Grey Doffin

Hi Paul, Your sword is currently just barely katana length; it used to be an inch maybe longer but has been shortened. It looks like it has been improperly buffed; lines aren't sharp and hamon & hada (temper and grain) are indistinct. There are defects on the blade which seriously degrade the value. If I had to make a guess on age I'd say some time between the 16th and 19th centuries (not considered old for a Japanese sword) but I could be off on that. I don't think much more can be told without in-hand examination by someone knowledgeable. Grey

Hi Paul, This is an older blade, not WWII. More pictures are needed before anyone can tell you much more. Grey

Hi Paul, No active rust that requires attention; leave the tangs (nakago) alone. The bottom sword, the one with 2 holes, iis probably older and samurai, not WWII military. It is OK to replace the washers (seppa) if some are missing and the tsuba wiggles a lot. It is mandatory and important that you replace the missing bamboo pin (mekugi) and that you do it now. Without the pin the blade can fall out of the handle and do serious damage either to itself or to you (or maybe to both). Get a decent quality chop stick and whittle it to fit. Grey

Hi Brad, Not much I or anyone else can tell you about your unsigned wakizashi just from pictures; someone knowledgeable and honest will need to see it in hand . Meantime, here is a care and handling brochure you should read. https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Grey

Just like when a large tree falls in the forest, he will be missed. Grey

Hi Justin, The fist on fist method is illustrated in the brochure I linked you to. If that doesn't work, you can try this. Place a bath towel on a counter (see picture), lay the blade on the towel and, gently at first, bring the sword forward so the black horn fitting at the beginning of the handle strikes the edge of the counter. Increase force as necessary but keep an eye on the black horn; it is tough stuff but it can crack if you push too hard. This method works in all but the most stubborn of instances. Take it easy and stop trying if you're uncomfortable with the force you're using. Note: this method works with plain wooden handle (shirasaya), horn if you're careful, mounted blade with a plain iron tsuba, but not soft metal, which would be damaged. If you get the handle off, take pictures of both sides and replace the handle (using the method in the brochure) and the 2 piece pin. The pin is very important; it prevents the blade from falling out of the handle and breaking its point, either in the bottom of the scabbard or at the floor after it passes through your foot. Resist all urges to clean the tang of the sword; leave it alone. Resist all urges to try to fix anything with the sword; well meaning amateurs often do serious damage. Best, Grey

Hi Justin, The metal pin is 2 piece and either a friction fit (male & female halves) or threaded (either right or left hand thread). This could be fussy to take apart without doing damage. Where in The States do you live? Maybe we can put you in touch with someone who has dealt with one of these before. Mean time, here is a page with a care and handling brochure you would be smart to read: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Looks like it could be a better than average sword. Go slow and get some educated help. Grey

Hi Jay, You asked "What helped you determine it predates WWII?" 40 years of study:-) Pictures aren't going to tell us a lot; this needs to be seen in hand by someone who knows what he's looking at. Grey

Hi Jay, Your sword is older than WWII, sometime between mid 15th and late 19th centuries and hard to say much more without better pictures. Where in The States do you live? Maybe there is someone knowledgeable and honest nearby who can give you a better idea what you have. It needs to be seen by a properly trained polisher before you decide to have it restored. Mean time, here is a page with a care & handling brochure you should read: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Grey

Hi Don, There is no way to know from your pictures how old the blade or the horimono are. If the hori were added to disguise a defect, the hori would be less old than the blade, something that could be true even if it wasn't added to disguise a defect (see ato-bori horimono). Grey

Hi Don, That is, I believe, a sanskrit character called Bonji. On the other side is a ken with something else I can't see clearly enough to identify in the middle. The placement of the something else is odd; it may have been carved there to hide a blister or other ugly defect in the blade. Grey

Thanks guys, No need for go fund, Stephen; we have insurance but appreciate the offer. I will be at the show in Chicago; wouldn't miss it. Cheers, Grey

Hi folks, As some of you know already, on January 27 I suffered a fire in my house (an electric radiant heat panel in the ceiling arced out). No one was injured but the house is a mess and we likely won't live in it again until this fall at the earliest. None of my swords, kodogu, or books were damaged. All the books, however, have been put into storage and won't be available until I can move home. The swords and fittings, on the other hand, I can get to. I'm keeping a list of customers who want books so I can get to them later; I'd love to deal with you on a katana or tsuba right now. If you find something at Japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com that interests you, please let me know (contact me by email through the site). The phone # on my site is the land line and is currently dead. If you want to talk my cell is 218-340-1001. Thanks for all the support I've received from my friends in Nihonto, Grey

If the habaki is firm in the saya and 2 fists next to each other and squeeze doesn't work, try the 2 fists next to each other behind your knees and hunker down. As you squat your knees will push on each other and force your fists apart. This problem is avoided if you are careful not to shove the blade too firmly into the saya. It is necessary only that the habaki be seated, not that it is all the way in; no problem if it leaves a small gap. Whenever I return home from a sword show, I check all blades to make sure none have been seated too firmly. If the nakago is too tight in the tsuka, use the hammer and block tool made for this. Grey

I would call that ko-itame. Grey

Except for the suriage Nanki Shigekuni katana that is Tokubetsu Juyo. Exceptions to every rule. Grey

Yep, San Gatsu, March. Grey

I believe this is Yoshimitsu and Showa Ju Hachi Nen Ni Gatsu (February of 1943). Grey

Hi Chris, Seki Mifuku Masayuki Saku, I believe. Grey

Steve, can I ask you where you found this information? I'm puzzling over this soemei with a friend who can read Japanese and he couldn't find reference to Tadatsuna's family name in his references. Thanks, Grey

Thank you Steve; now I understand. Grey

Interesting and thanks all. I found this on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azai_clan and this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azai_Nagamasa Which leads to a question: if the Azai were obliterated by Nobunaga in the 16th century, can we assume Tadatsuna, who worked in the 17th century, was making the sword for a descendant who had no official position or did the remnants of the clan make a come back and reestablish importance? Grey

Hi Bruce, Unfortunately, Mr. Plimpton is not available for correspondence. I'm sure that when he acquired this sword he went with the information of the time and called it what he called it. Nothing more to add. Grey

Yes Bruce, a word for word quote. Grey

Hi guys, I, along with Mark Jones, Matt Jarrell, and Eric Molinier, purchased the Plimpton collection and have been selling it. This sword was in the collection but it wasn't sold on ebay by any of the 4 of us; it was sold some time back to a different sword dealer and he has placed it on ebay. We want all of you to know that when we are the sellers we will be honest in our descriptions and we will stand behind them. I think the sword's buyer should contact the seller and ask to return it. Although I am not responsible for this sale, I would like to mention that the seller may have been relying on John Plimpton's description of the sword in his soon to be published book: "ARMY NAVY LATE WAR. These swords were made near the very end of the war by the Tokugawa naval arsenal in Aichi Prefecture. Many of them have mixed army and navy fiittings. All of them have navy arsenal stamps, stainless steel blades, and black lacquer scabbards. In rare cases the tang is signed." Mr Plimpton has not been in good health and his description likely was written before modern research into the souvenir swords. That said, if the buyer is unhappy he should contact the seller; no honest seller wants dissatisfied buyers. Thanks, Grey