KKCook

Definitely appears to be the same sword. Thank you for all of the info, I'm likely going to pass on both.

Thank you, Ray. I already have one seki marked Shin Gunto with an oil quenched blade so I'm now looking for traditional water quenched example for my collection. I believe the one pictured below is, and it is signed.

Hello All, I have come across a WW2 era Gunto Katana in a rare scabbard (according to a book I found) but the tang is unsigned. Was this common? Also the retaining pin hole appears to be punched instead of drilled. I've uploaded a few photos. Any insight would be very much appreciated. Kevin

Forgive my ignorance, being a newbie to Nihonto - is a seki stamp and oil quenched blade a bad thing? Per inch of one side

What are the basic thoughts on having the blade professionally restored and polished? I purchased this at auction for $400, so I don't think I have too much into it, but I've read mixed thoughts on polishing / restoring the blades. Obviously if I did have this done I'd use someone skilled and that is quite expensive at $105 per inch of blade. The saya is missing a lot of the original black that was on the ray skin, so it may look weird to have a beautifully restored blade with a time worn saya. Are there ways to get some of the blade spotting off at home without hurting the blade?

Thank you for confirming this is a type 98. I pulled the tsuba and checked it closely, I do not see any marks there.

Thank you for the detailed info, this is all fantastic news. I do not believe there is another stamp besides the Seki. If there were, where would it likely be? You mentioned it has custom work. Is this something done originally when produced, or customized after the fact?

Hello all, I purchased this Shin Gunto from an auction and they called it a Type 94. I found a thread on this site saying a Type 94 has two hangers where mine has only one. The blade is not in the best shape, it has spotting that is quite heavy on the last 12", but I still believe I got a good deal. Could anyone assist with a translation and possibly info on type? Thanks in advance! KK