Help Identifying A Tanto

[StringHunter]

Hello I am new to the forum and a beginning collector but lived in Japan as a kid and a long time practitioner of Kendo so very interested in swords. I saw a tanto in a store the other day on consignment. The owner of the shop had it advertised as a WW2 suicide knife. The pin holding the tsuba looks like Bakelite to me, any help identifying what it is and its approximate age would be really helpful, I am trying to decide if I should buy it. Thanks so much!

[Grey Doffin]

The pin is horn and the rings around the pin are ivory, bone, or plastic.  More than that can't be said without a chance to see the blade.  Ask the owner if you can remove the pin and handle, lay the bare blade on a piece of soft cloth, and give us photos of both sides of the blade.  Give us your name also, please.

[StringHunter]

Thanks I will go back in and ask her. My name is Christian. I appreciate the response.

[Brian]

Looks better than a WW2 soldiers dagger. Possibly a genuine and antique tanto. Looking forward to more pics. Advise the shop owner that removing the blade is routine and not destructive, and is vital to seeing what is there.

[StringHunter]

Ok so I need a little help taking this tanto apart. I have removed the pin as you will see in the photos but I am not sure how to remove the blade from the handle. As you can see it has a small crack so I want to be sure I do it right.

 

Thanks for your help!

[StringHunter]

Ok despite my last post I was able to take it apart. No markings under the handle though, please see the pics and let me know what you think.

[Grey Doffin]

I believe this was made, probably from the end of a broken sword, just after the end of WWII to sell to someone in the occupying forces.  Very little value here; nothing to get excited about.

Grey

[Bruce Pennington]

Very well made! I can't speak to the age though.

[obiwanknabbe]

Agree with Grey on this one. Broken end off a sword. Typically don't see tanto in shinogi zukuri with rare exception. Also, I see hamon running past the hamachi.   How much is the shop asking?

 

Kurt K

[Kai-Gunto]

The mekugiana looks punched.

[Grey Doffin]

Very well made?  There is no patina to the nakago because this was ground out of the sword remnant all at once, the ha-machi is totally wrong, looks like the yokote has been dubbed over to disguise the blade's origin, the hamon looks to be cosmetic, the shinogi wanders up and down, and as mentioned, well made tanto don't have shinogi.  The mekugi-ana may be punched but what this tanto costs may be an awful lot to pay for a punched hole and not much else.

Don't buy this Christian; you can do way,way better.

Grey

[Bruce Pennington]

Very well made?  There is no patina to the nakago because this was ground out of the sword remnant all at once, the ha-machi is totally wrong, looks like the yokote has been dubbed over to disguise the blade's origin, the hamon looks to be cosmetic, the shinogi wanders up and down, and as mentioned, well made tanto don't have shinogi.  The mekugi-ana may be punched but what this tanto costs may be an awful lot to pay for a punched hole and not much else.

Don't buy this Christian; you can do way,way better.

Grey

Grey, I see what you mean! I am but a young grass-hoppahhhh, with much to learn still!

 

Interesting artifact, if in fact it was originally a gunto from the war. If cheap, it's still a piece of history, namely the history right after the war when gunto were cut in half. Merchants took the pointy ends and crafted souveniers out of them. It still tells a story, if that's what one is looking for. Otherwise, keep looking!

[lonely panet]

Bruce, the idea that if its cheap enough makes it a good buy is flawed.

 

Condition,condition, condition