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Seeking identification


Darmour

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Hello from Canada. I'm seeking information on this sword I inherited this sword from my grandfather. I suspect it may be Japanese, but can't be sure. Unfortunately, it's in a sorry state, and, I believe, is missing some parts.

 

I've attached photos here, including the tang, which is inscribed.

 

All suggestions, info, and recommendations much appreciated.

 

Douglas

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Real Japanese wakizashi. Others will tell you the name, kuni something.  It is salvageable if polished. The only thing being, considering the price, is it worth it?


missing fuchi, both seppa and a Tsuba..

 

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Dear Doug.

 

The form of the signature should be the name of the province, followed by (no)ju or 'living at' and then the smiths name.  It is just possible that in this case the province is Inshu, short for Inaba province.  I have to say that the first kanji does not conform to the usual way of writing this and looks much more like 'Kuni' .  There is a smith signing Inshu no ju Munenaga but there is not very much information on him and from the shape of the blade I would not have thought it right for his period of working.  Of course there is always the possibility that the signature is spurious, as in all forms of art.

 

Not much help I'm afraid, but as other s have said it is a genuine Japanese sword.

 

Enjoy the chase.

 

All the best.

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The style of signature and blade is more shinto-like something along the lines of 1650. This being said "Kuni ju" is something quite strange. Almost as if someone not very literate was trying to sign something, but could not figure out where to put kuni, where ju etc.

 

Kirill R

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9 hours ago, DoTanuki yokai said:

kuni X ju munenaga i think ?

 

Jp, Tsuba :)

Aaaaaaagggghhh!😬

And yet another bout of auto correct mistake! I really need to read what I write. Stupid thing keeps modifying my words and replacing them by the closest in its database.....

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Thanks everyone! This is helpful. I realized if was missing pieces, and thought it was perhaps was only a tsuba. So now knowing what else is lost is helpful. I wonder if there is a site that could provide the appropriate period replacements? It does seem to be a rather crude sword. I thought perhaps it was a common soldier's sword. Is there any way I can better pinpoint the date?

 

Also, if I were to repair it or have it repaired, can anyone suggest an information source, either print or online?

 

Unfortunately, I have no idea how my grandfather came to have it. He was a Canadian Brig-General based in Washington during WW2. He never spent any time in the east. It's likely someone gave it to him as a gift. 

 

Thanks again.

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Now, I wouldn’t do anything to the blade yourself except use uchiko and oil to try and give it back a bit of beautiful and stopping any possible active rust. Polishing is not in your set of skills. It’s a professional job and I’m sure American or Canadian members will provide you with names for that. Just know it is an expensive undertaking. For the missing parts, I would suggest one of our fellow members like:

 

Grey:

https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com

 

Ed:

http://yakiba.com
 

Ray:
http://swordsofjapan.com


or David:

https://www.raindragonfineartandantiques.com

 

 

 

 

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Welcome to NMB, Doug. I always chuckle when a new member wanders in, with a blade he got from somewhere, not knowing just how deep the swamp is, when they get interested in their blade. Just a quick warning that this is one of the most-expensive hobbies!

 

Please read http://www.nbthk-ab.org/swordcare.pdf

This will teach you how to take care of your blade.

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9 hours ago, 16k said:

Now, I wouldn’t do anything to the blade yourself except use uchiko and oil to try and give it back a bit of beautiful and stopping any possible active rust. Polishing is not in your set of skills. It’s a professional job and I’m sure American or Canadian members will provide you with names for that. Just know it is an expensive undertaking. For the missing parts, I would suggest one of our fellow members like:

 

Grey:

https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com

 

Ed:

http://yakiba.com
 

Ray:
http://swordsofjapan.com


or David:

https://www.raindragonfineartandantiques.com

 

 

 

 

Very helpful. Thanks

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9 hours ago, Ken-Hawaii said:

Welcome to NMB, Doug. I always chuckle when a new member wanders in, with a blade he got from somewhere, not knowing just how deep the swamp is, when they get interested in their blade. Just a quick warning that this is one of the most-expensive hobbies!

 

Please read http://www.nbthk-ab.org/swordcare.pdf

This will teach you how to take care of your blade.

Very deep indeed. And very interesting. I'm sure it could quickly become an addiction. Thanks for the link.

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3 hours ago, mywei said:

mei reads i think

 

因州住景長

Inshū ju Kagenaga

Thanks for this. A quick search of "Inshū ju Kagenaga" found this site: https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/KAG119

If this is correct, does this mean the sword is from the 1429-1441 Eykio period?

I think I'll have to do a deeper dive on this.

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I read it as Kagenaga as well, and Inshu would go to a series of listed smiths.  It does seem odd that the kuni character was used instead of the typical "in" character.  I have never seen a "typo" in a tang, and imagine that they are quite rare.  

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