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Showing results for 'komonjo' in content posted in Military Swords of Japan.
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Attention Mantetsu Owners: A Survey
Bruce Pennington replied to Bruce Pennington's topic in Military Swords of Japan
Thank you Stephen! Are you able to read the certificate and tell us what it says? This is being sold in Japan right? (I can't read Japanese). If so, it's seems unlikely that someone in Japan would buy a Komonjo gunto off fleabay to resell in Japan. The price they're asking is less than they would have paid Komonjo for it. I have seen 2 or 3 other Mantetsu-to with wavy hamon. This is the first I've seen that looks fully nihonto though. It would not surprise me. We have already seen several specially made blades from Mantetsu, for various purposes. -
Dave Komonjo has had a table in the past at the SF show, Showa22 is usually in attendance and walks around but does not have a table (that i remember).
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Boy do i want to step into this heaping pile of HS? Ill i say is if you think he took time mod that bayonet .....well heavy sigh. Hes a used car... Er sword dealer. Sells other ppl crap. Ill just say i dont put all of them in same box. Monkey being the worse. Check past sell list of Komonjo san...i think you'll find juyo blades.
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Brian, I was never close enough to "collecting" in Japan to be anything like an expert. I never had any money. But I do realize that there are laws and regulations that are supposed to guide handling of - ahhh - weapons. I also assume that there are ways of avoiding regulations and "flying below the radar." I would really and truly like to know how the stuff Komonjo-sama presents gets to the US, but certainly, once it is "here" it is "legal." Have people asked him? Please help me "study" this matter further. Maybe I'll write another novel.... Peter
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Komonjo sells real and fake stuff. He is a serious case of "caveat emptor." You can find some real nice stuff from him rarely, but you can also lose your shirt trying to do so. He has no scruples with selling whatever comes his way. However, he is fine with taking returns. I dealt with him once and he made that very clear that he'd do returns if I were unhappy. This is not me giving my approval for what he sells though. If you buy from him, be aware of what you're looking at.
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So, komonjo belongs in same category as Samurai Monkey and showa22, it appears. Good to know! I posted this question in another thread, but does anyone know anything, or have any opinions, about the reputation of eBay seller "zilvra10"? Sells on eBay regularly and currently has a Type 97 for sale.
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I saw that, gut feeling is that it is indeed a broken bayonet someone has cut up to fool the uninitiated. Being that Komonjo is selling it, that is likely the case. Someone got taken for about $200, a real shame that.
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Thanks Leen. The Nan doesn't show up until 1943, so yours wouldn't have had one anyway. I've posted the box and cloth over on Warrelics. Let's see if anyone has any thoughts on them, either way. One of the problems I have with a few of these is that they are being sold on commission by Komonjo from someone in Japan. And 2 of those had serial numbers within 4 digits of each other (1941 Ka 228 and Ka 232). I know that happens in Collector-World but just seems too coincidental, and both are wavy hamon. And all of them showing up in ... what ... the past year or so? I'm keeping on open mind.
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This looks like a Komonjo fake from Japan.
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Attention Mantetsu Owners: A Survey
Bruce Pennington replied to Bruce Pennington's topic in Military Swords of Japan
That's really sad. They're still not as good as those coming out of Japan, though, through Komonjo. Still, some people are going to get burned. -
Attention Mantetsu Owners: A Survey
Bruce Pennington replied to Bruce Pennington's topic in Military Swords of Japan
Thanks Bruno! I've messaged Komonjo and asked for pics of the mei, date, and serial number. I have 2 of his previous ones, both with wavy hamon, and both with accuarately marked katakana for the year (Ka). The two serial numbers are 228 and 232. We'll see if the pattern continues. I'm posting the pictures below for the future when the fleabay link goes inactive. the fittings are crude/fake and the ito is new His Mantetsu hamon are always wavy
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Attention Mantetsu Owners: A Survey
Bruce Pennington replied to Bruce Pennington's topic in Military Swords of Japan
Thanks Joe, I hadn't seen the pics of the hamon on this one. I've saved the added pics to the files. It is interesting that we now have examples of wavy hamon in years '39, '41-'44. I couple of them are in the "suspect" file because they from Japan and sold through Komonjo and both blade and hamon looks gendaito. But, who knows? An interesting trivia - just recorded a third '41 "YO" number. All 3 are 349, 350, and 352! What are the odds?!?!
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Attention Mantetsu Owners: A Survey
Bruce Pennington replied to Bruce Pennington's topic in Military Swords of Japan
I agree, Trystan & Neil, that your wavy hamon Mantetsu blades are legit. But both are modest. That one on Ohmura's example is more like the blades coming out of Japan, via Komonjo, that are far more extravegant, and therefore, suspicious. It may turn out that they're all legit, but I believe the ones you guys own without question. Admittedly, Ohmura did not claim his example was a Mantetsu, but like Neil's point - all the known, in-hand, examples we know of are. So, that makes his an outlier. -
And the same patina too it seems. Then, I should venture a guess that the swords Komonjo sells as gendai swords aren’t made by the same people making the fake Mantetsu. Two different providers, same fake results.
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The mei is good enough on all 4 of our Possible Fakes, that if there were no other reason to suspect them, they would be considered legit. In fact, they are so good, and the serial numbers are using the correct kanji for the year-group, that I cannot 100% classify them as fake. But they are "under suspicion." JP, actually both of the Komonjo blades I have photos of, have the same polisher's marking:
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@Stephen: I think the mei is close enough to fool anyone. My greatest suspicion, at first sight, were the togishi marks. Never seen them on Mantetsu I think, unless, of course, it’s been polished after the war. @Bruce: strangely enough, I don’t think it’s a Komonjo blade. I often look at them (I, for one, believe they are truly Japanese, but iaito with Gimei signatures, the polish being a second class polish) and they don’t show those polisher’s marks. I believe this blade is a fake Mantetsu but a real Japanese mumei blade on which a fake mei was engraved because Mantetsu are getting more and more popular. To be honest, if the price stays low as it is now, it could be a nice package.
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Sure, most buyers would never know it's a fake. They'd be exceptionally happy to receive this gunto. The discrepancies are subtle. The file marks are sloppy and thinly applied. I compared a Mu 89, which would only be 2 blades apart from this one, and it's marks are precise and more deeply cut. That alone wouldn't put me off, but a heavier mark against this one is the mei. I have 42 1942's on file and they are ALL Koa Isshin mei. This mei, 満鉄鍛造之, doesn't appear on Mantetsu blades until 1943. I'll admit, one should never say never, nor always! BUT, this blade would be a first if legit. Add to this, like Thomas said, there have been 3 other "probable" fakes appear recently (Komonjo sales) that have the same polisher marks and have dedications added to the mei. So it fits the pattern of a particular Japanese faker that is periodically putting these out.
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Modern fake, the same group doing the Komonjo/yahoojp Gimei, they often have such dubious inscriptions like this. Authentic inscriptions are more likely to be the smith inscribing that the sword was respectfully made for General XXXX.
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I know David's thread is mainly about gimei done during the war, but a modern threat that has arisen is the gimei of Mantetsu. I have a couple of examples, made in Japan and sold through Komonjo, that could be wartime, mumei blades that have had the Mantetsu mei added recently. Additionally, we have heard of Chinese efforts to create fake ones. I could see the need for future shinsa teams to identify real/fake showato.
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Attention Mantetsu Owners: A Survey
PNSSHOGUN replied to Bruce Pennington's topic in Military Swords of Japan
Trystan do you know if these are direct from China or the Komonjo ones? -
At worst Showa22 has had mixed fittings, amateur polishes and sometimes gimei (same source as komonjo I imagine). Otherwise nothing too heinous, especially compared to samuraimonkey, now that shyster is a total fraud.
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In coming years the Komonjo gimei will be the new fakes catching collectors out the most.
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Komonjo blade I suspect. Be advised he has a reputation. Search the board to find out !
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Attention Mantetsu Owners: A Survey
PNSSHOGUN replied to Bruce Pennington's topic in Military Swords of Japan
Another Gimei from whoever Komonjo sources his listings from. -
Well Luis your expectations are your own, & many others on this board, certainly more experienced than others. What I'm concerned about is legitimatizing this seller as trustworthy to new buyers who simply do not have the experience or ability to apply Occams Razor to what they purchase. New and experienced collectors come here to improve their knowledge, saying Komonjo is a good seller does not help that image and in fact could be the tipping point of a new collector seeing your posts and going ahead with a very bad sale, one that puts him off Japanese swords completely. I think your reasoning of being "smarter than the dealers" is a dangerous and foolish fallacy, akin to trying to break the bank at a Las Vegas casino, the odds are against you. Perhaps you have good luck buying cheap 99.999% gold bars for cheap from India, many don't and never will. Your statistical sample of good experiences is small while bad experiences are large. Just because one shot from Ronaldo is a goal does not mean every shot from Ronaldo a goal.
