SAS

What is it with all these guys laying swords on the ground? It looks like a bad imitation of a gunto made in Indonesia or similar. Maybe a redone captured sword? Does the handle come off?

another reason why (same sword, not my photo, not my work) amateurs shouldn't "polish swords"....

Acetone is used as the thinner/remover for paraloid as well as nail polish.

If it is, you are in luck. Interestingly, the photo Ken used looks like a similar boshi, if the visible line on yours is the boshi.

I have heard it said, there is no kissaki like o -kissaki Really nice blade!

The cat hair just makes it stronger

Photos would help for good advice; urushi is a real pain to work with. If the area is small, maybe some clear nail polish might help.

The learning curve is very steep, the stones are very expensive, and mistakes can be permanent, for those who try to tackle Japanese swords. It takes a long time to develop proper judgment. Even if you managed to make a window, then you have a surface which does not match the rest of the sword; eventually this would bother you to the point of wanting the rest done, leading to greater chance of damage/mistakes, or, an experienced polisher would then have to correct the previous attempts. Good advice above. PS Power tools are NEVER used on Japanese swords! Here is a good reason why....

For the price of postage both ways (roughly $50) and $100, Bob Benson in Hawaii will give you his professional opinion. There are also others who can do this. I have even done it a time or more.

If the hamon that is visible is the actual hamon, the boshi is yakitsume. Ko maru was more usual for Mihara school works during Muromachi according to Nagayama. Is it possible that this sword could be slightly suriage and reshaped to carry as a wakizashi from an original (older) form as a pole arm weapon?

Some schools of smiths during the time period we have been discussing made kissaki with a reduced fukura as this sword has. The point has lost some steel at the very end; to my eyes, the state of polish does not allow gauging the state of the boshi, but reshaping would be needed in a polish. The edge rolling could be tricky to resolve.

Dark spots in and along the hamon is also a trait of Shinshinto swords according to Nagayama.

Interesting that one hole looks punched, while the other is drilled.....paging Dr. Ken!

Nice sword, good start.

I do like the texture on the tree, though.

I actually have a sword very similar to this; provenance has likewise been tricky.

Failing another explanation for the hole near the tip, I wonder if someone did a hardness test on the blade for some research project? Strange if true, but

Appears to be takanoha yasurime.....also the nakago has significant curvature;late Koto/ early Shinto Mino?

Is the habaki removable? interesting potentially.

Sadamitsu?

That is unlikely to polish out well; someone has already had a go at it and concluded the same thing.

Ken, you have mentioned the chiseled ana many times; any idea of what such a tool would have looked like? Modern blacksmiths punch holes frequently, with round, slightly tapered, flat faced punches, done while the steel is hot.

The Connoisseur 's Book ofJapanese Swords by Kokan Nagayama is a very good book in English.

Yoshimichi? edit: never mind, somehow I missed the earlier responses. Polished, the blade could be worth a bit more than Ken stated, but it rarely is a profitable endeavor....it is nice to see them restored, however, and it does look like it would come out well. Please avoid self help measures.

Don't consider mine the expert opinion; others here may have a better or different opinion. The defining opinion is that of the sword authenticating organizations after shinsa.