Mantetsuto For Sale

[DAHM]

I'm disposing of a Mantetsuto which will need some restoration.  Before it reached me it had received the attentions of someone who thought he could improve it!

Fittings have been plated.  I have taken them to a plating expert who did a deplating test on a seppa - good result with no damage, so I think the other parts will come up okay.

Shibabaki missing.  Scabbard is fine and original paint undamaged. 

The plating expert examined the blade - not plated, thank God, just Duraglit surface polished, so a proper polish will be no problem.

Tsuka parts - all there, except for sarute and menuki.  Wrap must have been cut off to get the kabuto gane off, but original wood slabs and celluloid rayskin are undamaged - see photo.

Tang kanji read: Mantetsu Kitau Tsukuru Kore and Showa Mizunoto Hitsuji Hara Yo (Spring 1943);  back edge of the tang has Yo go san shichi (Item 537). 

Blade length: 66.8cm

 

There are plenty of images for those interested - I think a fellow member helped get them on-line for me with another blade.  Help!

 

As I understand it from the Net, there may be a growing interest in Mantetsuto - and from Chinese collectors, too, apparently.  I wonder if this is due to the fact that these blades were made in Manchuria using Manchurian ore - is this an urban myth, or is it true?

 

I've just seen a short clip, on Youtube, of a Ron Chen using a Mantetsuto - pretty impressive, so they do work.

 

As for price, I really am not sure, as this is potentially a restoration project, though myself I would have gone for a polish and shira saya.  Interested parties can make sensible offers.

 

Best wishes.

[kusunokimasahige]

As far as I know it is a rule in the for sale section that you at least mention a price range / price.

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/813-rules-for-posting-or-replying-in-the-fs-or-wanted-section/

 

 

KM

[DAHM]

My apologies - I was not aware of this.

I did look around the Net over the last few days to try to ascertain a sensible price - I found a couple which seemed almost wildly apart, with one chap trying to get £1300.00 for his! 

Given the overall condition and work to be done I would have thought about the £400.00 mark would be fair.  DM.