hi folks, I'm not a sword collector but have a passion for understanding the war in the pacific and collecting militaria from that time. Recently I came into possession of a wakizashi and according to the seller it was taken (stolen?) from a soldier on the battlefield of Okinawa during 1945 by a US serviceman. This blade is real beat-up and thats fine by me because thats where its value is to me. When I received the item, I found the tsuka attached to the blade by a brass pin in place of a mekugi. the seller told me it had not been dismantled by the US serviceman so I'm assuming this was done on the battlefield. The tsuka appears to have been altered to fit the blade as evidenced by the extra hole.
Anyway, the blade was signed and I was hoping someone could translate the inscription for me so I could learn more about the item. I realize many signatures are fake and again thats ok for me - makes it all the more interesting. Also, although I have no desire to "restore" the item, I would like to know how to maintain and clean it. I've been careful not to handle either the blade or nakago. thanks in advance for your help.
