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bayonet to shoto?


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A recently closed eBay sale of this blade may be of potential interest to this community. This is certainly a Japanese bayonet that seems to have been modified in Japan to have been mounted as a Japanese style short sword. 

Peter

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133781603401?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=W%2F9qV8VAunH7FHZbhAO0cW2%2FsDc%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc

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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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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 had resisted the urge to add further to this discussion. Modified Japanese bayonets are anything but rare, but I had never seen what looked to me like a Japanese style modification so I thought it might be a worthy addition to our assembled understanding of WWII era cutlery. The world was awash in Arisaka bayonets as the War wound down and this sorry weapons suggested to me that bored American lads were NOT the only ones exploring ways of using them.  Could this have been made as a homeland defensive weapon – up there with pointed bamboo sticks? We’ll never know, I suppose.

But then this discussion took a turn toward character assessment of the seller. I do not know Komonjo-sama. And I certainly don’t know anything about the other purveyors that sell stuff on eBay. But with sincerity – and even respect -, I think that modern sword collectors ought to look closely – and even positively – at Komonjo-sama’s wares. It looks to me like he has dependable access to (among other things) real and true Japanese junk.

Japanese society is well organized, in swords and everything else. When blades surface in Japan, they are assessed, judged, and moved to the right market. It looks to me like Komonjo-sama gets ahold of stuff that has surfaced and been assessed AND cannot find a market in Japan. The Japanese antiques system has figured out that in Japan this is scrap iron. Discard it…, ahh, BUT wait! Greedy, naïve, or optimistic Americans seem willing and able to buy it. Hence, Komonjo – his prices are low and his descriptions seem all right. He makes no bones about it.

Anyone who would buy Komonjo-sama’s low end stuff assuming that it is ‘good’ is either a gambler, or foolish. BUT somebody IS buying his blades. Once those blades get to the New World, they will show up in auctions and gun shows and the next generation of emergent collectors will not know their history, but will have heard the stories of “barn finds.” Bargain hunters will buy them, “clean them up” (OMG!) and very likely come to the NMB to “ask advice.”

Peter

 

 

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Agreed, he's not in the same category as The Monkey.  I've chatted a little with him too, and a good deal of his stuff, or some of it, he sells on consignment.  My only complaint of his business practice is that he seems willing to sell anything, even if it's been faked by his supplier.  But I've read that much of what he sells is legit, but like Peter said, maybe lower-end stuff.  It's like all buying - Buyer Beware - know what you're getting before you get it.

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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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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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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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Others may personally know who these sword dealers are, Komonjo and Showa 22, northern California... I still to this day have a officers tassel I suspect is repo purchased from 22 . I know, I have had to unknowingly met these individuals having lived in Ca., for 45 years attending sword shows, gun shows, etc. I will also willing admit, I have always been a bit envious of their ability to have access to a seemingly endless supply of Japanese swords and the like.

 

I once thought I had spoken with Showa 22 at a Sacramento, Ca. gun show, and the same for Komonjo at a San Jose show. I was wrong about the suspected Showa 22. The individual I thought was Showa 22,  oddly after many years,  I recently met again at a Boise gun show and assured me he wasn't 22. ( However, he had a pristine Shinto Sadatoshi in a  beautiful gunto mount at the Boise show,  made a reasonable offer, wouldn't budge, eventually realized , he was looking to buy what I had, not the other way around.) I became so wrapped up in trying to purchase the Sadatoshi, I failed to asked if he knew who Showa 22 and Komonjo where.

 

There's a antique military dealer near my location with thousands of items, been in business for years, incredible inventory. He had an item I was interested in and we went into a process of negotiation of which he mentioned he would consider a Hircshfanger I own in trade. It was a W.K & C in excellent condition inscribed with owners name, made the trade. I was happy to get the item I wanted, but eventually fell into sellers remorse about the German Hunting dagger. A couple of weeks ago, there was another gun show in the area of which the militaria dealer had a display table. I approached the table and low and behold the owner of the shop was at the table, but in front of the table rather than behind it. I greeted him, we talked for a moment, I casually asked him if he still had the Hircshfanger, as I might be willing to buy it back. He's owned the shop for many years, surprisingly, he told me he had just sold the shop, the dagger was still there, I would need to negotiate with the new owner. Just yesterday. I went to the shop and met the new owner, nice guy from the Sacramento Ca. area, a very avid sword collector, all types including many Japanese. He mentioned he knew many sword collectors in the northern Ca. area and I'm sure he knows who Showa and Komonjo are, again I had my German Dagger in mind and repurchased it for what I considered a very reasonable price.

 

Again, I must apologize about my seemingly never ending bloviating babel, but these are kind of fun quirky things that occur and also enjoy hearing such from others.

I will eventually get around to asking one of the individuals mentioned who exactly are Komonjo and Showa 22 are.  Does it matter, probably not, but as a individual who remembers what the United States was (before what is now trying to become) I would like to know what type of individuals these dealers are, do they intentionally attempt to deceive, are they personally decent people simply trying to survive and possibly exaggerate a bit...I would like to know!!

 

Dave M.

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Mark said:

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). 

 

Thanks Mark, So I have unknowingly come across them, as I have attended several SF shows !

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33 minutes ago, Stephen said:

I know Mark remember s him having a table...mine was three tables down, but tweny+ years later can wipe out many things. 

Like me remembering his name. He was pleasant bloke then turned(Showa) dealer, joke.

 

 

This is kind of what I'm curious about Stephen ?  Hell of a nice guys until they get it over on you ???

 

Dave M.

 

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No offense intended Stephen, not accusing you of anything...simply have heard many opinions about these particular dealers and was just curious if anyone knew them personally. May very well be decent folks simply trying to make a living...

 

Dave M.

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