ChrisW

Well, if you don't mind sharing what state you live in, I am sure someone can chime in with an expert or collector that lives near you! We're all a pretty friendly bunch and love sharing our knowledge.

Yes, that background is 100% his. So it is likely to be a real nihonto, but he typically sells "problem children" or things that won't sell in Japan and so they offload to him to offload to us Westerners who try to bargain hunt.

Going to go out on a limb here and say that we have the remains of a very much abused nihonto. There is what remains of some yasurime (filemarks) left on the very disfigured nakago and the shape of what is left of the blade itself matches nihonto, with just the faintest hint of a hamon. Unfortunately, the state of preservation is so poor that I very much doubt there is anything that could be done with it that makes any financial sense. It is an interesting conversation piece in my opinion. The shape suggests that it is the remnants of a naginata naoshi or a wakizashi; it is unlikely that this was ever a tanto. If it is not nihonto, then it is likely to be a very butchered dha.

A high purity mineral oil or a good quality choji oil will be the best thing to wipe it down with! Get plain unscented, no-lotion tissue paper to apply oil. Avoid anything abrasive as Brian said!

This resonates strongly of a Mino den revival piece. Muneyaki, the yasurime, and the sugata; it all feels appropriate for Mino.

This definitely reminds me of a Takayama-to.

To help people more positively identify what you have, a few suggestions: Remove all the fittings (handle, etc) from the blade and lay it on a flat soft surface (a clean blanket under it should suffice). You can remove the handle (tsuka) by gently tapping that retaining peg (mekugi) out of the handle. Take a full length picture of the blade and then take several more, closing in on the following: - nakago (tang) - any potential writing, especially on the nakago - any details in the metal that can be seen! Please refrain from doing any cleaning of the blade itself! If you have something older (the habaki aka blade collar indicates that possibly), you don't want to do any further damage to it. Also, giving us some measurements may help in understanding it better, measurements such as: overall length, length of the tang, length of the cutting edge, etc.

You're most likely to sell it for a good price here or a facebook group for swords; also people will be more likely to appreciate it properly.

Looks like a tsuba repurposed for your kai gunto or simply put in place of the missing original.

It could have been made by a country smith or perhaps it is more musical in nature than a shakujo? You said the iron plate resonates, yes?

Some kind of Buddhist ritual implement would be my guess? Reminds me of a Buddhist monk's staff a lot.

All I've got is that it is a late Muromachi piece. The hada in the shinogi doesn't suggest Shinto in my eyes, though better photos would make it easier to hazard a guess. Still, congratulations!

As a reference, a good polish by a properly trained togishi runs about $125/inch. Not trying to deter you, but if you're doing this for financial gain then it won't be there. If its sentimental, then that's up to the polisher if they'll take the work.

John is saying that the blade itself is real and antique, but the signature is not done by the purported signee. In nihonto, this is called "gimei," which is fairly common.

Pictures are upside down! Also, never buy from Komonjo as a first buy or eBay for that matter.

It may not even be the remnants of a longer blade, with the quality of the photos, it is hard to tell. Gilles could be correct here.

Looks like the very much abused remnants of a wakizashi. The geometry is all wrong for the boshi (the tip), so it was likely broken and reformed into what you see now. That being said, its not worth the effort and if you want a complete Japanese blade for a collection then you can do better. I'd save your money and wait for something better! I can't say as to what the kanji means but it is crudely inscribed and probably is nonsense.

If it is on both sides of the blade in the exact same spot starting from the edge upwards, then the chance of it being hagire is drastically higher. But no, these are scratches from cutting something.

A quick google search yielded Massimo Rossi. He is indeed recognized by the NBTHK as a polisher whose work is worthy of being judged. If this is the guy you're referring to, then he seems like he might be your best bet in Europe. I can't say I've seen his work, but he did indeed do the apprenticeship so you should be fine with him if he chooses to take on your piece!

How long is the cutting edge? Not saying this sword is very valuable but it could have potential if a togishi did a window and if the sword could be more or less identified to a certain smith, thus making restoration financially viable. Those are two very big IF's.

Big yikes. Thanks for watching out for everyone!

I do not know of any Japanese trained professional togishi in Europe (but neither do I generally pay attention to that sort of thing for Europe). I would ask this guy if he underwent the 10 or so year apprenticeship in Japan first and also ask who trained him. If he didn't, I would consider elsewhere. Don't be too quick to have it sent off; if it is worth restoring, it is worth doing right the first time. As for the Portugeuse bringing matchlocks to Japan. That much is true; however, it was not exactly what you'd call a normal trade deal. The sailors that landed on Tanegashima island were shipwrecked there. So the story goes, they were given supplies to fix their ship and sail home, but were required to give some of their matchlocks over in trade. The Japanese then copied the design with some adjustments of their own and within a few short decades, there were thousands of them made in the country.

Oh! I was not responding specifically to your claims about the iron (which are true, Japanese iron sands are inferior.. thus the long process they made to overcome it). I was merely responding to the post before me about 16th century Japanese swords specifically! As for the damage on the blade shown, they appear relatively minor and as long as the hamon doesn't dip below them, a good togishi will be able to remove them without issue.

Because the Japanese have a culture that reveres and preserves the sword? Also, many survive because so many were made and many of them ended up in armories that kept them for decades until they were dispersed by WWII and modern collectors. Also, that isn't saying that ALL 16th century swords are inferior.. but a lot of "bundle" swords are considered that when compared to their contemporary counterparts. Of course, there is also a lot of other reasons to consider too.

What you said is true, Japanese weapons did not evolve to take on heavy steel and iron plate armor. It evolved alongside the contemporary style of Japanese armor which is made from lacquered leather and metal pieces, with gaps to allow for a lot of mobility which is required to wield such a weapon effectively. This evolution is in fact very similar to the process by which weapons like the macuahuitl and reinforced cotton jerkin in Mexico evolved (though the point in Mexica warfare was to capture your opponent alive in most cases). However, I wouldn't view European weapons as superior necessarily.. different tools with different perks and flaws. Japanese blades tend to bend before they break; and in most cases, a bent blade can be straightened and used again. European blades tend to be hardened through and will snap more often, reducing them to scrap. On the flip side, European weapons were easier to mass produce and replace; whereas the Japanese could do close to the same, the results were often inferior quality (bundle swords). I think they're both appreciable for different reasons. I've collected both and I appreciate and conserve them differently. Though I do tend to use my Choji oil for both!