Jump to content

Help identifying sword please


mh2324

Recommended Posts

Hello everyone. First post here (not counting intro post I guess). Was hoping for some of your expertise in helping to identify this sword which I inherited from my grandfather. All I was told is that he brought the sword home from Japan following his deployment in WWII, but no further details. He didn’t ever talk about his time there. Thanks in advance for any help. I took some basic photos of the sword and scabbard but am not really even sure what to take pictures of at this point. I have never handled the blade or performed any maintenance of any kind (cleaning etc) as I’m scared to harm anything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick question until I can do that. The sword has a wooden handle and sheath such that when it is sheathed it looks like one continuous piece (minus a black ring where the handle meets the sheath). Is this style telling in any way as to time period vs other styles or general appearances? This is all very interesting to me. Eager to learn. Sorry, I know I’m probably butchering terminology but hopefully that makes sense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

mh2324,

please sign all posts with your first name plus an initial as is requested here.

The mounting you describe is a SHIRA SAYA. It is used when the blade is not in action, and it protects it from moisture/air. Swords are traditionally stored horizontally in a drawer of a TANSU (chest).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the reply and information. I’ll take the additional photos of the blade as soon as I get a chance today. I am using the search function to try and decipher what the suriage/o suriage means as well as Shinto. Does this terminology correspond with a particular time period? Thanks again. I’m learning a lot and very interested. Photos forthcoming.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I believe I found the meaning and purpose of suriage as being the shortening of the overall length of the sword by shortening the tang portion? Is this generally good, bad, or neither in terms of quality of the sword? And as far as the “active red rust on the nakago”, is there anything that can readily be done about this and if so is it something I should be concerned about having done ASAP? I would like to preserve this sword the best I possibly can given it’s history with my grandfather. Thank you all very much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Suriage is a common practice. It is never seen as a good thing amongst collectors though acceptable for very old swords. It removes part of the value of the sword.

 

That said, it is a very common practice and many, many swords, particularly the very old ones have come to us in suriage form. Usually collectors say that since the Shinto period was a time of peace, there is no reason for a blade to be suriage, but here again, many examples exist.

 

Rich collectors won’t touch them with a ten foot pole, poorer ones like me don’t care. What counts is you have a real sword that deserves being taken care of, suriage or not.

 

For the red rust, the common recommended method is using a chip of ivory or antler to scrub it off, but I’ve never tried it myself. Most important rule: NEVER TOUCH THE BLADE WITH BARE HANDS. you can cause irreparable damage, both to the blade and your hands. :)

 

read this document too:

 

http://www.nbthk-ab.org/swordcare.pdf

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Matt, almost all older blades were shortened. Suriage is less shortening than o-suriage. Sometimes, laws required shortening, although damage was another major factor. No relation to quality.

 

Yes, the red rust should be removed ASAP, usually with a piece of bone or antler, or a piece of ivory.

 

Shinto relates to a period of time from around 1603 to 1781.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you both so much. Is there a certain brand or type of oil (if any) that I should apply to the blade that is readily available? And the scabbard has begun to slightly split along the bottom edge seam. I looked around this forum and it appears that a method to keep it from splitting further would be to take a strip of paper and wrap it around the sheath taping it with masking tape to make a loop. Then pull that loop toward the top of the sheath to make it tight (hope that makes sense, the post I’m referring to was much more clear I’m sure). Lastly, in regard to the rust that could possibly be removed with antler or ivory, is this something that should be left to an expert to do? I have antler actually so that is readily available to me. I just want to err in every way on the side of caution so as to cause no damage. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one, unless your post is really relevant and adds to the topic..

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...