World War II Sword, Maybe?

[garbage finds]

Hello,

 

 

Thank you to whomever can provide additional information. This was found today at our garbage site. We get swords from time to time, most are just newly made junk but this one certainly feels different. Total length is 35 1/8" and blade is about 26 1/8". Can anyone provide additional information in terms of history or value?

[John C]

Hello:

This is indeed a legit sword in navy kaigunto fittings. Not sure of the smith name (kane something) so you'll have to wait for a translation. The stamp just above the hole in the tang is the Seki inspection stamp, indicating it is not traditionally made. But still, a nice piece of ww2 history.

 

John C.

Edited Wednesday at 07:22 PM by John C
spelling

[SteveM]

関福田兼丈作　Seki Fukuda Kanetake-saku

 

(Made by Fukuda Kanetake, of Seki city)

 

Kanetake is the name of the smith. Fukuda is the family name. 

[mecox]

@garbage finds   Jeff,  he was an early wartime smith:

兼丈 Kanetake (福田 丈太郎 Fukuda Jotaro) (can read “Taketaro”) [kanji is not “fumi” 文]
Born: Meiji 43 (1910) May 10;   Registered as a Seki smith Showa 14 (1939) October  26. 
In 1937 lived at Seki-machi, Otsu 1754; 1939: Seki-machi, Misono-cho.
History: living in Seki-machi and trained under Matsuda Kanetaka  who had early trained under Kojima Kanemichi (then as Kanetoki) probably in the Nipponto Tanren Juko.
Summary: died in 1989 age 79. He made numerous swords for both Arrny and Navy.
Example mei:            Fukuda Kanetake saku 福田兼丈作                    Seki ju Fukuda Kanetake saku 関住福田兼丈作                   Noshu Seki ju Kanetake saku 濃州 関住兼丈作

Below:   yours has SEKI stamp,    Gendai Swordsmiths Index,    Fuller & Gregory has SHO stamp

 

                                  

[Bruce Pennington]

Value runs from $1,600 to $2,400 depending upon condition,  this one in the lower half of the range.  But that still depends upon where and when you sell it.

[garbage finds]

Wow! Thank you all so much! The history aspect holds the most value to me, I will never stop being amazed at the things people put in their garbage can and throw away. The problem now is should I try to clean it with maybe a steam cleaner, because it has garbage juice on it, sad fact. We have a conference room that I would like to put it in with some of the history that you have kindly provided.

[SteveM]

There are some details about care/maintenance at the link below

https://www.nihontomessageboard.com/faq.html

 

Generally, you don't want to use any solvents or cleansers. I'd avoid steam, just because I'm not sure if it will have some kind of discoloration effect on the sword. I think most people would suggest just using alcohol to wipe it down and remove any cosmoline or other junk that might be on it. Then give it a super light coating of oil (lightweight machine oil - sewing machine, electric shaver, that kind of thing). This is to protect it from oxidization/rust.

 

The collecting community isn't as twitchy about WW2 blades as they would be for an 800-year old samurai sword, but the underlying principle is the same - preservation above all. No abrasives, no solvents or cleansers*. 

 

*I think there are one or two specialty cleansers that people have mentioned as being OK to use on these kinds of swords, and you can probably find their names if you search this site enough. Maybe a member who knows will chime in. But really, just use alcohol for now, and see if you can't get any of the garbage-juice off. 

[Bruce Pennington]

Generally speaking, moisture is the enemy of steel blades.  Order a nice sword cleaning kit - Online List of Japanese Sword Cleaning Kits - and use the oil that comes with it to with all the parts down, especially the blade.

[Brian]

Regular high grade isopropyl alcohol. Wipe as many times as necessary, then a light oiling on a soft cloth or tissue. Minimal is fine.

[ChrisW]

43 minutes ago, Brian said:

Regular high grade isopropyl alcohol. Wipe as many times as necessary, then a light oiling on a soft cloth or tissue. Minimal is fine.

As Brian said! Also be sure to wipe in one direction in a singular swipe, do not do circular motions or back and forth as this will drag contaminants over the surface of the blade moreso than a singular swipe will.

As for the isopropyl alcohol, look for 99.9% pure, do not buy any that is cut with water.

[Tohagi]

Hello, 

Please avoid steam on mountings.

Japanese craftmen use rice glue that is very sensitive to steam.

 

Best regards,

 

Eric

[garbage finds]

10-4, NO steam cleaning! I guess my biggest concern for cleaning wasn't with the blade so much as the handle which was damp and stinky when it came in. Again, I fully understand this is not an artifact, but for display purposes as an educational piece on the valuable items we find in the trash, it would be nice if the handle and scabbard were detailed somewhat. Garbage juice can be corrosive and is certinly invasive to nooks and crannies. Would the isopropyl alcohol be ok to use on the handle?

[ChrisW]

I wouldn't say its not an artifact. It is from WWII, which is still a good amount of time for something to survive. It certainly deserves care and respect. As for the cleaning of the tsuka, I would say its probably not safe to use isopropyl alcohol on the silk handle. I've never done it, so I am not sure. I will leave this up to my betters to respond to that query.

[John C]

Jeff:

There is a technique for cleaning textiles (in this case silk or possibly cotton) that are fragile. It's one that some restorers use:

 

Put some water in a container with a little mild dish soap - something that is non-detergent but cuts grease. Whisk it or mix it vigorously until you get a lot of bubbles. Using a clean rag, scoop up some of the bubbles - bubbles only, not the water - and gently dab the rag on the sticky spots. The key is to not get too wet and not to rub.

 

John C.

 

[Tim Evans]

Let's discuss the structure of the hilt, or tsuka, in Japanese. The cloth wrap (tsuka-ito) is silk, and after 70 or so years it is probably going to be dried out and easily frayed. There are paper pads underneath the tsuka-ito.  Underneath that is a layer of same', which is the hide of a type of ray fish. The same' can also be dried out and loose, inspect for cracks and losses. It can be held on to the tsuka with glue which should be assumed to be water soluble. The core is made of wood, usually hinoki. There may be some cracks in the wood, but usually those are best left alone. 

 

Old tsuka can be cleaned, the best approach is least intrusive method first. So first step is to inspect and decide how intact it is, anything loose or falling off? If not, then as John recommends a slightly damp rag with mildly soapy water is probably the first step and proceed slowly. Not recommended is to soak it thoroughly or to use a brush, which will fray the tsuka ito

[garbage finds]

Noted. I will take a very gentle, non-rubbing, no brush, mostly dry dabbing approach to cleaning the tsuka-ito. Inspecting as to look for possible damage. Less is more in this case so that it is better to leave it more dirty than clean as a professional restoration would be ideal so, don't screw up anything that can't be undone.

 

If you think about it this sword made it through a war, a transit to America, 80 years of who knows but likely storage as the blade is undamaged, the compaction unit in a garbage truck, and a large loader grapple. It was 40 feet away from a industrial sheer shredder and it will now be placed on the wall of a conference room. This sword is a survivor!

 

This has been a great response from a passionate community of individuals and I greatly appreciate all the information and history you have so kindly provided. I will take some before and after pictures of the cleaning and provide an update.

 

Thank you all again!

 

Jeff