crafttwoman

Thanks for the answer, had no idea what it was. Sherryl

Out of pure curiosity, what kind of material is the grip made of? Sherryl

Thanks for all the info. I am learning a lot about the blade and its parts. I live in rural Missouri, closest large city is KC. Haven't tried to find anyone there yet to show it to. Did try in Wichita KS which is where the blade "lived" until we found it among mom's things. But at that time I wasn't even sure what it was. Sherryl

I have more pictures, but my files are too large to load here. If you would like to see the pics I have please let me know your email and I will get them to you. Could the dagger in fact be a tanto? Sherryl

Thank you once again for putting on the pics of the katana. It obviously had some hard use. One can only imagine what stories it could tell if it could speak! Still, not too bad for something that was apparently made over 500 years ago. I spoke to my only surviving aunt, my mom's sister, who told me that my uncle served in WWII. I am guessing that is how the katana & dagger came to be in my mother's possession. My uncle never could hold on to much money and was often unemployed. He was in the habit of bringing my mother things to "hold" for him and she would give him some money to live on. Now, understand that this was not easy for my mom, since she was raising 5 kids, and my dad, who had only a grade school education, often worked two jobs to feed, clothe and house us all. My uncle has been deceased now for quite some years. So this is probably how the katana & dagger came into my mother's possession. I am sure she had no idea of its value. She only knew she was doing her brother a favor. Sherryl

Thank you, yes, I think I have found the right place to ask! Someone on knifeforums referred me to this message board. Sherryl

I have a katana w/scabbard (sorry if this is not the right word) and a dagger that I would like to sell. These items were part of my mother's estate and, though there were family stories about them, I never knew what was true and what was not. Unfortunately, my mother was probably the last one who had any idea where these items came from. I am simply looking to dispose of these items to settle the estate as I am neither a collector or fancier. I have taken them to a couple of pawn shops where I was told that they were old and might be of some value. I was referred to the knifeforums website where someone there told me the dagger might have come from the Phillipines. The katana seems obviously to have come from Japan, which would square with one family story that says these items were brought home by my grandfather after WWII. I was also told by someone on the website that the katana might be valuable if it had a signature or markings under the tang. Didn't know what a tang was but assumed that since the blade was removable the markings, if any, would be at the top of the blade. Well, my husband was able to remove the wooden peg that held the blade and, upon removing it, we did find what appears to be Japanese writing on both sides. I first made a rubbing of the writing, then took photos. I tried to attach the photos but the files were too big and this site would not accept them. I would appreciate any further information anyone can offer about these items and if anyone is interested in purchasing them would love to hear from you. So if you have an interest and want to see the photos please let me know your email address and I will gladly send the photos. Thank you! Sherryl