Brian Wolfe

Lastly (I thought he'd never stop) is a photo of the katana in its saya (scabbard). The saya is not original, at least I don't believe it to be. These tended to be replaced from time to time as required to protect and preserve the katana. I keep a tag attached to each of my Japanese swords with their descriptions as a quick reference and an aid to my failing memory. I hope you liked my post and I hope I did not over do it by too much. Zzzzzzz anyone? Cheers Brian

The tsuka (handle) quite often, if not always, had menuki (ornaments) between the ito (braid) and the same (rayskin) to allow for a better grip on the handle. If you have ever used a katan you will know how much these little menuki help the swordman's grip. This particiular katana has menuli of a cherry blossom and leaves design. The kashira (buttcasp) is also visable and have no ornamentation.

Here is a view of the fuchi (collar) which has a tree trunk and cherry blossom design. The "same" (rayskin) under the ito (braided) tsuka (handle) is also visable in this photo.

Here is the tsuba (hand guard) which was tosho (sword smith made) from a large and probably much older tsuba. The use of older and out of date furniture is fairly common with the swords made for the common soldier in that period.

Here is a view of the damaged area of the Ha (edge) that has been polished out.

Here is the kissaki (tip) that I am calling the "o" style (long). There may be room to argue that it is more Chu (medium) than o as I stated earlier. Remember that the "o" and "u" in Chu both have a horizontal line above them. I would welcome your views on the kissaki. Also note the boshi (tempered tip). The hamon (temper line) runs all the way along the Ha (edge) to the very tip. If this were repaired due to breakage the hamon would "run out" through the curve of the tip.

Here is a closeup of the hamon (temper line) which is of the Midare (irregular) style.

Hello Everyone, I have been going to post this katana for about a year now and keep forgetting. Today it's raining here and I decided to inspect my Japanese blades, something I do about every 3 to 4 weeks, and decided to post this sword. First the history of this blade. This is NOT the blade of those Samurai dandies you see in the moves. They did exist and were specialist of the quick draw and slash moves. With them it was zip-zip and someone died. This was a blade made to the common soldier, the front line grunt who won the battle and with some luck survived the war to return to farming his master's lands. Most blades available are probably of this quality. The quality is very good but not of the true Samurai quality blades. Naturally most collectors will claim their blade to have belonged to these noble, albeit flamboyant, warriors, when in reality they were made for the blood and guts, hack and slashers. The blade has some true battle damage though it is not a fatal flaw. A fatal flaw in collector's circles renders the blade as junk. The damaged area was polished out back in the 1650s and I have tried to indicate this in the photo with a pencil pointing to this area. FYI When you see a collector's sword(s) it is NOT polite to ask to see the blade. It he wants to show you the blade he will offer. If this honour is offered do not, and I can not say this enough, DO NOT touch the blade in any way. Do not "feel" the edge with your tuumb like you would a pocket knife. ONLY A MORON DOES THIS! Some day I will bore you with instructions on proper handling and drawing of a blade for viewing but for now I'll let my blood pressure get back down to above normal. Now for those of us who are die hard Japanese sword guys, the technical side of this post. It is a katana with a Shinto blade (1597-1780) from the early Edo period, c.1650. The blade shape is Shinogi Zukuri with a Midare hamon (temper line). and the kissaki (tip) is boshi (tempered point) and is also of the o type. This is spelled with a horizontal line above the "o" but I don't know how to do that on the computer. the term "o" means long. You might think it is actually Chu (line over the "U") which means medium and I won't argue but I think it is "o". The mune (shape of the back of the blade) is Ihori which means it is shaped like a roof's ridge. The nakago (tang) is Futsu shaped with a nakago-jiri (tang tip shape) of the Kiri (flat) shape. I didn't show the tang as it ihas no Mei (not signed). The Yasurime-mei (tang file marks) are kiri (horozontal) style. There are two makugi-ana (tang holes) in the tang. The tsuba (hand guard) is tosho (sword smith made) and was cut down from a larger tsube. This is one of my favourite sword and I hope you like it. Cheers Brian

I am very unknowledgable in the area of German of any era, however, I have a little knowledge of engraving. This looks like it was done with an electric 'graver and not a hand graver. Wouldn't the time period and indeed the fact it is an EK I warrant the use of the hand held manual engraving tool? Perhaps I am incorrect about the tool used but it "feels" wrong to me. Cheers Brian

Here is the reverse of the medal. The repair is noticable but the solder will oxidize with time (about a month) and will not be as easy to see. I don't thinking there is anything wrong with minor repairs especially on medals that are unnamed or in all probability were never issued as I believe this one was never issued. I wouldn't repair a medal that showed actual wear damage as that is all a part of the history and character of an issued medal. Cheers Brian

Hello Everyone, The WW II Thailand Victory Medal arrived yesterday and the small ring attached to the medal itself was broken off. It was still on the device that joins the medal to the ribbon ring so at least it was still there. I purchased this medal from the dealer knowing this was damaged and with the hope that I could repair it. Since I have soldering equipment that we use in stained glass work I reattached the ring and now have a complete medal. From what the dealer stated this is a common fault with these medals so I wanted to pass this along to the membership. I made a jig to hold the ring in place and attached it using a soldering gun rather than one of the irons which are all too large for this work. It is not a jeweller's grade repair but it will hold quite well. I really like the obverse of this medal and I hope you will enjoy it as well. Cheers Brian

Hi Ed, Thanks for showing your sword, I really enjoy seeing Japanese swords of any and all periods. Cheers Brian

Hi Snoopy, I like it very much. I don't think there is anything wrong with restoration if done carefully. You've done this artifact a service. Well done! Cheers Brian

Hello Everyone, When I read this post I remembered a mount of ribbons from the 1st Bn Welsh Guards that I had picked up several years ago. It may be way off the current topic as I am not versed in this area. When I saw this I had to purchase it. The dealer had his coffee sitting on the corner of the mount and seemed to care little about looking after this item. So I rescued it, put it in a frame and gave it a home on the inside of one of my collection cabinets. I mounted it inside the cabinet as at that time there were windows in the room where this cabinet was located and I wanted to avoid direct sunlight on the mount. Someone went to a lot of trouble to put this together and it is one of my favourite items. It lists the battle honours and shows the different ribbons awarded to the members of the Guards. These are all real ribbons wrapped around cardboard and mounted individually I've identified all of the ribbons but won't list them here. See if you can I.D. them all. I hope the photos are clear enough. Cheers Brian

Hi Kevin, Now that's what I need for my backyard! It would look great half hidden in the wooded area pointing at that snooty neighbour next door. Cheers Brian

Hi Snoopy, Nice relic and a reminder that war is filled with tragedies that are not represented by mint and near mint artifacts desired by most collectors. Thanks for showing it in its present cleaned form and from a different angle. Cheers Brian

Thanks fellows. As tempted as I am to take the chance I'll probably pass. If all three pieces are originals but do not belong together I would be breaking even on the purchase but I really don't want three more unrelated items. Thanks for the advice. Cheers Brian

Thanks for the advice. I will be staying clear of this one. Cheers Brian

Hello Everyone, I am posting this under the TR EK section as the eagle atop the 1939 badge that I think is called a Sprang (spelling?) is affixed to the top of a WW I EK I so if this is real it would have been created in its present form in the 1939+ period. The dealer will take this back if I go throuhg with the deal and find out this is a fake but I'd rather not have to go through that. The dealer is saying that this is a jeweller's, period made, copy and it is priced accordingly. The EK I and the Sprang have been joined very neatly and there is a pin that is wide, much like the ones I've seen on the real EK Is. The pin reaches from the back of the eagle and ends were you would expect to see it end at the bottom of the EK I. I'm sorry there are no photos to go by and the dealer is a fair distance from me. If I go through with the deal I can return it by mail if necessary. I guess what I need to know at the moment is whether this is a possible combination and if it could be a jeweller's copy made during the early TR period. Or is this a known fake and I should save my money and stay home? As always your opinions are appreciated. Cheers Brian

Hello Everyone, I have the chance to add a couple of items to my collection but before I take the plundge I have a question. The first item, sorry no photo available, is a grouping that includes, an EK II award document, a photo of the recipient in full uniform on a postcard photo and an EK II. The document looks real as does the photo. Whether they belong together may have to wait until I can psot them if I go through with the deal. My question is regarding the EK II itself. On the obverse the crown at the top is off centre. It may not be off by much but remember that my eyes are, for the most part, untrained and I noticed it right off. Is it possible for the crown to be slightly off centre? If I get this grouping I can return it, though he gives me a rough time. I've known him a while and this is a matter of busting my b-lls rather than being a jerk. I would rather not obtan them in the first place if the EKII sounds like a reproduction. What are your thoughts on this? Cheers Brian PS: The next question will be in the TR section.

Hi fellows, Rick, you stated that the Prussians used this system. By this do you mean that only the Prussians used this system or was it wide spread throughout the German Military of the time? This is probably a pretty dumb question so please forgive it as I am just learning about Imperial and TR medals. Cheers Brian

Hi Chris, The certificate I have has "II" after the name and I always though it meant 2nd class. At least your "Wolfie" had a first name unlike mine. Cheers Brian (Wolfe)

Hello lilo, No, Iwas not refering to any medals in anyones collection. I thought that I should have qualified my question to avoid that very confusion but as weekends go around here I got side-tracked. I was just asking for my information. I would never suggest that a member has a copy unless I felt confident that I was expert enough to tender such an opinion. Perhaps in a decade or two down the road I'll be at that stage in my medal collecting but not at the present. The only photo I have ever seen (Medals Yearbook) looks like a copy compaired to the ones that have been posted here, these are very nice examples. Actually I have no interest in obtaining a copy of any medal but if I ever run onto one of these as a copy I will inform (warn) the membership. I have read here on the forum that many copies of other medals are cast rather than sruck and this one being cast would seem an easy target. Thanks again for an interesting thread, I have added to my knowledge on this interesting medal. Cheers Brian

Hello Everyone, I would think these would be easy to copy as they are cast. Has there been a lot of copying of these medals done? I haven't actually seen any but then again I have not been looking. Cheers Brian

Many thanks for the identification fellows. You've been a great help. Cheers Brian