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Posted

 

I hope this is the right place to post this. Forums.gunboards.com suggested I come out here to get more information on this sword.

 

My Grandma passed away a number of years ago and her husband passed away over 2 decades ago. Anyways we were going through her belongings and I got this. It was her husbands. I knew he served in the Korean War, but he never did talk about it. Don't know if this is the right place to post the question, but do you know if this is a Japanese sword? The grips don't look original nor does the cloth around the scabbard. I haven't yet figure out a good way to get the grips off so I cannot check the blade manufacturer.

Posted

Looks like a genuine Japanese wakizashi to me, probably from the 1600's or perhaps a little earlier. The mountings aren't anything to get too excited about as they seem to have had much hobbyist type work done to them, at least they protect the sword.

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Posted

So far the original parts appear to be:

 

-Blade and Habaki(blade collar)

-Tsuba (sword guard)

-Fuchi & Kashira (two pieces at bottom and top of the handle)

 

Everything else is recent and decidedly non Japanese. There are many original parts and services to help restore it that will cost you many thousands of dollars, money you would never get back if you were looking to restore and sell. From the looks of it this is a sword made during the Muromachi period by one of the Bizen Osafune group for one of the many wars going on at the time. Large amounts of utilitarian quality swords were pumped out to meet demand (think AKM/AK74 etc) and this appears to be one of them.

Posted

I can't really tell on my phone, but it looks like either a mark from the tsuka sitring or the nakago was brazed on? I wouldn't think someone would do it on a kazuuchomono, but I've seen stranger things!

 

The blade definitely reminiscent of such, as others have mentioned. The fittings look as if they were cleaned and polished, at least the fuchi and kashira do. Definitely either the original tsuka with a post-war repair via two pieces of wood and a screw, or a whole new handle all together. Not sure about the saya under that wrap. Some soldiers did do so as a field repair or covering, or could been done by the vet! All in all, neat little bring back!

 

The tsuba is definitely interesting!

Posted

Please sign all of your posts with your first name, so we know how to address you.

 

The closer I look at the blade, the stranger it seems. The two different colors inside the upper mekugiana has me scratching my head. Then, there's the mismatch between where the habaki sits & the machi, as well as the od area below that. And the yasurimi seem to be going in all directions. Very strange.

Posted

I don't think the nakago (tang) was brazed on; what you're seeing is wear from a few centuries of iron tsuba.  The upper mekugi-ana (hole in the nakago) is 2 colors because someone clear coated the nakago and the lighter color is where the varnish didn't reach.  I wouldn't spend any money restoring this sword; there would be no return on the investment other than personal pleasure.  If you take some time to learn about Japanese swords you might catch the bug and you can look for a better prospect to spend money on

Grey

Posted

Check out the posts on cleaning and maintenance on this forum so that you do no damage. Value it for what it is, a family heirloom, brought back from a war zone where he had served. Sometimes people here focus too closely on perfection rather than other reasons to value something.

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Posted

Thanks for the information. I appreciate it guys very much. Do you have any recommendations on the best place to start to learn about this kind of a sword?

 

Do you think it would be wise to remove the wrapping around the scabbard?

 

Thanks,

Josh

Posted

Josh, I’d say the best place is called books. If you need just a starter, go for John Yumoto’s the Samurai sword. It is dated and on the thin side, but it’s cheap, easily available , easy to read and will give you about every basic stuff you need to know about swords. If you like it and want to continue, there are many other books to read afterwards.

Posted

I will have to get that book. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

Do you think I should remove the wrapping off the scabbard? What was an original scabbard made of? If there is any adhesive on the scabbard, how can I carefully remove it without messing it up?

 

What kind of reproduction screws should I get to put on the grips? Also, is should I wrap the grips with anything to make it period correct?

Posted

Josh, since you've asked several times, feel free to remove the saya wrapping, with the caveat that it was probably wrapped that way for a reason. If the wood starts to fall apart, you'll know why. Screws are not generally used, especially on older swords, so try using hashi (chopsticks) instead, as mekugi are bamboo. Yumoto's book is good, as is https://smile.amazon.com/Sword-Japan-Joseph-Bott/dp/1304242404/

Posted

Thanks for the information. I appreciate it guys very much. Do you have any recommendations on the best place to start to learn about this kind of a sword?

 

Do you think it would be wise to remove the wrapping around the scabbard?

 

Thanks,

Josh

 

 

It doesn't look like there is much underneath it and you might be left with rotting wood that will disintegrate after you unwrap it or something else that will disintegrate after unwrapping it.

 

Just go slow and if things start to look bad halfway through, just stop. Its a decent sword and if you plan on making a new saya for it, then go ahead and unwrap it but who knows what condition its in underneath

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