Help please. Japanese Gunto (Genuine ? ) with battlefield scabbard.

laEspadaAncha · 27th May 2011, 02:13 AM

Hi David,

While not by any means a statistically valid sampling, I nonetheless measured the kasane on my kai gunto and two nihonto (I had not previously taken this measurement). Of the two nihonto, one is the aforementioned Koto Bizen Wakizashi, and the other is a rather long Shinshinto katana made by a ranked smith. The kasane of the former measured approx. 5.6-5.7 mm, the latter measured nearly 7mm. By comparison, the kasane on my remaining kai gunto (dated 1943) measured approx. 5.9 mm.

I do agree that every gunto blade I can recall handling (you encounter a lot of WWII "bringbacks" here in San Diego) were of similar thickness. I sure don't recall having handled any gunto as thin as yours.

I tend to look at these as if I was evaluating them as a potential acquisition... I thus look for anything that might be of concern to me. With regards to this example, in addition to the bent ha and kissaki, I might be concerned by what appear to be visible forging marks on the blade - both on the ji and the shinogi-ji - and by the almost meandering appearance of the shinogi (or are these artifacts of the photographs?)

Please understand though, my exposure is admittedly limited, and I hesitate to even consider myself a "student" of nihonto.

When time allows, could you post macro photos of both the nakago and the window resulting from your light polish?

If you can visible identify the hada and hamon, you are on the right track, and as you have mentioned, these should give you some insight into the origin and age of your blade.

Like Jose suggested, Rich S. is our resident expert... and I haven't hesitated to shoot him a PM in the past.

Of course, he may very well suggest you post it on NMB, which is IMO the foremost resource on nihonto on the web, with a global community of nihonto collectors (including more than a few in Japan) who won't hesitate to assist you with further identification. Should you decide to post it there, please let us know what you find out!

katana · 27th May 2011, 08:24 PM

Hi Chris,
thank you for your input

. I have tried to 'capture' the hada but it seems almost impossible ....it is very subtle. I have posted my poor efforts below. I am amazed as to the relative rigidity of the blade , there is flex ..but I would normally expect much more flexibility from a sword blade just over 3mm thick.
It seems that many of the scratches were caused by sharpening (crudely) ...I believe (by patina) that this sharpening may have occured 'in the field'. The shinogi, is very regular so must be the photos. The forging marks are scratches (the ji and the shinogi-ji ) they look worse than they actually are (magnified picture)

Kind Regards David

laEspadaAncha · 29th May 2011, 08:13 AM

Hi David,

Thanks for posting these additional photos...

The scratches on the surface look much more superficial in these photos than in the earlier pictures. The shinogi, while it does appear regular, still seems to lack a certain "crispness" I am accustomed to seeing in shinogi-zukuri nihonto. Again, this observation comes with the caveat that my exposure is rather limited. I also recognize this may be simply a result of the photographs. I took a couple photos of the shinogi of one of my own earlier today. Tomorrow I will download them and see if they appear different through a lens then they do to the naked eye.

Also, if you're so inclined, could you take some similar photos of the nakago/tang? It would be nice to get an up-close look at the patina and the file marks if they are visible.

katana · 4th June 2011, 09:37 PM

Hi Chris,
sorry for the delay in posting, will get pictures of the nakago and post them soon. Meanwhile I have been carefully cleaning the rest of the blade using 1200 /2400 grit paper, which has also improved the sharpness of the edge ( I have literally drawn blood in the pursuit of a cleaner blade

heck of a way to learn to 'focus on the task' ...one lapse of concentration and the blade can 'bite' ....)

In the pursuit of knowledge

I decided to test the blade on some soft targets......one plastic bottle filled with water....which it cut through easily. So then on to 3 bottles in a row ....results below.....

OK doesn't prove the true quality of the blade but learning should have an element of fun...

Kind Regards David

Rick · 4th June 2011, 10:27 PM

WoW !

You guys pay through the nose for Coca Cola ....

katana · 4th June 2011, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

WoW !

You guys pay through the nose for Coca Cola ....

LOL ......every sword should have a name.....perhaps 'price slasher' for this one

Best
David

laEspadaAncha · 5th June 2011, 07:35 PM

Hi David,

Re: drawing blood, you and I both! Sliced my thumb deep a couple days ago on a tanto I was remounting in koshirae after photographing it. I always look at such acts of carelessness as a sign that I am supposed to keep the blade that draws my blood... a blood sacrifice, if you will.

I've cut- tested several contemporary and vintage hunting knives I've sharpened - more as a test of the blade steel and my weak sharpening skills - but never an antique blade or a blade of considerable value. I have however needlessly destroyed more than my share of 2-liter bottles with things that go 'bang.'

Anyway, regarding the sword... I am looking forward to seeing photos of the nakago. The patina seems to indicate some real age, as does the presence of three mekugi ana... a puzzle as of yet unsolved, IMO.

Have you reached out to Rich yet? He indicates on his website the late-war, a.k.a., "desparation" swords were invariably of poor quality. Scroll down to "End-of-War" Hilts for his description of the type I believe your sword to be.

However, as has been said, the nakago seems to indicate otherwise.

I did photograph the shinogi on my koto waki, and found that the play of light can result in a photograph in which the shinogi looses a little of that "crispness" of definition so apparent with the naked eye. However, in most of the photos, it looked laser-straight. Here's two photos:

The first is of the shinogi on the aforementioned tanto that nearly took my thumb in tribute. The second is of my koto waki (ignore the idiot marks left by a previous owner's attempt to polish the sword). See how crisp the shinogi appears? Anyway, I look forward to seeing pics of the nakago.

BTW, Rick is right - you guys do pay a metric f#@&-ton for Coca-Cola!

Please tell me at least that's a 3-liter bottle!

27th May 2011, 08:24 PM	#2
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,658	Hi Chris, thank you for your input . I have tried to 'capture' the hada but it seems almost impossible ....it is very subtle. I have posted my poor efforts below. I am amazed as to the relative rigidity of the blade , there is flex ..but I would normally expect much more flexibility from a sword blade just over 3mm thick. It seems that many of the scratches were caused by sharpening (crudely) ...I believe (by patina) that this sharpening may have occured 'in the field'. The shinogi, is very regular so must be the photos. The forging marks are scratches (the ji and the shinogi-ji ) they look worse than they actually are (magnified picture) Kind Regards David Attached Images

4th June 2011, 09:37 PM	#4
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,658	Hi Chris, sorry for the delay in posting, will get pictures of the nakago and post them soon. Meanwhile I have been carefully cleaning the rest of the blade using 1200 /2400 grit paper, which has also improved the sharpness of the edge ( I have literally drawn blood in the pursuit of a cleaner blade heck of a way to learn to 'focus on the task' ...one lapse of concentration and the blade can 'bite' ....) In the pursuit of knowledge I decided to test the blade on some soft targets......one plastic bottle filled with water....which it cut through easily. So then on to 3 bottles in a row ....results below..... OK doesn't prove the true quality of the blade but learning should have an element of fun... Kind Regards David Attached Images

27th May 2011, 02:13 AM	#1
laEspadaAncha Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 608	Hi David, While not by any means a statistically valid sampling, I nonetheless measured the kasane on my kai gunto and two nihonto (I had not previously taken this measurement). Of the two nihonto, one is the aforementioned Koto Bizen Wakizashi, and the other is a rather long Shinshinto katana made by a ranked smith. The kasane of the former measured approx. 5.6-5.7 mm, the latter measured nearly 7mm. By comparison, the kasane on my remaining kai gunto (dated 1943) measured approx. 5.9 mm. I do agree that every gunto blade I can recall handling (you encounter a lot of WWII "bringbacks" here in San Diego) were of similar thickness. I sure don't recall having handled any gunto as thin as yours. I tend to look at these as if I was evaluating them as a potential acquisition... I thus look for anything that might be of concern to me. With regards to this example, in addition to the bent ha and kissaki, I might be concerned by what appear to be visible forging marks on the blade - both on the ji and the shinogi-ji - and by the almost meandering appearance of the shinogi (or are these artifacts of the photographs?) Please understand though, my exposure is admittedly limited, and I hesitate to even consider myself a "student" of nihonto. When time allows, could you post macro photos of both the nakago and the window resulting from your light polish? If you can visible identify the hada and hamon, you are on the right track, and as you have mentioned, these should give you some insight into the origin and age of your blade. Like Jose suggested, Rich S. is our resident expert... and I haven't hesitated to shoot him a PM in the past. Of course, he may very well suggest you post it on NMB, which is IMO the foremost resource on nihonto on the web, with a global community of nihonto collectors (including more than a few in Japan) who won't hesitate to assist you with further identification. Should you decide to post it there, please let us know what you find out!

29th May 2011, 08:13 AM	#3
laEspadaAncha Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 608	Hi David, Thanks for posting these additional photos... The scratches on the surface look much more superficial in these photos than in the earlier pictures. The shinogi, while it does appear regular, still seems to lack a certain "crispness" I am accustomed to seeing in shinogi-zukuri nihonto. Again, this observation comes with the caveat that my exposure is rather limited. I also recognize this may be simply a result of the photographs. I took a couple photos of the shinogi of one of my own earlier today. Tomorrow I will download them and see if they appear different through a lens then they do to the naked eye. Also, if you're so inclined, could you take some similar photos of the nakago/tang? It would be nice to get an up-close look at the patina and the file marks if they are visible.

4th June 2011, 10:27 PM	#5
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	WoW ! You guys pay through the nose for Coca Cola ....

5th June 2011, 07:35 PM	#7
laEspadaAncha Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 608	Hi David, Re: drawing blood, you and I both! Sliced my thumb deep a couple days ago on a tanto I was remounting in koshirae after photographing it. I always look at such acts of carelessness as a sign that I am supposed to keep the blade that draws my blood... a blood sacrifice, if you will. I've cut- tested several contemporary and vintage hunting knives I've sharpened - more as a test of the blade steel and my weak sharpening skills - but never an antique blade or a blade of considerable value. I have however needlessly destroyed more than my share of 2-liter bottles with things that go 'bang.' Anyway, regarding the sword... I am looking forward to seeing photos of the nakago. The patina seems to indicate some real age, as does the presence of three mekugi ana... a puzzle as of yet unsolved, IMO. Have you reached out to Rich yet? He indicates on his website the late-war, a.k.a., "desparation" swords were invariably of poor quality. Scroll down to "End-of-War" Hilts for his description of the type I believe your sword to be. However, as has been said, the nakago seems to indicate otherwise. I did photograph the shinogi on my koto waki, and found that the play of light can result in a photograph in which the shinogi looses a little of that "crispness" of definition so apparent with the naked eye. However, in most of the photos, it looked laser-straight. Here's two photos: The first is of the shinogi on the aforementioned tanto that nearly took my thumb in tribute. The second is of my koto waki (ignore the idiot marks left by a previous owner's attempt to polish the sword). See how crisp the shinogi appears? Anyway, I look forward to seeing pics of the nakago. BTW, Rick is right - you guys do pay a metric f#@&-ton for Coca-Cola! Please tell me at least that's a 3-liter bottle!