Posted: 9/27/2013 8:00:05 AM EDT
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Any one in the Orange County area who can identify old Japanese swords? or I can email pics just looking to find out what it is just inherited it from relative any help would be greatly appreciated. |
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Hey - I can help you if you send photos. (See my avatar)
The first thing to do is to remove the handle of the sword so we can read the "mei" - the swordsmith signature. That is the most important step of identifying a blade. Removing the handle is very easy and I can type up step by step directions if you want. Post pics of the inscription on the blade under the handle...and pics of the entire blade. Once you get me photos, I can get the info to some true sword experts who are masters at the craft of IDing blades. It could be worth $200...it could be worth $20,000. |
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Here are the instructions I send to people with Japanese blades......
MOST IMPORTANT THING - DO NOT try to clean/sharpen/polish ANYTHING. If it is rusted, DO NOT try to remove any rust. Leave it alone NO MATTER WHAT! A lot of people have ruined Japanese blades by trying to remove rust or sharpen the blade...restoration can only be done by a trained professional Japanese sword polisher. A light coat of mineral oil is all that you should do to stop more rust. Leave the tang alone though. ONLY handle the blade with a soft cloth - not your bare hands! So, watch this video to see how to take off the handle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBtL7ASwiUs It starts by punching out the little wooden peg, and "jarring" the handle downward, so it comes loose and pulls off. The handle may be pretty stuck on there, even after removing the wood peg, but it will come off eventually. DO THIS over a BED or someplace SOFT so you don't drop the blade! You only need to take off the handle...you don't have to go as far as removing the entire handguard/metal parts like they do in the video. So take some close-up, CLEAR photos of BOTH sides of the "tang" (the metal part under the handle) - this is where the signature should be. If neither side has any markings, that is OK...take some photos anyway...it could still be a VERY valuable blade...but it's tougher to identify if not signed. Take some photos of the wood handle and the scabbard too, just for the heck of it. Take some photos of the blade in its entirety as well. A couple wide photos of the whole thing. Maybe a few close ups of the blade too, especially the tip area. Try to take the photos on a white bed sheet maybe, that reflects light pretty well and gets better pictures usually. Take A LOT of photos, with and without the flash...since some pics always come out blurry. Having a Japanese blade and not knowing who made it is like having a possible Picasso hiding in your closet...A lot of Japanese soldiers carried their very nice famly heirloom blades to war with them...it could be 500 years old, and litereally worth MANY thousands of dollars, sometimes more. Or it could be 70 years old and only worth a few hundred dollars. No knowing until we see the signature! Once you send me photos, I can get some expert opinions from some serious sword experts. Good luck! |
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Oh and here are some pics of my sword that was given to me by my grandfather...
Before: 
After professional restoration: 
Notice the "hamon" or temper line that was brought out by the polish...this is the extemely rigid and sharp edge: 
And the handle / scabbard (tsuka and saya) after restoration: 
Cost of the polish job: $79 an inch so about $1800...cost of restored handle and new scabbard: $800 WELL worth it. It was captured during WWII days before the Atomic bomb was dropped...during the capture of the "fake" Japanese hospital ship "Tachibana Maru." |
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Dave, I have found these instructions and several utube vids as well I can not find the pin through the handle the blade is quite sharp and all appears original. I do not have a photo bucket account and don't want one i can email pic if you pm me an address. BTW, I remembered your avatar but could not find a post from you. A |