A few photos of my first Japanese sword. Supposedly a bring back from the WWII Pacific Theater. The blade is just over 23 inches, the grip is just over 9 inches, the scabbard is 28 inches long. My friend paid $400 for the sword and an Arisaka rifle and wanted the rifle. He wanted to cover the rifle so I threw caution to the wind and gave him the $400. I know nothing about Japanese swords. My father-in-law went island hopping with the US Army during the War. Another friend told me after I showed him my new purchase that he thought the blade was probably produced during the War but thought the guard and grip might be considerably older. Would appreciate any opinions and comment relative to the sword. Also recommendations on good reference material on Japanese swords. Thanks
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Rigel, I don't know what the rifle is worth, but it sounds like you got the sword almost free!
The fittings are civilian, but the army would have the saya (scabbard) covered in leather when a private sword was taken to war. It would be really good to see some close-ups of the blade tip, mid-section, and both sides of the nakago (tang). Simply push or tap the wooden peg out of the handle, just above the hand-guard, and the handle and guard pieces will slide off. It is the only way to know more about the blade. -
Here are a few more photos of the blade tip, mid section and tang.Comment
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I'm not a specialist in old civil swords. My guess is this isn't any older than 1800's or early 1900's. You might try asking the guys a NMB. They have lots of guys that follow the civil swords, fittings, etc.
Here's a link: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/forum/3-nihonto/
They'll need photos of the full length bare blade.Comment
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Thanks for the info and link BruceP.Comment
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