Grandpa's WW2 sword

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OBGYN Kenobi

Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Messages
20
My grandpa left me this sword in his will. He got it while stationed in Japan after their surrender in WW2. He was allowed to bring one sword and one gun home out of a surplus of Japanese confiscated weapons. I took the handle off but there were no markings on the tang. Does anyone know anything about these swords? The sash has what I found to be old Chinese writing on it which translates roughly to: "Go this way to end your bloodline" Lol
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Looks slightly better finished, only the one mekugi peg? so maybe early war or pre-war? also since no markings maybe a machine made blade? also it could be a machine blade with family heirloom fittings - the samegawa (rayskin) is nice, large nodules, and the fittings seem to have pretty good detail (cant tell about the tsuba - seems a little plain)
 
I don't know much. I would recommend taking better photos with Tsuka off take photos of blade at an angle. I'm having trouble getting a good look at the blade details. It looks like on my phone I see a hamon. I don't think it's machine made. I would post pictures on the nihonto forum for the best information and also how to handle and take care of the sword. Do not do anything to this sword before doing research on that forum as most people are very uninformed and it's easy to ruin the blade and it's value by "cleaning" removing rust etc. Do not polish
 
OBGYN Kenobi said:
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Ya there is a hamon
I put some oil on the blade but that's it.
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That's good news. You might have something there. To reiterate,the nihonto forum is a wealth of information which I highly recommend. It will give you very important information about how to care for and handle the blade. Even something as drawing the blade from the saya is done a certain way so the blade doesn't get damaged. I strongly recommend getting well versed to avoid any issues. There is also alot of misinformation out there from people who think they know what their talking about. That's why I directed you to a very knowledgeable forum for your research and a great place to learn how to properly care for what could wind up being a valuable blade. Keep us posted what you find out about your sword. I would be interested in knowing what you have there.
 
TOMBSTONE said:
That's good news. You might have something there. To reiterate,the nihonto forum is a wealth of information which I highly recommend. It will give you very important information about how to care for and handle the blade. Even something as drawing the blade from the saya is done a certain way so the blade doesn't get damaged. I strongly recommend getting well versed to avoid any issues. There is also alot of misinformation out there from people who think they know what their talking about. That's why I directed you to a very knowledgeable forum for your research and a great place to learn how to properly care for what could wind up being a valuable blade. Keep us posted what you find out about your sword. I would be interested in knowing what you have there.
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Thanks. Will do
 
The attached sash as you call it is a surrender tag. It is in Japanese, not Chinese. It likely contains the name/address of the soldier who surrendered it.

Looks like a non traditionally made blade. Even though there is a hamon, there is no sign of nie or nioi which indicates an oil quenched blade. Could be the photos/lighting, but I doubt it.

Whether or not you see any inscriptions on the nakago (tang) you should always post photos of it. It is a very important part of determining the history of your sword.
 
SouthernComfort said:
The attached sash as you call it is a surrender tag. It is in Japanese, not Chinese. It likely contains the name/address of the soldier who surrendered it.

Looks like a non traditionally made blade. Even though there is a hamon, there is no sign of nie or nioi which indicates an oil quenched blade. Could be the photos/lighting, but I doubt it.

Whether or not you see any inscriptions on the nakago (tang) you should always post photos of it. It is a very important part of determining the history of your sword.
Click to expand...
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OBGYN Kenobi said:
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Sorry, I should have been more specific. Both sides. Depending on whether the sword was made as a Katana or Tachi determines the placement of the mei or any possible stamps or markings.

Looking at this photo does give hope that this sword may be older than I first thought. The patination of the tang does not looks to be older than gendai or gunto.

It may be worth a submission to shinsa and possibly restoration, though a hands on inspection would be warranted first. (I do not mean the local pawn shop, gun show or knife maker down the road.)
Where are you located. Send me a pm or email if you prefer to keep your location private. yakiba.com@gmail.com
 
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