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I need help identifying a sword


badkarma11

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Hello All,

I would like to determine the pedigree of a Gunto sword that I have inherited. My grandfather, an Army surgeon, was given the sword by a grateful patient who had procured it as a war trophy.  My father inherited it and now it's passed to me.  I have attached a couple of pictures but I have many morepost-5432-0-99935900-1591789138_thumb.jpgpost-5432-0-84182900-1591789180_thumb.jpg. Thanks in advance.

'karma

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Ohhhh! That is nice! Not a Gunto I think but a Tachi. Blade is probably older. You need to past more. Naked blade without any mountings, close ups of the tempered line and tang, dimensions. I think you have something valuable here.

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Alex, on the surface very, very nice.  I think you are very fortunate to inherit this sword.  I'm going to s-t-r-e-t-c-h my neck out and say you have an itomaki-no-tachi koshirae from the Edo period (obvious) with a blade that may be a Shimosaka katana of the Yasutsugu line (a wild guess).  Very much looking forward to your nakago reveal.

 

BaZZa.

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Thanks Grey, I got it. I have removed the handle. The brass pin had been replaced by a wooden one at some point, unless it was never brass..

 

Bruce,

The length of the nagasa is approx 25.5 inches (64 and change cm)

 

The nakago was rather rusted but here are the pictures that I could get:

These are all on one side of the nakago

 

post-5432-0-44552000-1592074229_thumb.jpg

post-5432-0-97001100-1592074263_thumb.jpg

post-5432-0-70612700-1592074300_thumb.jpg

post-5432-0-74415500-1592074313_thumb.jpg

 

These are the other side:

post-5432-0-56427100-1592074384_thumb.jpg

post-5432-0-16982100-1592074401_thumb.jpg

post-5432-0-79867600-1592074415_thumb.jpg

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+1. If Shoshin, that’s a great sword. I’d like to see more of the blade.

 

The yasurime fit. I think you should ask for this to me moved into the general section so that people not interested in military sword (which this is not) could give a look at it.

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So, technically speaking, we have a katana in Tachi mountings. Can you please post pics of the completely bare blade in its entirety and closeups of the temper line?

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Alex, I agree that it is a Nobukuni.  The early important members of the school worked from the mid 1300s until the early 1400s.  

 

Yours looks like it is signed "katana mei", which would probably make it one of the ones that worked in Oei, or early in the 1400s.  

 

It looks like it may have some pitch or tar on the handle obscuring the mei.  

 

If it turns out to be a genuine Nobukuni, and I think it likely is based on the horimono and shape etc., then the blade is worth many thousands of dollars.  The mounts also have considerable value and my guess, which others may argue with, is that the whole sword, as it is, is worth at least in the $5-10,000 range.  Even though you didn't ask, most people that come here with an inherited sword want to know, even if they plan to keep it as an heirloom and just want to know for insurance purposes.  

 

Please follow the protocols that Grey sent you for the proper care of this important piece of art and history.  

 

Was your grandfather in the Australian or US military?

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Robert, weren’t the Nobokuni line known for producing more Katana than Tachi? I agree that it looks genuine and Alex, you are a lucky, lucky guy. Many among us would like to own a genuine Nobokuni!

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Jean-Pierre, I can't tell you the relative proportion made by the various members of the line, and am assuming that the transition from nambokucho to muromachi led to shorter blades and more katana mei.  Mine long Nobukuni, which was made by Saemonojo, is tachi mei.  

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Thank you Brian.

 

So, it appears that I have a katana length blade but with a tachi style (two kurigata) scabbard?  There is a single mekugi and multiple seppa (two small ones above the habaki, a larger one, the tsuba, another large one, another small one and then the fuchi. The tsuba and seppa are loose when the blade has been drawn. Am I missing something (another seppa perhaps) or is the mekugi in the wrong hole in the nakago? 

 

Thanks in advance. I find all of this fascinating.

 

Alex

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