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Post by Valandur on May 11, 2013 16:51:08 GMT
So I was wandering through the morass of swords on eBay when I came across some WW2 swords that had seen better days. One in particular had a blade that looked folded and in pretty good shape. Seeing the prices of swords being sold today, I had a thought. What if I picked up one of these WW2 swords and put all new fittings on it, thereby making myself a "new" sword with all the styles and colors of fittings that I wanted. My only problem (that I can see) is how do I know that the fittings will actually fit on the blade? Can I just order a Tsuka and know it will fit? Do Tsuba's interchange between katana blades? I figured if anyone would know, you guys would! Has anyone tried this before? It seems like a decent way to get a good quality katana for less then vendors are charging now. Here is the sword that I was looking at, the one with the folded steel blade- www.ebay.com/itm/Handmade-Vintag ... 35c7704049 The price, to me, seems reasonable at $199. I really haven't looked at many WW2 katanas on EBay, so maybe there are better blades. It's the size of the blade that concerns me, whether modern fittings will fit onto this older blade? So what do you all think? Is this a crazy idea? Honestly my thought is that the steel these swords are made from is likely to be superior to machine made blades in the sub $300 range. Am I wrong in thinking this way? I know that people can fake WW2 swords using cheap modern blades with old fittings, but looking at the blade in the above auction, it doesn't look like a modern cheap blade. (Like I'm an expert :lol: )
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Post by aussie-rabbit on May 11, 2013 17:03:46 GMT
screams fake from top to bottom - common as mud in a billabong
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Post by aussie-rabbit on May 11, 2013 17:10:02 GMT
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Post by Valandur on May 11, 2013 18:54:19 GMT
Lol well I'm glad I didn't do like I normally do and impulsively buy! If I were to find an actual WW2 sword though, would modern fittings fit on it? Thanks for the warnings and the link. It sucks that people are putting up fakes like this. I think you could find some well made blades from the war. So many soldiers brought back souvenirs. I don't think they allow soldiers to bring stuff back now do they?
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avery
Senior Forumite
Manufacturer/Vendor
Posts: 1,530
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Post by avery on May 11, 2013 20:07:35 GMT
Sure, you can use modern fittings on a Gunto(WW2) era blade. I have a blade that is actually much older, made in the Koto era. It was remounted twice, the last time was during WW2. Once I finish conning and scheming my best friend of it (not really, he knows what it is) I plan to have it polished by either Chris Osbourne or Jimmy Hayashi and remounted by, I hope, Josh Marlan. However, if you do spend the money on an authentic blade, please pay proper respect to that blade and spend the appropriate money to have it fitted with proper fittings. You could buy an authentic nihonto and, put cheap fitting on it; all you'll accomplish is disgracing the blade. My 2 cents anyway.
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Post by Valandur on May 12, 2013 2:12:12 GMT
Thanks for the information. I've been going through the EBay auctions and can see that I've got a lot to learn before I can spot an authentic antique blade. If I do buy one, I'll definitely treat it with respect and not just slap $100 fittings on it. I've got a lot to learn about these swords. It's a totally different world then the European blades. If this blade is real, and a professional could salvage it, it would be a nice sword IMO - www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-WW2-Sa ... 3f25046d42
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Post by aussie-rabbit on May 12, 2013 9:30:11 GMT
Before putting money down have a look here to see some prices, (a bit inflated) then ask yourself if you can buy a salvage blade for a few bucks realistically. [html]http://www.nihonto.com.au/html/katana_for_sale.html[/html]
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Post by Valandur on May 12, 2013 14:12:12 GMT
Oh yea, among the fakes and swords of dubious origin there are swords like this one www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-Samura ... 35c74b6ff3. Which could be fake but I'm sure some of them are real. I don't have the funds to even approach something like this and actually what I was hoping to do is locate a pre 1950's era blade thinking that they stood a better chance of not being machine made clones. Although I can imagine that swords make for the general infantry might be mass produced. Given what I've learned though I no longer think finding such a blade will be an easy process. My best chance is to find one being sold by the family of a vet that brought it back after the war and doesn't want too much for it. Rather then await such a blade, I plan to save up enough to buy a katana in the $300-500 range and just keep my eyes open in the event that a real pre 1950's sword does cross my radar that I can afford! :lol:
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Post by aussie-rabbit on May 13, 2013 10:23:38 GMT
That one comes with a certificate, even so you need to closely examine the photo's with the actual blade in person. "The Nakago is unsigned and the blade has been attributed as "Sue Bizen" according to the NBTHK society. It is nice and sharp and in good polish, "I disagree with the state of the polish, I would expect to pay somewhat less. GENDAITO (New Swords) The current era of swordmaking began in 1896. During the 1930's, production of swords markedly increased due to demand and sponsorship from the Imperial Japanese Army. (and the Navy) Blades made during WW2 range from excellent hand forged work to machine made swords by the thousands. Following the end of WW2, swordmaking again ceased until the early 1950's, when a few swordsmiths began working agin under the sponsorship of wealthy patrons. The work continues until today. So pre 1950 swords can be hit and miss.
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Post by Jussi Ekholm on May 13, 2013 14:49:02 GMT
My first advice would be avoiding eBay and buying your first sword from a known nihonto dealer. Sure you'll pay a bit more than from eBay but you'll be guaranteed to have at least a decent sword. Or buying a sword from another collector is another good option. By that advice I don't mean to look down upon eBay sellers in general, lots of collectors and dealers use it as one of their sales channels. But when shopping at eBay and looking at more unknown sellers you have to know what you are buying. NihontoArt is operated by Nick Ricupero, www.nihontoart.com/As a general tip I would say avoid WWII Japanese swords that are sold from China. And I would advice to buy a blade at least in decent condition where further restoration is not needed in order to enjoy the sword but it's bigger initial investment. Before buying an antique sword I would recommend at least getting John Yumoto's - The Samurai Sword A Handbook. You can get it for roughly 10$'s, which is an amazing investment. This will provide you lots of information and be a stepping stone to other books. May I ask where you live? Based on that we could offer some recommendations.
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Post by Valandur on May 13, 2013 18:04:32 GMT
(For the record I really hate google Chromes auto reloading web pages when you flip from tab to tab. It wipes out things you have typed like long posts! :twisted: )
Take 2!
I want to thank you for your post! After reading all the replies I realize I don't have the knowledge, nor the skill (currently) to identify and refurbish an old sword. Actually I don't have the funds either at this time.
I live in Louisiana (US), I'm just getting back into Japanese swords. For a number of years I've been collecting medieval European weapons and currently have an Angel sword Bright Knight bastard sword, and a MRL Windlass landsknecht. As well as a few daggers. Sadly the 2008 economic implosion, and going through throat cancer treatment from Aug to now have really blown my financial situation to smithereens. Luckily the treatment, while really rough, worked and I'm cancer free. So I'm starting small, having just ordered a Ten Ryu Ninja To and plan on searching out the best sub $500 katana which I'll have to save up for.
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Post by aussie-rabbit on May 16, 2013 1:09:12 GMT
There are some nice swords available for less than $500 - depends on your preference, have a look at some of the recommendations and reviews on the board.
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