What would you do?

[Russell P]

I have a oldish blade that has taken some abuse before I had it. It has been in a draw for more than 4 years. Information:

Japanese Sword Inventory

 

Blade type Katana or Tachi

Length 80.5 cm total Nagasa 61.7 cm (cutting edge)

Shinogi Zukuri (standard shape)

Motohaba 2.6 cm Sakihaba 1.8 cm (Bottom to top)

Moto kasane 0.4 cm sakikasane 0.2 cm (Bottom to top)

Sori (curve) (blade is miss shapen but a guess at the undamaged blade is 0.6 cm. Reality 0.2 cm to the middle of blade then another after the middle. Koshi sori (near handle)

Lori mune (Triangle back of blade)

Horimomo None (engravings)

Grain – unknown not polished

Hamon looks Shuguha with what looks like inazuma or nie juba (only partially polished) (straight temper line with little lines visible – needs polish)

Utsuri – unknown

Chu kissaki (boshi unknown) (normal size tip)

Nagako Suriage 19.7 cm kiri (3 ana, (holes) all seemed to have been punched not drilled.) (Tang been shortened)

Yasurime kiri (or could be something else it is in such poor condition) Tang really dark and uneven. File marks not really clear.

Mu Mei (not signed)

Date school period ?

Koshirae – none

Tsuba – none

Comes with habaki only

Date acquired 2006 about £80 but can not really remember.

Comments : really badly abused and a very small light blade, just long enough to be classed as katana. Had dremmell treatment before me. Might not be able to take a polish. The hamon is visible for 14 cm on one side only. The shape has changed due to the abuse it has had. The distance between ana s is 11 cm, so this could have been shortened by 11 cm, so could have been about 73cm originally.

Would you get it polished so that research could be done on it? (I may put a limit of £250 worth of polish just to get some history or do nothing), I can not decide.

[sanjuro]

Russel.

 

Sounds in bad shape, but pics would help us to help you. A picture is worth a thousand words.

[Jamie]

You may also want to post some pics so the damage can be assessed better.

You might consider sending it to a polisher who would be able to make the most accurate assessment of whether it is able to be polished or not.

[Russell P]

Pictures attached and it looks like it has had a very hard past.

[Russell P]

Hope this clarifies how bad this is.

[Russell P]

It has taken some time to get these files to the right size.

[cabowen]

Fireplace poker might be the best use for this blade. It has been abused beyond repair I am afraid.....

[Stephen]

look how small the nakago is, do i dare say the two words ...s ..y sword?

[Kevin]

It's had it.

 

Kevin

[Tsugio Kawakami]

Good heavens...I'd call that toast. Only ever saw one other blade shaped like ~ from ha to mune...

[sanjuro]

I'm sorry I asked for the pictures.......... This is a tragedy I'm afraid, and long past help.

It's sad to see a sword abused so totally.

[Russell P]

Thanks for saving me some money folks.

 

One last question about this poor blade before I put this away.

 

Is this called a Kuichigaiba?

 

Regards

 

Russell

[Jamie]

If you are talking about the defined line- it's called the Hamon, But I'm not positive that the "cleaned" edge is showing the entire hamon or not.