MichaelZWilliamson

As far as smithing, I can recommend better ones. As far as cutlering and bladesmithing in particular, I wish I had time. Between an 8 month old, a 6 year old we're keeping out of school during this idiocy, and my day job (I have 9 national bestsellers in print and four books on contract), I get a couple of hours a day in the shop, mostly to help unwind and focus. It's 0130 and I'm hard at work.

The Ottoman is an original in my collection. The Viking repros are about the limit of my skill, though I've done some very nice dress daggers. Here's one I did several years ago, with hand-fluted dyed maple burl, bronze wire, and tigereye.

I've been forging blades for 37 years, though nothing of the quality of the better historical smiths of any country, though I've observed and met a handful. I have very limited knowledge of Japanese work, but I understand metal when I see it.

Ottoman bishaq, about 1850, wootz steel, jade, and gold inlay of a Persian poem. Another Viking era shaping axe, the smaller back used mostly for crushing and splitting mortar, the edge inset with carburized iron. A weld line is visible across the socket. My daughter's blade after initial polishing.

Viking era reproductions based on finds from Gotland, about 10th century. Soft iron spine, pattern welded cores, carburized edges. These are my work. My eldest daughter, then 13, helped forge the billets and finished her own.

As I said, I have polished repros, and completely trashed and bent guntos (also used for straightening practice). I don't touch anything that could have historical value. I previously had a pattern 1889 dated here. Turns out the blade was quite a bit older. It has been oiled, and that is it. This one is actually a good display piece for my presentation on edged weapons, which starts in the Neolithic, through the Bronze Age, Middle Ages, Napoleonic, through to the present. It makes an excellent example of, "This looks like junk, but doing a Youtube-grade 'restoration' will make it even worse." Bronze Age dagger/sword, Luristan, about 800BC, Iron Age Celtic adze, about year 0, Viking era axe found near Archangelsk, Russia, about 1000 AD.

Thanks for the info. Two mekugi-ana suggested it might be older than WWII. I polish reproductions for practitioners. I'm willing to clean up stamped gunto if they're low value. That's how I learn. I don't touch anything until it's identified. This has no visible dings and is very clean under the gunk and surface oxidation. So I'll leave it as is. I'll give it some oil and wiping. After selling the bent and corroded scabbard, I basically got it for free. Is it possible to estimate its original length, style, and timeframe?

This showed up in a badly rusted military scabbard, and is obviously corroded, but mostly superficial. However, since it's signed, I want to ensure it's just an unremarkable piece before I use it for polish practice. 35" overall, 26" from kissaki to mune-machi. No visible hamon or boshi.

It does seem to be the correct depth. It's a slightly loose fit, but I'd attribute that to shrinkage with age.

I just noticed the saya is about 4" longer than the blade, and has far more curve. I believe it's not original to the piece.

WWII. Typo in title. Sorry.

From my friend's collection, I had a stack of about 50 of these for sale. All sold now, but it might be of interest to some here. Translation was by a Japanese friend.

When I've uploaded images reduced to fit the specs, they're too small to tell much. I'll try to get some polarized light on. The hamon is visible, but barely.

25" sugata, shortened ~2" from original, based on the polish along the current nakago, and the hi rather far into it. Definitely suriage. The hamon is visible, very lively, and much thinner toward the tip. Kissaki is about 1.25" long, boshi seems to run parallel to the edge all the way up, possibly tarumi? There is some irregularity of curve to the hi. I presume the blade was fitted to the military scabbard. https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/06/20190406131322-314e8b70-la.jpg https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/06/20190406131306-61552c5f-la.jpg https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/06/20190406131249-ba49513e-la.jpg Other images added to the link in OP. The hamon is very hard to photograph. I'll try with proper lighting later. It appears I'm unable to post any images from my site now.

Yes, as fun as the humor is, I'd like to get back to the sword and what it might have been before.

Yes. And actually, my first thought was an industrial vibrator like we use for concrete pours, or a smaller one used for settling media in a container.

Thanks. I can now buy a vibrator as a business expense.

That seems to be the case.

I was able to carefully tap everything free with a rubber mallet, some cloth padding, and patience. More photos later or tomorrow.

I'd never removed the tsuka because some idiot glued the mekugi in place. I finally carefully drilled and punched it out. I bought this as what I thought was a Pattern 1886 with some wear that might be field use, might also be carelessness, and realizing it had some wear. https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/05/20190405125159-7a18f07c-la.jpg I'm unable to remove further. It looks like possibly someone got the seppa swapped and forced the front one on the rear. It moves about a quarter inch and stops, friction held against the nakago, and I don't want to force it. https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/05/20190405125220-8395d83e-la.jpg Gallery is here: https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/index.php?/category/17 if that doesn't link correctly I'll post individually.

George, while my family is rather not poor, my wife is reservation born, grew up literal trailer trash within throwing distance of the Mexican border. I was born in the UK in a house without central heat, before we moved to Canada, then the US. I left for Basic with one small bag of personal possessions. And she still raises animals here. https://farm.firehazel.com/ Our current status of "not poor" is due to a combination of sheer stubbornness and a certain amount of luck. I have a certain amount of liquidity to throw at my hobbies. In exchange I still refuse to waste money on things like new cars (mine's the newest here, 10 years old), and we produce some of our own food because she likes to, and because it might be needful. I greatly respect your displayed integrity, careful thought in both seeking out this place (I just joined last week) and its expertise, and concern for your artifact and its history. I don't think anyone is trying to be snobbish. We're just awed at your fortune in possessing such a piece, and that you're methodically trying to do what's best. I've come across plenty of, "Eh, $50 is good," and "I think I'll polish this up and have it chrome plated" (shudder), and "It's just a sword, who careS?" not to mention "We don't need things like that in OUR house!" Good luck, and Semper Fi.

The board intermittently doesn't like my image host. At present I can neither upload nor attach. https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/05/20190405082009-34eccce6-la.jpg https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/05/20190405082015-7919509c-la.jpg https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/05/20190405082020-f6a304f7-la.jpg https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/05/20190405082026-97d957af-la.jpg The habaki required some persuasion to remove. https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/05/20190405082031-28042173-la.jpg https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/05/20190405082053-6bfa962f-la.jpg https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/05/20190405082047-92a30a11-la.jpg https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/05/20190405082039-f5ed505e-la.jpg https://www.sharppointythings.com/piwigo/i.php?/upload/2019/04/05/20190405081957-973beea1-la.jpg

And I would say, as an artifact brought back by the General, it should be preserved in that context. It's an important context between their culture and ours, during the War. Everyone has heard a story like this. This one actually happened. It's not about the financial value of the sword. There's a scene in the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair where the kids on a museum field trip are looking at an early Monet, utterly unimpressed by the Impressionist school of art. Until the teacher tells them it's worth $100 million. Then they're interested. Is the painting really worth that? No, because it's not and will never be for sale. That's what it is insured for. But that number is CONTEXT for school kids. What is this sword worth? Who cares? It's not worth "money." It's worth HISTORY. And whether in the hands of family or collector, that is its value. If it loses the history, it's just an old piece of junk from the war. Then it dies, and is forgotten, and has no value. The reason people value papered swords is the history. With or without papers, this one has history, but the papers would help document that for: The General The Family The Corps The US Japan WWII The Smith World History I had two near identical Spanish Puerto Seguro sabers. One was near mint. The other was rippled from impact in a cavalry charge, bent slightly from being withdrawn, and blood-etched. It probably actually killed communists. That one sold for more. I have a Reising submachine gun that is generally considered a low grade weapon. This one had the stock cut, was smuggled back in some Marine's duffelbag, professionally reassembled, and rebarreled. Possibly the original barrel was damaged. It finally got papered in 1968 during the Amnesty. Whoever this Marine was, and we'll never know, he REALLY needed a machine gun back home, and a Reising was all he could get. But it was professionally rebuilt, and every tweak for reliability was done. Possibly he was an armorer. It's all speculation. I'd have GLADLY paid extra to know who this guy was, where, and why he chose to smuggle a Reising back. Because that story would make it more than just "a WWII Bringback." That would make it a documented piece of history. So by all means keep the sword. It's yours, your family earned it. But consider that it deserves to have its story told, to go with your grandfather's story, so the world will better understand that time and the people involved.

I would be willing to contribute to having this properly polished.

In my primary collector world, a friend has a huge hoard (vs collection) of antique firearms and some various militaria, collected over 50 years in the military and traveling. He's in ill health, and while I hope he has lots of time left, age catches everyone eventually. He has no will, keeps talking about "someone in the family is a lawyer, but I think he retired." ANY family attorney can draft a basic will. I've helped him ID, and list for sale, several interesting and sometimes valuable items. He showed me a scarce Mauser, in a cabinet in the basement, with mildew blooming on the stock. I offered to clean, oil, and suggested it would do better upstairs, or potentially sold as it's got some value. "I think I want to hang onto this a bit longer." And back into the cabinet, with mildew destroying the wood. He has a bunch of what are called DEWATs--Deactivated War Trophy machine guns. He says he has paper for them, which means legally they can be converted back to functional machine guns, and are worth tens of thousands each, but only if he can find, or replace the Form 4s. I've suggested my firearm attorney, or another local one, can contact ATF for him and arrange replacement stamps, as each stamp is only good for a particular firearm (like Japanese sword certificates). He keeps repeating, "I just want to find them, just to have my hands on them!" Which is not the important matter, legally. Proving their existence is the important matter. Ultimately, if he dies intestate without those forms in evidence, even deactivated as they were in the 1960s does not meet the current legal standard, and those will have to be torch cut into pieces. I've never seen an MP-18 (early German subgun) in the wild, and he has one. But they are his. I hope we can avoid a loss to history, and it's clear if his sister inherits she'll take the first offer of, "A bunch of junk, but we'll clean out for free if you let us keep what's sellable." And then lots of rare guns will be destroyed, and lots of swords and other guns will be sold cheap at auction with no provenance, and crates of historical books and papers will be tossed into a dumpster. I've had several people hand me their estates' knives and swords, thinking, "There's not much here," and I'll point out a rare Kriegsmarine dirk ($1500), a prototype US Army bayonet ($3000), and a hand made piece from a known collector ($2000). Everything of mine is on a detailed spreadsheet against this risk, and in my case, I'm fortunate that my eldest daughter looked at it and said, "Dad, we're not selling your swords and guns, we're fighting over them." But without a generation appreciating what's there, and knowing who to ask at the very least, stuff winds up in garage sales, eBay, chopped up to "make something good out of this old junk," and ultimately lost to family, culture, and world, history. However, I'm very pleased to have seen the information on George's sword and the history it adds to the discussion. No matter what happens, we now have that. It's obvious you do respect and appreciate the sword for its history, even if not in quite the same way as collectors. Whatever decision you make, please make sure your family remains aware of the significance, of both that and other artifacts.