Some questions on a Sword I just received.

Hi All,

For my graduation, I received a Sword from my Grandfather who received it when he was part of the occupying force in Japan after WWII. He says that it was a family heirloom that was confiscated. After a couple of hours of research I believe the signature reads "Bitchu Kuni Mizuta Ju Kunishige" but I am not sure of that is entirely accurate. Regardless of whether I am correct or not I would really like to know the time period this sword was made and any other information directly or indirectly pertaining to it. Also, would this sword be worth it to restore and really put some time into.

Cheers

Karl Biggs

Yes, Genroku period. 1688-1704 Otsuki Bungoro. Restore? If you've the time and money. It is not supremely special. John

EDIT: sniped by John. :lol:

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Hello Karl,

For my graduation, I received a Sword from my Grandfather who received it when he was part of the occupying force in Japan after WWII.

Nice gift.

He says that it was a family heirloom that was confiscated.

That is correct, this is an antique Japanese sword, not a WWII-made blade.

After a couple of hours of research I believe the signature reads "Bitchu Kuni Mizuta Ju Kunishige" but I am not sure of that is entirely accurate.

Nice to get someone in here who does their homework first! It does indeed read 備中國中水田国重作 Bitchū kuni Mizuta jū Kunishige saku (made by Kunishige, resident of Mizuta in Bitchū province).

Regardless of whether I am correct or not I would really like to know the time period this sword was made and any other information directly or indirectly pertaining to it. Also, would this sword be worth it to restore and really put some time into.

There were a couple of smiths who signed this way during the early Edo period (late 1600s / early 1700s). I am not familiar with them offhand so I will research a bit and write back if I can get a better idea of which one precisely signed your blade; or a more knowledgeable member (plenty of them here) will jump in (edit: like John did before I posted this, haha). Something to keep in mind is that gimei (false signatures) were common in antiques, so just because it is signed this way does not automatically mean it is by this smith. On the other hand, I am not saying there is anything obviously wrong at first glance, and these are not super-famous high value signatures; just letting you know that more research needs to be done.

On first glance the blade looks restorable. But ideally it should be brought to a club or show to have experienced people view it in-hand to check for subtle flaws (e.g. edge cracks), judge the workmanship, etc. as restoration is very expensive ($3,000+).

I wrote an "owner's guide" for Reddit users that I like to refer people to. You can check it out here. It has some basic FAQs on care, research, restoration & authentication.

Regards,

Gabriel

Hi Karl,

Miss "saku" at the bottom of the signature

John,

From Markus Japanese swordsmith Index, I have him as 5th generation smith with this name 1624/1644 (Kan'ei), die young.

Need close up pictures of the flaws (openings) and pf the blade to have an opinion. But as says John... Costly and not necessarily worth it.

Nice sword. Restoration is more a matter of money than time. You should figure on $3500-$4000 to do everything properly. Anything less and the sword will in all likelihood be ruined. There are only 2 professional, properly trained polishing/restoration experts in North America. From what I can see, this sword would probably be worth the cost of restoration should you decide to pursue it. As has been said though, you should have someone with experience look at it beforehand though as there may be issues that would make restoration a non-starter.

If you want further information, you can either search this site or pm me. There are several people who have relationships with professionals in Japan who can handle this for you as well. As for time, it usually takes a year or so if you send to Japan, about 3-5 times that if you have it done by one of the two individuals in the US/Canada. Should you decide to leave things as they are, please read up on the proper care and maintenance in the FAQ on this site. Congrats on your graduation and an excellent gift from your Grandfather.

Wow, I didn't expect so many replies so quickly! I'm even happier now that I know know that this is actually as old as it is. I'll try to find a local club in my area so that they can check it out further but thank you all for all for the information.

Cheers

Karl

Karl

I dont have much to add on your sword but want to say how refreshing it is to have someone come on and do the leg work for himself...so many times its wanted or almost demanded on what i have, why cant you tell me...Good for you and your effort, IMHO id just keep it lightly oiled and keep just the way it is, a older sword remounted in war mounts, a hundred years from now that will be the hot ticket.