Japanese Sword Thread

**Rock Ape** · Posted On: 2/06/2010 4:33am

Originally Posted by socratic

Ugo Shteegleetz, from what you explain it seems to me that the chrysanthemum insignia is quite specific to the military's equipment (at least during the War), rather than something any old bushi would keep on their sword/sword parts. So this sort of answers my question and reaffirms my assumption; a sword with a chrysanthemum is probably a mass produced one, unless there were indications it was an amalgamation of military-parts and a privately owned sword.

Correct however; a cautionary tale.

Some years ago a good friend and fellow Iai teacher bought what he described as a cheap 'knock-around' shin gunto which he paid around £250, and it was rusty with nothing special to determine it was anything other than a massed produced blade. 10 years later and only by chance, he had the opportunity of meeting a very knowledgeable UK sword collector who looked at a few of my mates toshin - the ONLY one he was interested in was the crappy looking "knock-around" which having made a phone call, offered my mate 2.5k for it !

The scary thing is that I'd used that blade on an almost weekly basis for tamashigiri before I'd bought a cutter of my own, it was hardly ever really looked after yet it turned out to have a verifiable history and made by a credible smith about 20 years before WWII.

The point of my tale is that unless you really REALLY know your subject, buying a Japanese sword, especially one which my be old is somewhat of an uncertainty.

**socratic** · Posted On: 2/07/2010 4:09am

Cheers.

**vigilus** · Posted On: 2/08/2010 7:44pm

Originally Posted by Plasma

YMAS isn't a serious forum. I can care less what you post there.

I for one and glad that you're taking being a mod in this forum seriously and keeping the trolls out- thanks.

Dave, when are we going to deploy together?

**Rock Ape** · Posted On: 2/08/2010 7:47pm

Originally Posted by GuiltySpark

Dave, when are we going to deploy together?

..next tour isn't due for me for about 18 months and it will be to Bastion, not KAF mate.

**socratic** · Posted On: 2/09/2010 3:28pm

Originally Posted by Hugo Stiglitz

..next tour isn't due for me for about 18 months and it will be to Bastion, not KAF mate.

You gonna get those 100 Nazi scalps?

***Plasma*** · Posted On: 2/09/2010 3:57pm

Originally Posted by GuiltySpark

I for one and glad that you're taking being a mod in this forum seriously and keeping the trolls out- thanks.

Dave, when are we going to deploy together?

Actually when I was doing that I wasn't the mod of this forum. I chatted with Phrost and he gave me the permission to moderate The Armory.

Missing posts are here: Culled: Japanese Sword Thread - No BS MMA and Martial Arts

**Yoj** · Posted On: 2/09/2010 4:26pm

Dave, Ashigata? Some foot rubbing fetish going on?

FWIW, the proper way, as Dave said, to get an idea of what a blade is to look at the tang, you can tell a lot by looking at whats stamped on it if anything, the shape and condition of the steel, whether it's been repinned (because gunto tsuka where a more uniform size and old blades had to be cut down etc)

It can be quite hard to see quality in the blade, because the blades will usually be dull, the art polishes that are popular today is very recent, in the old days blades were polished to sharpen, not to make them pretty, because a katana has no ground edge, it's just polished to sharpness.

There are also some oddities kicking around from the gunto era like koa isshin blades that Dave referred to, and others, so you may occasionally find something that while isn't a true properly forged shinken, there is some other interesting stuff around.

Anyway, I'm going back to the Dallas thread for the next installment of LOLLAGE.