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Thank you for the recommendation! I'm still sourcing a shirasaya, but I ordered this in black to display. I'm having a hard time finding a box to encase the display. I may end up making one out of acrylic and wood. I still have the original tsuka, tsuba, and saya, so I'll display those alongside. They're in really rough shape, but have great historical value.

Oh wow, that's beautiful! I'm having a hard time getting a response. He must be quite busy these days.

Thanks! Would you mind pointing me in the direction of his FB page? I haven't heard back from him on instagram yet.

Is it possible to use the habaki that came with it? Or as they not reusable once removed?

It's in the US. I just reached out to John Tirado through instagram based on another post I saw on this forum. We'll see if he's taking new work. Will I need to send him the blade to have the shirasaya made? Thank you! I'm keeping an eye out for sword shows so I can get it authenticated. If it turns out not to be a Sanemori, I'll be fine with it. It will still be a lovely show piece for my living room. I can't wait to see it in person. I'll post more pictures once I gets here.

I'm back after a couple years! It was a long wait, but I finally got to the top of the waiting list for my polisher. He confirmed the signature is authentic and original. It was the 3rd generation Sanemori working in Mikawa province. It was made between 1532 and 1555. He just finished and sent me some pictures of the results and I wanted to share. Does anyone know where I might be able to buy a shirasaya and a display case? I've already got a katanakake on order from https://daikukai.com/.

Thanks Mike! I'll definitely be keeping this as I feel it brings me closer to my heritage. I'm half Japanese on my mother's side and it's a nice way to stay culturally close to that side of my lineage. Everyone on this board has been extremely gracious and helpful. Thank you for your response.

Steve, Thank you for your thoughtful response. I very much appreciate your candor and diplomacy in how you responded to what was most likely a crass statement on my part. I don't mean to disparage the piece of history I have in my possession. My question was more to inform whether or not I should spend the $2000ish to have the piece restored by a trained togishi or to keep as is, and I may have been insensitive in my approach. I'm currently on the 23-month waiting list to have it restored by David Hofhine at ipolishswords, so I have time before I make my final decision. I'm very excited and honored to have this wakizashi and I thank you for not only bearing with me but patiently helping me as I learn the ropes.

Thank you Les. History articles like this are exactly the kind of thing I was interested in reading about! It seems I definitely have a fake signature on my wakizashi. Does that most likely mean I have a low value piece of steel? Ie, the equivalent of a walmart sword?

Thanks Steve this is super helpful. I'll check out local clubs in my area and let you know what I find.

Thanks Steve! My friend mentioned that Sanemori was very famous and it does sound a little too good to be true that I'm holding one of his wakizashi. Is there a way to verify real vs fake signatures on blades such as these? I'm new to this so I'm unsure of the process for determining authenticity. I understand one must submit for a shinsa, but you mentioned I wouldn't be able to do so with the signature that's on it?

I was also able to play around with the contrast of one of the photos to get a better read on the signature if it helps any.

Thanks Ken. How important is it that I get the habaki completely off? I've been tapping away at it with plastic punches and a gunsmithing hammer for some time, and I think it's gone as far as it will go without more...drastic measures. I'm also admittedly a little afraid of slicing my hand open. The blade is still relatively sharp. Do these pictures reveal any new information? What would be my next step in figuring out the worth, age, and origin of this blade?

I was thinking I might tap it down like you suggested, but the gold plating is flaking off. Is that something I can worry about restoring/preserving or is it pretty well shot at this point (ie. don't worry if it falls off when tapping)?

Thanks for the response! I tried getting the habaki off, but the nakago has a couple spots where the rust is raised and the seppa won't slide off. Here are some of the approximate measurements: The overall length is 22.5 inches The kissaki is around 1 inch The nakago is 4 inches measured to the base of the hakabi (5 if including the length the hakabi covers) Here are some more images. I was able to slide the hakabi down a bit. What other parts of the blade should I try to get better photos off?

My father in law just recently gifted me this wakizashi. It was given to him by his grandfather who brought it to the states after WWII. At first I thought it was produced for the war efforts, but some research leads me to believe it may be older than that--possibly from the 1600s. A Japanese-speaking friend thought it might say "Ohara ju Sanemori" in the inscription, but I was hoping someone here might be able to confirm that and provide context on what that means. Can you help me identify it? I'm also not sure what to do with it. I'd love to completely restore it for display, but I'm not sure what that would do to the monetary and historical value of it. Should I keep this as it is or would I be ok to have it professionally restored?