Novice with question

[greggg]

Hello, a friend has had this sword in his closet for 20 years. He inherited it from his father-in-law who had owned a bar and a WWII vet used this sword to pay off his bar tab. We know nothing about swords and were hoping somebody could provide any info. I know that this sword and its handle is missing its decorations, but we managed to remove the sword from the handle to look for a signature, and we are unable to interpret the writing. I hope that these photos are clear enough. Thank you so much for looking!

 

http://s619.photobucket.com/albums/tt273/kc1967/

[Stephen]

its a wakisashi from 1600s to 1800s many gen. of this smith

 

signed Miutsu Daijo Miyoshi Nagamichi

 

edit to add pix, when showing the nakago blade goes up, rotated this one for you,

i think the handle is a redo or added

 

[greggg]

Stephen, thank you so much for your fast reply and information! Sorry we had the sword upside down! We'll see what else we can find out based on what you've told us - any other comments still welcome! THANK YOU!

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

Nice blade from a good smith, It deserves to be restored.

[ottou812]

According to Hawleys, only the 1st gen signed exactly like this.

[greggg]

Thank you so much all - your knowledge is astounding! Too bad we will never know how much that bar tab was!