USMC-LCPL

Really? I honestly hadn't looked at them much... After I found out that the blade wasn't being sold in it's original Saya I had given up on the Fittings all together. Buy you're right, the Menuki and Tsuba match well and can probably be reused for my new fittings... That'll save a small fortune in it's self.

Out of curiosity... You said that a signed blade was out of your price range... what would an unsigned wakizashi go for, do you think?

Could you perhaps obtain certification from the smith himself? Even if he refuses to sign the blade, I'm sure he'd give you an "I made this blade" Origami... You know, do a rubbing of the tang and such for authenticities sake. That should settle the issue of "who made this?" several decades in the future, and will make a future shinsa (when it's allowed to occur) much easier.

Thank you both for the advice. The sword comes with a shirasaye, but it doesn't fit the sword. :? Fortunately, I live just outside of Honolulu, so I can just take the sword in my car when I go to get it polished.

I recently purchased the following sword from AndreasU: http://cgi.ebay.com/OWakizashi-attribut ... dZViewItem ... And, in spite of the fact that it was rated Kanteisho by the NHTK (even though it is horribly out of polish,) Andreas cut me a deal because the fittings were so piss poor that they demanded replacement. Obviously I need to polish the blade first- but once I do, what should I do to fit it properly? Am I going to need to have everything replaced? Will I need to have new koshirae made from scratch, or can I find "authentic" that, well... fit. Or should I ignore the problem all together and just place the blade in a shirasaya? I need advice...

Thanks for the advice and clarification Stephen!

Your best bet would be to wait for a major show to occur near you. Talk to some of the mods, I'm sure they have schedules they could give you for your area. I think the NHTK also allows you to send a sword in to them by mail for evaluation... Not sure though...

You need to take it to something called a "Shinsa." A shinsa is an evaluation of a sword by a panel of experts who can tell you: 1. If it's authentic 2. If authentic, how important (good) is it's workmanship Finding a shinsa near you though... depends on where you live. Where are you currently? Edit: You got that on EBAY? Wow man, what Ebay auctions are you going to? All I find is acid-etched pieces of crap when I do an Ebay search. I want a piece of that action!

I would get it papered first... that should tell you if the blade is worthy of the cash you'll spend to get it polished. Congrats on what appears to be your excellent find, btw. How did you come across this sword?

It's weird... the tsuba (hand guard) is that of an officer's blade, but the saya (sheath) is that of an NCO's sword. That's actually a good sign for you though, because if it WAS all NCO fittings, that would mean that the sword had a 99.9% chance of being machine made. Give us some closeups of the blade and the tang, both sides... *crosses fingers*

I'm sorry friend, but I started this hobby 1 short month ago, and even my rookie eyes can tell you that the sword you are holding is fake. Just so that you don't get fooled in the future, let me tell you how everyone knows this... First of all, do you see the swirly, wavy lines running along the blade starting just above the hamon (cutting edge)? Those aren't supposed to be there. That is a technique used by frauds called "acid etching." It's supposed to make the grain of the steel look real, but anyone who knows what to look for could tell it was fake in less than a millisecond. If you see greasy lines on the blade, STAY AWAY! Second, see that beachball (for lack of a better word) on the tang? What you thought was a family crest? I can draw better than that. Even a mass produced showato, nontraditionaly made blade, (of which I own one) shows better workmanship than that. If a real Japanese smith had fudged on a design that badly, he would never have sold that sword. If it doesn't look like a professional did it... it probably isn't professional. Now turn your attention to the tsuba (hand guard). Do you see how the main portion of your tsuba is gunmetal in color, but the cherry blossoms are golden? The Japanese government never made gunto (military) fittings like that. They were always uniform in coloration, as per this picture... http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... n%26sa%3DG These photos also show what the rest of the fittings on a well maintained gunto blade should look like. I feel for you bro... your situation makes me grateful that my gunto sword was kept in my family since WWII it's self, proving to me it's authenticity. I'm truely sorry that you were taken advantage of...

Wow... that makes me just a tad nervous... especially considering that lemons are VERY acidic... The only thing I think that would rub out is the value of your sword...

All I can comment on is the hada... My WWII Gunto blade has a faint, misty hada that looks exactly like your sword. But I KNOW mine was made after 1933 due to the showa stamp. I don't think you can judge your blade's age based just upon how old blades with similar hada are.

Wow, it looks great! I bet it ran you a pretty penny. Or did you get a good deal?

Not interested in trading, but I would be interested in a purchase. Do you believe that the damage that the blade has incurred could be repaired by a skilled polisher? Due to the need of a polish and a saya, as well a few other fittings bits... What price are you hoping to receive for it?

Wow, this is great stuff! I've been looking through ebay, and the acid etching- and using mule accounts to buff user ratings, is so rampant I had almost given up...

I can tell you it looks awesome! How did you come by it?

Yup, it looks like that! Hmmm... showa sounds like a bad thing...

What is considered a "Nice sword" though? I mean, besides polish ext... Is a nice sword one that was made by a certain individual?

Sorry, still no pics. But I have removed the blade (Using your most helpful links) and I can tell you that it is rusted in spots and has Japanese writing going down both sides. I also see a stamp (small Japanese character surrounded by a zig zag circle) I can't tell, but it appears that it might be the symbol for "Shinto." Again, not sure. The edge of the blade shows an uneven wavy pattern, but only if held at an angle in light. I cannot judge the steel to save my life, but those pictures are on the way...

Thank you for the info and link. Thank goodness I have someone with street cred nearby! Again, the pictures are forthcoming, I just need to get them on my PC and through photoshop... Were family blades common in Japan in WWII? What are my chances, do you think? This is exciting stuff...

First, a little background about myself and why I'm posting here: I'm a 19 year-old Marine stationed in K-Bay Hawaii. My Great-Uncle Pap was a Marine who fought in WWII. Whilst fighting in the Philippines, he came into the possession of a Japanese sword. He mailed it home to his little sister (My Grandmother) and was killed two months later. The sword has great sentimental value in my family, and has passed for the last 60 years. I was just given it for my 19th birthday. The sword has fallen into disrepair over the decades (my Uncle using it as a Watermelon slicer didn't help... ) and I would like to restore it to it's former glory- per se. Pictures are forthcoming, I will load them within a day or so. The sword needs to have the blade cleaned and possible polished... sharpened?, and- while all the pieces of the hilt and handle are present, the leather binding needs to have some work done. the metal sheath also needs to have a few dents hammered out, if possible. I would also like to have the blade examined, valued and authenticated. Is there something else I should be doing? Where in Hawaii can I have this done? Please forgive my lack of no-how and my ignorance of the Japanese words and terminologies...