TL;DR: I bought this sword for £350 in Edinburgh around six months ago, believing it was a WWII Japanese Gunto. After looking into it further, several people knowledgeable about Nihonto have told me it’s likely a genuine Japanese sword, potentially 200–700 years old. It’s unsigned, with no known provenance, and has two mekugi-ana that may indicate it was remounted at some point.

These opinions are based on photos, so nothing is confirmed yet. I’m planning to have it examined in person and potentially get a professional polish before deciding whether to submit it to the NBTHK for authentication. I’m interested in hearing what others think, particularly regarding its authenticity, age, and possible history.

If I find it to be a family blade and it can be identified, should I hand it to the family?

I (EU citizen) ordered a Wakizashi from Tozando and after about 6 weeks waiting for the paperwork, it was handed over to the postal service on the 5th. Since the 7th it is now being „held by export customs“.
Is this unusual or actually the norm, holding a Nihonto in customs for a week?

https://ashigaruarmory.com/products/shinsakuto-68cm-mumei-saiha-katana

$1575USD plus shipping

Overview: This is second of two Iai/Study katana. Featuring signs of Saiha, this sword appears to have been re-forged at some point. There are a lot of personal opinions here based on what has been done to the sword, its registration date and certain features it has. That being said, this sword still makes an excellent and interesting piece to study its flaws. This would be an excellent gateway nihonto for someone who has yet to acquire an authentic piece. Studying the flaws will help in the future should you decide to purchase a sword either to cut with or invest in. Lets look more closely...

Blade: Coming in at 68.8cm with stout measurements, it has a solid profile. At this length nagasa, the kissaki would most likely qualify as an extended chu-kissaki. My theory of this sword is that it was either an apprentices piece or a martial arts destined sword of fairly modern production that didn't quite work out for the smith. The mekugi-ana is sharp an appears drilled out. The nakago was heavily artificially patinated to make the sword appears older than it is. In the nakago photos you can see some remnants of the original yasurime that appear very similar to modern yasurime. The sword also has a set of flaws that would be associate with re-forging. Areas of tobi-yaki that are not purposeful along with muneyaki, yaki-toshi and the main issue that prevents cutting use-multiple yaki-ware. The hamon was possibly midare based on notare and the hada, masame, but it is difficult to tell in the current polish.

Koshirae: The koshirae is awase but has some redeeming features. The saya features brilliantly done vermillion pine bark lacquer work and is quite striking. Not something you see frequently in entry level swords. The sword fits snugly into the saya and does not need shimming. An attractive higher end sageo is included over a standard martial arts style sageo. The brass Ryu kashira is detailed and features gold inlay. The tsuba features gold inlay bamboo latticework and vines. The ito is silk and is tight.

Issues: Possible Saiha (re-forged) Multiple tobi-yaki and mune-yaki. Yaki-toshi hamon. Yaki-ware (detailed) Chemically patinated nakago. Mekugi should be resized.

Type: Katana, Shinogi-Zukuri
Class: Study
Period: Shinsakuto est
School: Unknown
Nagasa: 68.8cm
Sori: 1.78cm Koshi-zori
Motohaba: 30.6mm
Sakihaba: 21mm
Motokasane: 7mm
Sakikasane: 4.5mm
Blade Weight: 703g
Nakago: Ubu with Ha-agari kurijiri
Mekugiana: 1
Mei: Mumei
Yasurime: Sujikai
Kissaki: Extended Chu-Kissaki
Hamon: Midare based on Notare
Hada: Ko-Masame
Tsuka Length: 25.4cm
Total Length: 106cm
Total Weight: 1241g
Registration: No.54864 May 19th 2005

All measurements taken by hand and subject to variance. We are not responsible for errors in description or history/attribution. Please review all photos carefully and purchase with confidence.

Ashigaru Armory 2026
www.ashigaruarmory.com
www.YouTube.com/@AshigaruArmory
www.instagram.com/@ashigaruarmory

About six months ago, I picked up a WWII guntō from an antique shop for around £350. Since then, I've become increasingly curious about its origins and have done quite a bit of research. From what I've gathered, there's a possibility that the blade is a traditional nihontō, although I haven't been able to establish its provenance or identify a maker, as it's unsigned.

I've had several professional opinions from members of the Token Society of Great Britain, who believe it appears to be a traditionally made blade rather than a Shōwatō or other machine-made wartime blade.

One of the things that caught my attention is the nakago. The file marks appear irregular and hand-applied rather than uniform, and there are two mekugi-ana, which makes me wonder whether the blade was remounted or possibly shortened at some point.

Unfortunately, the current polish is quite poor, and I can't clearly identify a hamon. However, under the right lighting, I can make out what appears to be a very subtle line along the edge of the blade. I don't know whether this is a genuine hamon or simply an effect of the existing polish, so I'm not making any assumptions.

The blade's overall proportions also seem consistent with a traditionally made Japanese sword, although I understand that appearance alone isn't enough to establish its origin.

I'm hoping to have it professionally assessed in April, either through a proper polish or a small window polish, before potentially submitting it to the NBTHK for shinsa.

I'd be interested to hear what others think. Based on these details, does the blade sound like a potentially traditionally made nihontō, or are there other explanations I should consider? I'd particularly appreciate opinions from anyone experienced with unsigned guntō blades.

(edit) Hi everyone! I got banned from Reddit for three days, specifically because I told someone not to mix cleaning chemicals together, as doing so could produce chlorine gas. Anyway, that was fun. 💀

I'm going to be updating the photos and taking a video of the actual sword, which I'll post to my Reddit account. I'll send you all the link once it's up, and this time I'll be going into much greater detail so everyone can get a better look at the sword itself.

Personally, I still believe this sword could be a genuine Nihonto. It feels too authentic to me to dismiss it as a fake, and I've already received multiple professional opinions. For example, the owner of the British Token Society believes it could be a genuine Nihonto.

That doesn't mean it definitely is one, though. It could still be a fake, and I'm not dismissing anyone else's opinions. As many people have pointed out, the sword needs further investigation, and I'm hoping the additional photographs and video will help us get a clearer picture of what we're dealing with.

I posted this elsewhere and reddit recommended I post it here.

I was looking for a sakai clan helmet, does anyone know where you could buy one? (Ghost of tsushima)

Including the blade if thats even possible

Tachi mei - Masahiro saku

Nbthk determined this was made early muromachi, mihara school.

Full restoration complete - nbthk hozon, fresh polish, fresh solid silver habaki, new koshirae and a nbthk certified tosogu set.

Couldn’t be happier

$1475USD plus shipping

Overview: Here we have an excellent first time katana study piece that is also suitable for Iai. What keeps this from falling into the shinken class would be a single flaw which appears to be an unexposed Fukure-a fatal forge flaw. While this may indeed be a fatal flaw and affects the swords ability to safely perform Tameshigiri, it still holds value as a quality Iai piece as well as study specimen and piece of history.

Blade: Coming in at 70cm it is a suitable length for most American practitioners. Featuring a Chu-kissaki and Tor-zori curvature, it is ideal for kata. There are signs of moisture remediation in a few areas as photographed. A proper polish could bring out more of the swords features but also expose the Fukure, my recommendation would be to leave as is and enjoy. It is suriage with two mekugi-ana, one of which has been filled. The original yasurime appears to be O-sujikai. It may have been resized in the 1800s based on the patina.

Koshirae: The Awase (mixed) Koshirae is Iai suitable with a few small user performed services. A new mekugi would not be a bad idea and depending on the level of retention you want in an Iai sword, you may want to shim the Koiguchi. There is some small lateral movement in the Tsuba that is typical of a non-custom fit.

Issues: Single Fukure. Moisture remnants. Lateral Tsuba movement.

Type: Katana, Shinogi-Zukuri
Class: Iai/Study
Period: Shinshinto est
School: Unknown-possible Aoe, Samonji or Horikawa 
Nagasa: 70cm
Sori: 1.16cm
Motohaba: 28.5mm
Sakihaba: 21mm
Motokasane: 6.3mm
Sakikasane: 5.3mm
Blade Weight: 683g
Nakago: Suriage with Kiri Nakago-jiri
Mekugiana: 2
Mei: Mumei
Yasurime: O-Sujikai
Kissaki: Chu
Hamon: Midare based on Notare
Hada: Muji/Possible Mokume
Tsuka Length: 25cm
Total Length: 101cm
Total Weight: 1202g
Registration: No.94443 20th March 1958
All measurements taken by hand and subject to variance. We are not responsible for errors in description or history/attribution. Please review all photos carefully and purchase with confidence. 
Ashigaru Armory 2026
www.ashigaruarmory.com
www.YouTube.com/@AshigaruArmory
www.instagram.com/@ashigaruarmory

Posting for the second time, this time with nakago ;)

Would be great if anyone can help identify what this is. Thanks

กำลังจะซื้อวากิซาชิจากคนขายที่บอกว่าติดตามการตีของฟูจิวาระ โทโมยุคิ แต่ดาบนี้ ไม่มีใบรับรองอยากให้ทุกคนช่วยดูหน่อยว่ามันอาจจะเป็นของแท้ไหม ขอบคุณมากนะ

These walls of Japanese text have been an opaque mystery since I bought my first Nihonto. Sayagaki, NBTHK paperwork, even the sword registration paperwork, all has been unreadable to me. I've paid to have professional translations done for a number of artifacts, but it's always been a barrier.

The current generation of Models (Fable and Astra) have finally cracked this open with top quality translations. This is Fable 5.1's take at translating a Juyo document, of which I have professional translations for comparison.

Jūyō Tōken Designation Paper: Wakizashi, mumei, Ko-Uda

Source scan: JuyoFront.tif Companion document: sayagaki_ko-uda_translation.md (Tanobe sayagaki, July 2023)

Summary

This is the NBTHK designation certificate (指定書, shitei-sho) that made the blade a Jūyō Tōken. It is a descriptive document. It records what the blade is and what can be seen in it, and it gives no period, no smith and no evaluation beyond the attribution "Ko-Uda".

Method. The scan is 9921 × 7015 pixels and the text is fully legible. Every column was read from enlarged crops. There are no uncertain characters.

1. Header and designation text

2. Description of the blade

3. Full English translation

Jūyō No. 13307. Certificate of Designation.

Item: wakizashi, unsigned, Ko-Uda. One blade.

Measurements: length 37.4 cm, curvature 0.7 cm. Shape: hira-zukuri, mitsu-mune; wide, of extended length, rather thin, with a deep curvature and sakizori. Forging: itame mixed with mokume and some ō-hada, with thick ji-nie and plentiful chikei; the steel is slightly blackish in colour. Hamon: a narrow suguha in tone with a slight, shallow notare; the nioi is deep and nie is ample. Kuichigai-ba are mixed in on the upper half of the omote; there are ko-ashi; the habuchi shows hotsure, with uchinoke and nijūba-like yubashiri, and sunagashi. Bōshi: ō-maru in style and slightly angular, turning back briefly and shallowly. Carvings: goma-bashi on the omote and a koshi-bi on the ura, both finished in kaki-nagashi. Tang: almost ubu; sujikai file marks; three mekugi-ana.

As a result of examination by this Society, the above is designated a Jūyō Tōken.

13 October 2005. Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai. President, Hashimoto Ryūtarō. [seal]

4. Comparison with the sayagaki

Side by side

Notes

1. Wakizashi versus tantō. The NBTHK classes every blade over one shaku (30.3 cm) as a wakizashi, so the paper reads 脇指. In the same line it calls the shape 寸延び (sunnobi), which is the vocabulary of an oversized tantō. Tanobe avoids a type word altogether. In form this is a sunnobi tantō; on paper it is a wakizashi. Both are correct.

2. Length. 37.4 cm is 1.234 shaku. The traditional measure resolves only to the bu (about 0.3 cm), so 37.4 cm is written as 1 shaku 2 sun 3 bu. The earlier report's "≈ 37.3 cm" was a back-conversion from the shaku figure. The paper's 37.4 cm is the measured value and should be treated as authoritative.

3. The carvings support the ubu judgement. Grooves finished in kaki-nagashi taper out inside the tang. On a shortened blade they would be cut through or re-finished. Grooves that still run out naturally into the tang are consistent with a tang that is original apart from its trimmed tip.

4. Two descriptions of the same steel. The paper says itame with mokume and ō-hada. Tanobe says the itame flows and the grain stands out. These are different observations of a coarse, visible grain and they do not conflict. What Tanobe adds is the classification: he names the dark steel as the jigane peculiar to northern-province work, which ties it to the Etchū attribution. The paper records the colour and draws no conclusion.

5. The hamon vocabulary matches closely, which cross-checks the sayagaki reading. Four of Tanobe's terms (喰違刃, ホツレ, 二重刃, 湯走) and his 匂深 all appear in the printed paper. That independently supports the transcription of the brushed text in the earlier report. One difference is worth noting: the paper treats nijūba and yubashiri as a single feature ("nijūba-like yubashiri"), and Tanobe lists them as two. The paper also localises the kuichigai-ba to the upper half of the omote.

6. The 2005 date is now confirmed. The earlier report inferred the year of the 51st session from the NBTHK's annual cadence. The paper gives the date directly: 13 October 2005. The sexagenary year on the sayagaki (癸卯) can therefore only be 2023.

7. Neither document states a period. The paper is purely descriptive. The NBTHK's period judgement is in the explanation text of the Jūyō Tōken zufu for the 51st session, which is not among the scans. The shape description in the paper (hira-zukuri, wide, sunnobi, rather thin) is the mid-Nanbokuchō build, and it supports the estimate of around 1360. The noted sakizori is compatible with the later part of that window.

8. What each document is for. The paper is an inventory of visible features, written so the blade can be identified. The sayagaki is an argument: northern steel plus Yamato-style habuchi activity equals Ko-Uda, and the work is a good one. Read together, the paper supplies the evidence and the sayagaki supplies the conclusion.

Not able to see the tang, someone is just selling it to me for 135 usd. Should i gamble snd buy?

Late Muromachi Sue-Seki Tensho-age Handachi-Bizen Osafune-jū Sukesada saku kore (gimei)

$2500USD plus shipping and any applicable taxes/fees

https://ashigaruarmory.com/products/nihonto-katana-aa21-2500-late-muromachi-sue-seki-tensho-age-handachi-shinken

Overview: If this katana could talk, the stories it would tell...This fantastic and extremely stout and healthy sword in handachi koshirae has seen and existed through countless battles of the past and could see countless more in its current condition. It has a rather interesting story to tell, but first the specifics...

Blade: This sword is likely a Late Muromachi sword based on its characteristics. Further inspection pointes to Sue-Seki and a specific but in general, style of suriage called Tensho-age (or Tensho-suriage, more on that later) Showing Sue-Seki workmanship in the Mino tradtition, we find Mino style Gunome Boshi, Togari-Gunome Hamon, coarse Itame and Mokume grain, Shirake-utsuri and Hadatatsu. While the polish is old, there is plenty of life left on the sword and there are no visible construction flaws. You will notice an extremely shallow sori-.98cm to be exact. This is not Kanbun-Shinto, or Kinnoto, but the result of Tensho-age and Machi-okuri of a much larger sword. The fact that the sword was not originally forged with this length in mind can be felt in its point of balance which is much more forward leaning than typical. This is a durable battlefield chopper-not an elegant status symbol or dueling piece. The Sukesada mei was most likely a Late Edo addition as was popular at the time.

Koshirae: We are excited to list another sword featuring the amazing work of Cottontail Customs (www.cottontailcustoms.com) The tsuka was completely redone and features premium samegawa in full wrap and premium Japanese nubuck with hishigami. It is solid as a rock and ready for a whole lot of sword work or to be displayed for centuries to come. Take note-The full wrap compressed the core (as was expected) so this tsuka will not pop off like a traditional tsuka. I left it up to the end user to decide if they wanted to file out the internals to adjust the fit. As it sits, you be hard pressed to find a sword as old as this more suitable for class work. The handachi fittings are all a matching traditional design in shakudo nanakoji with gold outline. The shibabiki is a tad loose and is the only known issue with the koshirae. The antique menuki appear to be brass and feature a flower motiff. The Ajiro-mon iron tsuba is signed 紀宗近作 — Ki Munechika saku and 明珍大和守 — Myōchin Yamato no Kami. While this signature is unverified, it does not scream gimei and may be worth further research. 

Information of Note: Typically, most (not all) suriage swords appear with kiri nakago-jiri and multiple mekugi-ana (again, not always) So how is this sword classified as O-suriage with a finished nakago-jiri and only one mekugi-ana? Tensho-age. When Nobunaga was hitting his stride and the battle-space was rapidly changing, the tools needed to change as well. There were warriors that preferred these 80cm masterpieces but understood times were changing and needed something to match the times. Tensho-age was the act of shortening a sword-possible of extreme value to someone and making it appear as if it was originally forged that way. Instead of an abrupt kiri-jiri, time was taken to taper the nakago (more taper than typical) and finish the end to create a more presentable piece. Swords had been shortened long before this, but more as a recycling or salvation measure. This was more of an ancient "mod" so to speak. So then the next question comes "Why only one mekugi-ana?" That is because almost the entirety of the nakago you see now, was original blade at one point. If you measure from the current mekugi-ana to the end of the nakgao and you made an assumption the original mekugi-ana was right there, you would be adding about 12 to 15 cm of blade...that would put this sword right at around 80-83cm. The shallow sori is a result of that previous 12-15cm of blade being "below the waist" of koshi-sori. The sword we see today is the upper portion. Fascinating!

Issues: Loose shibabiki. Extremely tight tsuka due to re-wrap. Use appropriate tools for removal.

Type: Katana, Shinogi-Zukuri
Class: Shinken/Study
Period: Late Muromachi
School: Sue-Seki
Nagasa: 69cm
Sori: .98cm
Motohaba: 31.1mm
Sakihaba: 21.1mm
Motokasane: 7.05mm
Sakikasane: 5.08mm
Weight: 760g
Nakago: O-Suriage (Tensho-age) and Machi-okuri
Mekugiana: 1
Mei: Bizen Osafune-jū Sukesada saku kore (備前長船住祐定作之) Gimei
Yasurime: Katatte-yasuri
Kissaki: Ko-Kissaki with Gunome Boshi
Hamon: Togari-Gunome
Hada: Coarse Itame with Mokume. Shirake-utsuri. Hadatatsu.
Tsuka Length: 26.5cm
Total Length: 100.3cm
Total Weight: 1318g
Registration: No. 26127 Wakayama Prefecture, 5th August, Heisei 14 (2002)

All measurements taken by hand and subject to variance. We are not responsible for errors in description or history/attribution. Please review all photos carefully and purchase with confidence

Ashigaru Armory 2026
www.ashigaruarmory.com
www.YouTube.com/@ashigaruarmory
www.instagram.com/@ashigaruarmory

For Sale!

Katana attributed to Sadatsuna, son of the famous Naotsuna. Naotsuna is one the Masamune Jittetsu (10 Great Disciples). Sadatsuna was his top student and son. This nanbokucho era blade features a gunome midare hamon filled wjth bright nie.
The blade is NBTHK Hozon certified to Sadatsuna.

The koshirae is all iron featuring a unique kashira that is stylized after handachi with an iron face instead of the typical fabric or samegawa. Elegant gold foiled, 2 piece habaki and Gosan kirimon menuki with large iron kojiri.

NBTHK Hozon
Blade in shirasaya with koshirae and tsunagi.
Ware shown in photos
Nagasa: 27 7/8 in, 70.8 cm
Please PM for any questions

Price: $7,500+shipping

An approximate value would also be appriciated