Good evening all,
This is my first post here and I need your help.
I inherited two Japanese swords from my Grandfather about 18 years ago and they've been sat in my house the entire time. I always admired them when I was a lot younger and asked lots of questions about them. I actually took them both onto the Antiques Roadshow when they came to Durham but apart from telling me they looked like nice examples, I didn't get much more information because the hilt had never been removed to reveal inscriptions on the tang (sp?).
I've been wanting to know more about these blades for years and hopefully you can help shed some light on them. I believe one of them, was received from a Japanese officer as part of a surrender at the end of the Second World War. Anyway, images are below and any help would be great.
The first two pictures are from blade one. It has one inscription on one side of the tang and what looks like a stamp at the bottom of the tang. The inscription is a lot clearer.
The latter two are from blade two. The inscriptions are much harder to see, the tang is more rusted and it has an inscription on both sides of the tang.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Please forgive any ignorance or lack of knowledge - I'm very much a newbie to all this.
Best,
James