Jamie

Why not just use what been used for centuries? It seems to have worked.

You might consider just piling and cleaning it. There’s a great link in the faq about etiquette. A lot of the staining may come off withjust regular periodic cleaning. Enjoy your sword

Dr Kanarek He helped me a lot and I used to have long conversations. Thanks doc

I think yes finish the polish. It can't be that much and you'll enjoy it a lot more. It will also be resealable which it probably isn't now. Even if you don't recoup your money you will in getting to look at a nicely polished piece. Ted does a good job. I saw a really old blade he polished and for what he had to work with he did a most outstanding job.

Only word from a properly trained polisher can determine if a sword is worth restoration or not. Not pictures on the internet. These are just basic best guess determinations based on pictures which can be very inaccurate. And if you don't even know the terminology involved with these swords you most certainly shouldn't be trying to polish them. You are not fixing anything and in fact may be damaging swords. We are about the preservation of these swords. No one but a properly trained polisher should even be making the decision whether a sword is worth saving.

You might post a better pic of the tip also. I think it may have been re shaped but it's only in one pic and far away in that one so I could be wrong.

I meant it probably is pre WWII but it looks like it needs polished because it may have been cleaned. ( the. Blade))

Hi, Your blade does look to be what you think it is, however until inspected in hand saying more will be difficult. The blade itself seems to have a lot of horizontal scratches suggesting it was cleaned by someone who had no idea what they were doing. This will be expensive to fix. Hopefully you didn't pay much for the blade.

I prefer choji to everything else. It and camellia have been used forever. So.......

You've gotten a lot of good advice. I agree with most of it but I have two pieces to add. Attend a sword show and look at much in your price range. Buy one piece and while studying see that you can, and like to take care of it. Make you feel like it's a privilege every time you take it out and not a chore. It's not so easy to sell a sword over 20k. Just make sure this is not a passing interest for you. It takes a long time to learn just a little in this field. You'll see something you like better in short time probably.

The utsuri is so prominent in the pictures and it's normally so hard to catch in photos. It must be truly stunning in hand.

I don't think it's shobu zukuri either. Just the yokote no longer there. It's a slight and easily erasable line. I could be wrong.

This is a bit off topic but I think this thread illustrates well the need for us to attend shows. They are so supremely valuable. This was compared to a ko bizen blade. Once you've seen a ko bizen blade in hand you probably won't mistake something else for it.. Not many of us will see ko bizen outside the shows. I've only seen one but it's characteristics were unmistakable. Personally my taste has well outgrown my budget. So I go to shows and study there.

Personally I think the nakago looks newer than nambokucho. Also I think the Harmon itself runs close to the edge in a bunch of places and hadori is covering it. Pictures are deceiving though and I could be completely off. In the fourth picture down from the top there appears to be a gap where the noiguchi runs off the blade. Again I could be wrong. Pictures are tough. A seasoned collector in your area might be your best bet.

Ray, The Tametsugu is a Beautiful blade and sold for what probably was a very reasonable price. I did bid on it but got sniped at the end. I don't care for aois auctions because of how that particular auction went down. If there's bidding activity at the end of their auction they add time. I missed buying that blade because of that. The ones we're supposed to have find us though.

Nothing I've sold so far But two I just missed buying : A masahiro sunnobi tanto And A Tametsugu katana It's ok though, the best of my collection still awaits me. I do have a sadatsuna naginata naoshi that is quite stunning. This thread makes me glad I haven't sold it.

Yes probably nie. If they're large, ads nie is the term.

Can you post some pics of the blade?

Purple

One of the very best ways to learn is to go to as many shows as possible. This is where many good swords are gathered. Join and attend the American branch nbthk meetings. They are worth far more than membership costs. Studying on line pictures is not even close to seeing a single blade that's at a show. Concentrate on looking at the best swords there and not buying something in your price range. Attend a few and you'll know some people and they will show you many good swords. I saw literally one sword in Sf this last show that made the trip worthwhile.

You might want to get some sword oil. Usually choji is used. For now light machine oil is recommended, like singer sewing machine oil. I'd use one or two of these. If it was free it may be worth your expense to restore it. Others suggested uchiko from Bob Benson and you might consider sending the blade to him also. He can tell you best if it's restorable or not.

In almost all cases this would be dismissed as tired. However you can see some of the trademarks in it. Nice old warrior. I really like ko bizen.

I am curious why not repatinated when polished.

I think the hitatsura blades you show as example are completely different era blades and this style Harmon was very different over time. Also one is black and white and one a color photo. I understand your question and while I don't have your answer just thought I'd point this out. Early hitatsura was more like light tobiyaki or yubashiri. Later it was definitely more forced.

Sword shows are one of the most important things to concentrate on imo. There is a higher concentration of quality swords in one place than you'll find anywhere else. Join the clubs and definitely go to the NBTHK meetings at the shows. I missed the meeting this year but was Lucky enough to see one blade I had been wanting to see for quite some time. You don't need to buy anything, just go study. It's truly priceless.