Wax but if you have not used it you may want to do so to gain some first hand experience. Regards, Stu

I agree with this point of view. Regards, Stu

My background is in militaria rather than nihonto ( a relatively new focus for me) and I can assure you any sort of modification to, or of, stitching whether it be on a tsuka cover, helmet or item of clothing etc. is grounds for refusal to refund. Regards, Stu

Nice one Hamish. I wish I could find a well preserved example of the buckle type. As to preservatives, I became involved with Japanese swords after many years in the TR dagger field. There is a product commonly used on daggers called Rennaisance Wax. Perhaps you have heard of it. Having some at hand I carefully applied it with my fingers to a leather knot that was in rough shape. A bit of an experiment but one that turned out well. To date, some three years later, the knot is doing just fine and the slow process of disintegration it was going through before I applied the product has stopped. I realize that a single case study is of limited value but if others have also used Ren Wax for this purpose it would be beneficial to learn the results. Anyone? Regards, Stu

I tend to agree with the leave it alone philosophy but any advice we give would be enhanced by viewing a photo depicting the present condition. Have you one available to show? If not then have a look at some of these and perhaps that will give you a sense of the color range. Regards, Stu

Hello, That's a Kamon, often referred to as a Mon. Have a look here, many are listed. http://www.asgy.co.jp/anglais/whatskamon/history.html Regards, Stu

Perhaps you can try a magnet on it and tell us the results. Regards, Stu

I have always found kamon interesting. Here is a site where hundreds are depicted. http://www.asgy.co.jp/anglais/whatskamon/history.html Regards, Stu

Hi Thomas, I agree, patent number. Regards, Stu