Alex, who is this dealer, please? You only introduced him as Martin. Do you have his dealership name and contact and his surname, please? Thanks. Great video! Learned a lot from it.
Very good video- I was aware of about half of the information presented. It's especially cool to learn that mechanized officers tended to carry wakizashi rather than katana, and the very modern snap on the leather saya cover holding the sword in was fascinating. Hell, I didn't know about leather covers!
He knows a lot about these guntos and it's important for gunto owners to differentiate between Guntos and Nihonto swords as the production. This collector makes several points alluding to that, which is handy when trying to see if your sword is traditionally made, or mass produced in factories. Good video.
Nice collection of Shin-Guntos and nice and professional explanation. I remember my very first sword was a Shin-Gunto made by Ray Kunefusa, then seccond one from Ishihara Canenao and then I have switch on to Antiques Muromachi, Momoyama and Edo swords collecting
The short one is a broken sword, were the boshi was re done, in my opinion. The explication given make no logic: If the reason to make this blade short it was to "fit" better inside a vehicle... well, the sword is put inside a vehicle when blade is inside saya (the scabbard), make the blade short make no sense. One of the very strong rule of the bushido is also to draw the blade ONLY on the intention to kill. The way to realize if the blade was broken previously: you look at the hamon (the tempering line). This have to follow the edge for the entire blade including "boshi" (the sharp part of the blade front, up to kissaki, the very tip of the blade. If not... it means the boshi is done after the blade was tempered, definitely a sign of a broken blade. Now: why somebody will do such thing and temper with a piece of history? Ignorance make them belive a broken in battle sword have no value any more... the blade is broken... yes and no, this is not true. Sometime a blade that show battle damage can be even more valuable. But depends on vary factors...
Certain Katana is not meant to be shown. 'Pure" Samurai believed their Katana has a spirit; once pulled, the blade must be fed ... you know what I meant.
@@mangotango8962 Uhm, an absolute load of romanticised shit. Otherwise, serious collectors and owners in japan wouldn't show them off in sword identification competitions where the highest-profile experts participate.
Hiya Chief! The swords were surrendered and destroyed by lawful order. Any of them that made it out were either hidden by the Japanese or were looted and illegally sent state side, contrary to orders.
My grandfather had a navy sword. It was almost identical to one on the table only the tsuba( guard) was more intricate with cutouts in it. The tsuba was dark in color( guessing it was bronze) and was larger than those examples. It had a button and locking lever to secure it in it's scabbard. I took it apart many times with no tools when I was a youngster. In it's hilt it had alot of characters. I would guess it wasn't a mass manufactured piece.
even the mass Produced ones that were made of stainless steel were signed and had a signature 99%of the navy swords were made of Stainless steel but there were some old blades but that is super rare because of the rust that would get on a traditional blade that's why 99% were stainless steel.
What a beautiful exhibit! It's incredibly rare, for me at least a complete Japanese swords scrub, to see such rare pieces especially when they are presented by a genuine collector and WWII Japanese swords lover. As you both mentioned and some of my friends also told me, way too many sellers tend to cheat on the tsuba, the scabbard and other parts, not Martin for sure! His piece of advice about the tang's inscriptions tells a lot on both his knowledge on the subject and his sincerity; blade-smiths are not scholars! That wakizachi
Great informative video. I have a Kai Gunto with the black leather cover still present and with the ray skin scabbard underneath. I think the main reason intact leather covers on Navy sword are rare is because of the corrosiveness of sea salt
I’ve got an original photo of the swords at the hand over in PNG chucked in a pile while the CO hands his to the Australian CO, the following shows him walking off after chucking it in the heap. And two soles who fought against my family. One is a short sword. I believe and so do many Australians the sword reflected the owners arm length. We are the opposite of you guys down here. Mostly Army hardly see a navy.
The true rarity are these old timers who are a dying breed. Years ago I had a passion for handmade Japanese swords. I desperately wanted to own one so I studied what I could on line. Armed with my new "knowledge" I visited the annual Tampa sword show. I asked and was allowed to handle some glorious blades. They had different balances and blade shapes. The real treasure was talking with the old timers. One of them let me hold a $90,000 sword. Some of these guys had been collecting since the 50s and 60s. The US after WW2, became one of the countries (probably the 2nd) with the highest number of authentic samurai swords in the world. They were found in garages, closets, basements, attics and sheds where the vets left them...or their wives. Then the son or grandson would pull it out and swing it around thinking of glorious war stories while cutting branches. Later he might get the old cleaning products and maybe even a grinder or sand off all that rust. That might be fine for a machete but it destroyed so many of these works of art. The book "Nippon-to The Japanese Sword" was written by a Japanese expert on swords- to spread the truth about these hidden jewels in America so they might be protected from well meaning yet blundering hands. The knowledge gained by American collectors over the years even gave the Japanese new information and earned their respect. I believe these sword shows may be coming to an end as not enough people are replacing the ones passing on. A fun group of guys and it's a boys club that has just about had it's run. After handling and learning Nihon-to I felt my desire to possess a sword had been fairly quenched. The process of learning had led me to ask for blades with flaws..to better understand and to join Iaido a sword drawing class. I swung and cut a rolled up wet mat and sent the tip of my teachers sword into the wooden dojo floor. With knowledge of swords, I was satisfied. Later I got into unsharpened metal on metal European Long Sword fighting (HEMA) and the road rolls on.
the one with the famaly crest was fake his favret and not worth 6 grand about 2 maybe. a lot of the second world war swords arent old. but remember they belong to japan not to the USA who stole them. not that the goverment want eany of these ones but thy do seek out genuin swords and Force the USA to hand them back.
Hello sir can you tell me which other sword used by japan in world war 2 samurai sword tell their names can you send me in writing your student thank you sir
gunto was mass production. in rare case, military officers from samurai family, had family trad sword that costomized for imperial army's specification.
I'm not an expert of Japanese swords but I do have an interest. From what I've read, many of these Japanese swords (aka Showa swords) from WW2 were mass produced for the military which unfortunately sacrificed quality over quantity. In other words, they often weren't made utilizing traditional sword making techniques and not necessarily valuable among Japanese collectors. However, foreign collectors have come to appreciate these Showa swords.
I learned so much. I learned I have an army one. With a leather protector that is pretty much destroyed due to what looks like fire. I would love to know more about minor imperfections in the blade, small chips, or very very tip broken.
Unfortunately many hundreds and hundreds of world war 2 Japanese swords were in fact mass produced and does not really have the same quality nor value as genuine antique high quality samurai swords
I have come into possession of an Army colored manta belly with 2 hangers and similar brass Subba as he presented as favorite...is this a Navy Kai-Gunto?
We have a ww2 Japanese sword taken off a deceased Japanese soldier during the war. It has a magnetic blade, Japanese writing on the metal part of the handle. It did have ribbons on the handle but were removed by the Australian soldier. Assuming it is a Katana sword but am happy to sell it. Does anyone know how much it is worth or how to sell it.
I have an army one but the sheath is textured and seems to have a copper outside or something like that. It also has a button to release the sheath. Tang name is Masa Sada. Anyone know anything about mine specifically?
He's overpriced! Talk to him at the end of the show and see how much the prices drop. Interesting pieces but still too asking too much. Would have been interested in seeing the blade on that last one though.
International speakers, sometimes don't hear it enough and end up pronouncing it the way we read it. Most languages pronounce words the way it's written, so it's a hard habit to shake.
логично было бы выучить инглиш хоть немного прежде чем видосы на инглише снимать. я чуть лицо себе не сломал феспалмами от твоих гениальных оборотов.. неужели не стыдно было перед этим американцем, не говоря о том чтоб выкладывать такое. простейшие ошибки, лексикон как у второклассника, использование глаголов на месте существительных и т.д. ..и этот человек зачем-то делает канал на инглише. гениально чо))
Blade Rapped in "Damascus"?????,. Temper line? The Hamon is the Hardening line, writing will be on both sides of the tang-always, and I could go on,and on
Is he really an expert, or an enthusiastic amateur? What are his credentials? It's rare for a really old family heirloom to have been used during the war, for obvious reasons. Too valuable to risk damage in a harsh environment. Mass produced gunto were used. The elaborate tempering was crudely done, as it took too much time to do properly. By the way, the mass produced gunto are absolutely prohibited in Japan as weapons. The real folded steel ones are. These gunto, as here, are worth relatively little. A couple of hundred. The folded, in the thousands. One final nail point. Many of the best of the old folded blades are not signed. Don't rely on that alone.
Erich L You are absolutely correct. On all counts. Some of the personal recollections of actual combat officers indicate they used the gunto issued by the Army. Carrying an heirloom katana in the jungles of the South Pacific would have been rather unwise just because of the probability of rusting. Some wealthy officers did commission new classic folded steel for use but that was not common, That said, I must say my knowledge of the combat conditions in China and the Soviet Union is not nearly as much as in the Pacific. After the war, the heirlooms were hidden and not surrendered to SCAP, where as the gunto were.
Cant help but think Japanese sword sword historians are cringing right now. 300ur old swords are disassembled easily. He said engraved, yet painted. I call bullshit
If those swords were part of the confiscation during WW2 and do not have certification letter, they should be returned to their rightful owners or families.
Sometimes. Often officers would surrender their swords upon capture expecting never to see the sword again whether they expected to be executed or not. To return a sword can be interpreted as a sign of disrespect- as in, the officer wasn't worth capturing and the sword isn't worth keeping as a trophy. Of course the descendants of the officer may feel differently... it's complicated.
How do you figure? Bushido allows/requires (depending on era) a samurai to surrender his sword when captured, and to do so "proves" the surrender. There is no expectation the sword will be returned at the end of hostilities.
When you lose a war, you lose rights to everything you fought that war with. "To the victor belongs the spoils." If the Allies would have lost, the Japanese, Italians, and Germans would be doing the same thing today with 1911s, M1 Carbines, etc.
Anyone who knows ANYTHING about combat-ready swords knows there are at least 2 bamboo stops in a full length Katana. A one (1) bamboo stop is a dead indicator for a ceremonial/decorative sword.
The gentleman behind the table in the video would definitely tell you otherwise. Katana have been taken into battle held together with a single mekugi for hundreds of years.
it takes a brave individual to put their name on a weapon... showing that they've made that. and to put it bluntly; a mortal needs a weapon to go with. but an immortal being can use what's around them, and sometimes doesn't need one. abilities can be just as dangerous, and medicines just as helpful as well sometimes, and vice versa. that's why we have gifts from a loving Heavenly Father... for spiritual warfare in presence. human kind will eventually be like unto God, given good behavior, and repenting often. eventually all will be immortal among man, and now is the time to become strong in God, so as to become ourselves in full potential. which potential IS always growing. the word of God is like unto a sword that sinks deep into the hearts of men, forever leaving it's mark from within, casting their worries aside and giving them hope. the word of God contains the full armour of God; the feet shod about with the Gospel of Peace. the loins girt about with Truth. the breastplate of Righteousness. the shield of Faith. the helm of Salvation. the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. and Praying in all Supplication for all Saints. this is in the King James Version of the Holy Bible. the sword is a constant reminder of the Word of God.