kh337

Thank you so much, Jean, John, & Steve. I am a little speechless as to what you all have managed to figure out. I'd always been drawn to that sword since I was a kid, and it was passed down to me in my grandmother's will. Now I am researching the proper path to care for it properly going forward and to possibly get it polished. Thank you again, I am most grateful for your assistance. Cheers, Chris G.

Thank you everyone! I used Noshu Fujiwara Kanesada from the comments to search last night and arrived at Sesshū Fujiwara Kanesada and the blade (https://www.aoijapan.net/katana-sesshu-fujiwara-kanesada/) to compare to, along with this entry: https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/KAN280. I am glad that further comments validated that time spent. To my completely untrained eye, the mei looked incredibly similar in style and substance between the two. Much more similar than any others I have seen in the last few years of looking. I could find no other markings on the tang. Also, I do not know if this helps but measured the blade according to the instructions at https://japaneseswordindex.com/measure.htm and came up with: 910mm Full length 703mm Blade length Here are some more pictures of the blade with some closeups that hopefully show the grain and tempering line better. I also included a side by side image of the two mei. You guys are awesome for all the help you are giving. Cheers, Chris G.

Thank you! Apologies for not introducing myself. I will see if I can get some decent pictures of the blade. The blade is not in the best condition, but does have hamon & hada present. Thank you again for your help, I can't tell you how much it is appreciated, Chris G.

Thank you in advance for your assistance. I inherited this sword from from my grandfather, who brought it back from Japan after WWII. Looked to be a type 98 Shin Gunto. I am completely lost on even identifying any of the characters. Any help would be most welcome.