Hello and good morning to all.
New guy here looking for some info on a sword that I have. I did a lot of research several years ago but, I'm not satisfied with what I found.
Story begins...I have this old Japanese sword. Well, I do and it has been under my control for the past 30 or so years. Prior to that, it was owned by my Father. It has been in my family for 70 years or longer. My Mother passed it on to me when my Father passed.
It was given to him by my uncle back in the '40's, it is a WWII GI bring back.
It has been identified as a Nihonto due to the size and blade shape. The tang has never been cleaned in any way and in great shape. It has been identified as a family sword, not a military grade. There are two holes in the tang. The blade is in great shape and very sharp.
The handle is fragile most likely due to the age. The Mekugi has always been missing. I replaced it with a temp fix by using a piece of bamboo chop stick.
The signature on the tang was translated as:
Kanabo - school
Uemonjo - family name
Masatsugu - sword smith
The person who supplied me with most of my info said that the signature does not match any in his books and called the signature faked. The smith in question worked around 1570. He also said that there were three generations of smiths from the Kanabo school.
I was also told by another "expert" about the same time that the signature matches what he has on file.
Other info that I have is:
(EIROKU 1558-1592) Chu Jo Saku, Wazamono
Signed: Nanto Kanabo Hyoeinojo Masatsugu
Nanto Ju Fujiwara Ason Kanabo Hyoeinojo Masatsugu
I hope I have spelled everything correctly.
I have more including photos of the blade but lets begin here.
I had an offer to purchase about ten years ago from yet another "expert" but I passed on it. I'm not looking to sell, just better info.
Thanks for any info that anyone may have.
Jim
