Hex0811

I just re-read your post and caught this important note. I think leaving this to someone who knows what they're doing would make me feel a lot better. Thank you

Thank you very much for the info. I will do some searching through the threads on here for proper sword care and try to get this cleaned up. Once done, i will get some better pics of the Ko-gatana for a translation

other side of the tip

Thank you! I get nervous about doing any cleaning to something that may have age or value. What is the best way to clean the blade? Here are some pictures of the tip and the blade under the habiki

Dad passed last September and we found this sword while cleaning out parts of his closet. My mom knows he had it when they first met, mid-1970'd but no idea where he got it. I do not have the tsuka. Blade is magnetic and very sharp, with quite a few nicks in the blade. There are engravings on the tang, the small dagger and the kojiri. Someone on reddit says the tang inscription is from Etchu No Kami Kanekuni, but it looks much sloppier than other Kanekuni mei I have see online. Wondering if someone here can let me know if this is worth seeking professional authentication or is this a gift shop trinket.