My uncle found a sword in his old house, but we don't know what does it mean by the signature...it has the number of "1701".. does it mean its made in 1701?
Here's a description of the singature on the sword:
Starting with 4 Japanese words (arranged in 2 x 2 settings), then "1701" arranged horizontally underneath the wordings. Then underneath the 1701 .. there's like a symbol with a rectangle boarder with a circle right in the middle of the rectangle, and within the circle, there's a star. Just above the handle, and underneath the symbol, there's a serial number of "23842" (I have attached a photo).
Also, along on the sword, there are 9 triangle stamps, then 9 flower stamps, then 9 star stamps lining up vertically in the order described along the sword starting just above the signature (above the 4 Japanese words).
Would someone know the age of this sword? Where can I go for more information?
Many many thanks!
