67cobra Posted June 17, 2019 Report Posted June 17, 2019 Beginning of the story, a coworker asked me if I could make a handle for a sword his grandfather gave him. Grandpa was in the Navy at some point. It used to have a handle but it broke off or something, according to him. He sends me a picture of just a blade with the little brass bit at the base of it. Sure I tell him. I get to looking at it and to me it looks too nice to be some pakistani knock-off, but not necessarily some medieval samurai sword worth thousands. I know the Japs carried swords during WWII, so maybe an officers sword or something? But the markings don't look anything like what I see on the internet. The tang is filed pretty rough and has some characters stamped in it. No kind of cartouches though. So aside from making a handle, he asked if I was going to polish it up. IDK, depends on if its something valuable. Blade is still sharp in some spots and almost looks black, I'm not sure if it would have been blued or if its patina. Also some rust on the blade and the tang. Under the habaki is still shiny due to some grease. Maybe someone here can help me zero in on where this might have come from, if its worth anything, and if I should screw with it or just make a handle and give it back. PS: No visible temper line Quote
ChrisW Posted June 17, 2019 Report Posted June 17, 2019 Please be sure to put your name (or what you wish for us to address you by) in the signature line, forum rules and all. As for the blade, it appears to be a showato (Mass-produced WWII sword), judging by its geometry and apparent aging. The patina on the blade itself is not intentional, but please do not attempt to polish it yourself and never, upon ever, remove any patina on the nakago (tang) of the blade. As for the translation of the smith, you'll have to wait on someone else to chime in on that. But just from the looks, it appears to be a WWII sword. Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted June 17, 2019 Report Posted June 17, 2019 I agree with Chris & Ray, and would add that the answer to what to do with it depends upon what the owner plans to do with it. If he's planning to keep it FOREVER and never sell it, then do what he wants to it, but with sound advice. If he thinks he'll sell it, what you do to it can be quite different. "Polishing" a blade can really mess up the look if done wrong. An ametuer with a car buffer or belt buffer puts a glassy finish on the blade that ruins the look. A real polish costs from $700 to $2,400 USD, but is worth every penny if the blade has sentimental value (like mine). In this case, the polish is worth more than the blade, as standard WWII officer gunto, fully decked out, are selling around $1,000 USD. You can find handles (tsuka) and handguards (tsuba & seppa) for sale on the internet, via dealers and ebay for a couple hundred each. You didn't say if it came with a scabbard (saya). But choosing HOW to fit it out depends upon whether this blade was Army or Navy, and having the saya would tell you that. Home-made fittings will detract from the value if he plans to sell. Selling it as-is is better. Quote
67cobra Posted June 17, 2019 Author Report Posted June 17, 2019 All good to know stuff. I was hesitant when he mentioned polishing it up, hence I haven't done anything to it so far. I did some reading before posting here and some other sites and knew about never cleaning the tang, since apparently its super critical in ID'ing and dating a blade. I also don't think he has any interest in selling it ever. If he is really insistent on polishing it then I'll probably do it for him, since honestly at least if I do it, it won't be a dremel job. But knowing its potentially valuable I'll encourage leaving it. It did have a scabbard, its at the top of my first picture, with the silver stripes and electrical tape, all full of gouges from something sharp. I guess he did that when he was a kid. It holds the sword, but otherwise is a lost cause. Last thing, Ray, are you saying that the tang translates to Seki ju Kunihiro, or is that an opinion based on the appearance? Thx Quote
ChrisW Posted June 17, 2019 Report Posted June 17, 2019 He's giving you a direct translation, which is likely to be a correct and proper mei. Its unlikely to be gimei since its a showato. Quote
Shamsy Posted June 17, 2019 Report Posted June 17, 2019 It's also worth noting that 'Japs' is a derogatory term we do not use here. 9 Quote
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