Japanese sword

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  • regulator

    Active Member
    I recently acquired a sword that I suspect is a WW II "bring home" piece. Does anyone here have any experience with these?

    I'm not really interested in an appraisal or selling it as much as what I have and any history on it.

    I won't be able to post or PM any pictures until later this weekend.

    Thanks in advance
     

    zoostation

    , ,
    Moderator
    Jan 28, 2007
    22,857
    Abingdon
    I recently acquired a sword that I suspect is a WW II "bring home" piece. Does anyone here have any experience with these?

    I'm not really interested in an appraisal or selling it as much as what I have and any history on it.

    I won't be able to post or PM any pictures until later this weekend.

    Thanks in advance

    I have a friend who is a trained auction appraiser in those. If you want to post pics I can ask him.
     

    KH195

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 10, 2013
    1,550
    Virginia
    If you're able to post pics I can probably help some as well. I collect WWII Japanese firearms/militaria and have owned a good number of Japanese swords.
     

    regulator

    Active Member
    I have never posted pictures. I hope this works.
     

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    KH195

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 10, 2013
    1,550
    Virginia
    Neat sword! Looks to be wakizashi length from the pics, how long is the blade? Handle/wrapping look to be in good shape. Have you removed the handle to see if the tang is signed? If you have not, I would recommend gently removing it (plenty of YouTube videos that demonstrate the procedure). To do this you would remove the mekugi (small wood peg holding the handle on. The whole handle comes off as one piece, do not unwrap the handle!). The tang can tell a lot of the story of the sword. Whether or not it’s signed, the amount/color of the rust, whether it’s been cut down from a longer sword at some point in the past, etc. If you’re able to remove the handle and post pics of what you see that can be very helpful. If you aren’t already aware DO NOT clean or attempt to remove the rust on the tang. This would significantly reduce the value of the sword. The blade in yours could potentially be hundreds of years old, and collectors want the rust there to show age. Many blades were passed down for generations. Also don't do anything to the blade as far as trying to polish it or remove rust, etc. If you’re able to post some close ups of the blade (temper pattern if visible and close up of tip) that can help give an ide of age as well. Another outstanding resource on these is the Japanese section of Gunboards.com. There are some extremely knowledgeable experts on there that I’m sure could tell you a ton more than I could on your sword.
     

    KH195

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 10, 2013
    1,550
    Virginia
    My Father brought a Military issue Japanese sword home from New Guinea. It is stamped out and held together with screws, not wound in rope like yours.

    Very cool! That sounds like a late War NCO sword. Stamped metal handle made to look like a wrapped one and a machine made blade. Late in the war time/materials were becoming scarce. While not traditionally handmade Japanese swords, they are still very collectible and valuable.
     

    Czechnologist

    Concerned Citizen
    Mar 9, 2016
    6,522
    Extremely cool. One of the weapons that the contestants had to build during the Forged In Fire Tournament of Champions was a wakizashi.
     

    regulator

    Active Member
    Thank you. I've been working up the courage to remove the handle to see if its signed. And no, I will not be attempting any type of cleaning or "restoration". This is in the condition I received it in.

    Tomorrow when I have the house to myself, I'm gonna remove it and will post more pictures.

    Thank you all who have contributed to solving my "mystery"
     

    regulator

    Active Member
    Here are a few more pictures. Sorry they are from a cellphone.
     

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    KH195

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 10, 2013
    1,550
    Virginia
    Glad you were able to get the handle off safely! Looks like that blade could have some real age too it...assuming the sword currently only has one mekugi holding the blade in place, the second hole in the tang suggests an earlier mounting. As swords were passed down they were often remounted in new fittings, either because of wear/tear or because of military requirements (although yours looks like 'civilian' mountings). In my relatively amateur opinion it does look like the blade has seen some heavy cleaning though. Translating the kanji on the tsuba may reveal some interesting additional info, the Japanese section of Gunboards.com is probably still your best bet. If you don't have an account there an would like me to post your pics with a request for additional info I'd be happy to, just let me know.
     

    Aventus

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Sep 5, 2016
    778
    Here are a few more pictures. Sorry they are from a cellphone.

    Having a number of Japanese swords restored, whoever worked on that blade, trashed it on a mechanical sander! To do that blade properly would need to be sent to a sword polisher but I doubt all the damage could be removed and the value (if authentic) has been greatly diminished. I hate seeing these incredible works of art not properly restored.

    David Hofhine has done my last two blades but has a wait of almost two years. http://www.ipolishswords.com/ He has some good information on his site.
     
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    regulator

    Active Member
    Thanks all for the great info. I'm still trying to research this in my limited spare time. I'm learning alot from from you all and following your tips.

    I do have to agree that someone less than skilled has been "working" on the blade, but it's still cool to me and sharp as hell.

    Thanks again and any and all help is welcomed
     

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