ROKUJURO

So KENCHO is KANENAGA?

Marsel, the first photo is upside-down. The shape looks Japanese but there is too much corrosion to say more. But please do not "clean" or grind it, leave this to an expert!

Jon, it is not a TACHI, but a KATANA blade.

Chansen, these mountings have been put together very recently. The SAMEGAWA was "repaired" with 2-component glue, and the MENUKI have been glued on the TSUKA the same way - amateur work! TSUKA-ITO is missing, so, no, this KOSHIRAE is not 'period-correct', which by the way would not be a problem in terms of quality. Mountings were often changed in the life of a blade. To me, the blade has a later MINO touch; the HAMON reminds me of SANBON SUGI. As mentioned before, you do not know what you have there, so it is much better to save your money for a moment and look for a better sword. Here on the NMB, we have reliable dealers and good offers for your money.

That will apply to most of us, so that is a good reason not to waste your money on crap TSUBA. It is certainly not about resale value to make money, but on general value. Some day, someone will have your TSUBA, and only better quality items will keep their value (or even increase in value as we learn from the past). Cheap items, on the other hand, will mostly remain cheap stuff even after a few hundred years. You will find good craftsmanship only in good TSUBA which you can study and learn from. This quality relation is not restricted to TSUBA; it is the same all over the world with any hand-made object. There is a saying that you always "buy yourself".....If you judge your self-esteem low, then buy cheap stuff.

Jon, it is not a KATANA but a military TACHI. The TSUBA is a recent imitation (not Japanese, I believe).

.....arm yourself with a lot of knowledge, time and patience..... That's it!

It does not look like a TSUBA either. YOKAI is another name for TANUKI.

I do not see a TANUKI. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_raccoon_dog

These rasps are made in different shapes and length. Quite expensive!

Please don't do this until it is a traditionally trained person, specialized in Japanese blades. Recommendation like the one by Piers should absolutely be followed!

Hi JT, welcome to the NMB! Please sign all posts at least with a first name plus an initial, so we can address you politely. It is a rule here. The blade is indeed dated 1940, and the maker seems to read KANETOSHI (TACHI MEI). Do you see stamps of any kind on the NAKAGO (tang)? They might indicate the way the blade was made.

Alex, this alteration would not have been done in a day or three. Think of making not only the NAKAGO extension, but also a new TSUKA!

One explanation I could think of would be that it was mounted as NAGAMAKI. As mentioned above by John, a very long TSUKA with a short NAKAGO is likely to break in battle.

JM (please sign all posts with a first name plus an initial so we could address you politely), the photo is completely out of focus so nothing can be seen.

I am not familiar with CATAWIKI and its experts, but if it was really such a bad and incompetent place, why not just ignore them and buy elsewhere? Verbally beating a co-worker for his employer is pointless in my opinion.

Yes, a SOSHU KANETOMO signed attempt to make an imitation.

Hamish, ever considered to makle them yourself in the quality you need? There is a good video by Ford Hallam to teach you.

He realized his mistake only when it was too late.....

There is also the possibility that a former owner of the sword used it in IAIDO and blunted it for more safety. If it were mine, I would carefully consider the loss of steel necessary for a new polish. First step is always to know what you have. Making it sharp (what for?) is the very last step, and it will not improve the blade. Just my two YEN.

Yes, SORI, not KAERI.

Hamish, you could inquire here: https://www.namikawa-ltd.com/product/234 Very probably, you will have to fit them yourself. You may also look here https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/53075-seppa-shapes-and-design/#comment-554262 and here https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/52977-need-help-these-tachi-seppa/#comment-554752

At least to my eyes, it looks quite spectacular!

Mike, be patient. Bob is 91 years old, and that age can make you a bit slower sometimes...... Maybe he does not know how to open PM?