ChrisW

This blade was bought from Komonjo, the pictures at the top of this post are a giveaway. And while, rarely, he sells some nice things. A lot of his blades come from Japan for resale in a western market without papers which should tell you all you need to know.

Looks like a bad fake/assemblage to me. The proportions all seem off and "squished". The scabbard might be real, but I don't think its a kyu gunto scabbard. The Tokugawa kamon on the fuchi should be a giveaway that this isn't a serious piece as well. The seppa is also hilariously thick. The backstrap and grip might be real, but they look like they've been butchered pretty badly to fit. The blade, if real, is abused and beyond saving. Stay far away from this one!

The only way it'll get worse is if you have the blade polished.

Long longitudinal split along the grain of the metal? That's called a ware and they're fairly common in traditionally forged Japanese swords. Not a lot of concern to be had here unless it is really wide or close to the hamon. For more information: http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/kizu.htm

Believe me, if said Bubba was anywhere near me and I got wind of this being done, I'd have had his hands "demilitarized".

RIP It would have been better to have been left in a relic condition than whatever was done to it.

Congrats on establishing your local token kai! If you're ever in the Indiana area, please let me know and I can get you the date of our next meeting. We've been having monthly meetings for the past few years now. The time does fly! You'll have to come see my hizento sometime it sounds like. Again, congratulations. Regards, ~Chris

What can you tell us about each of them? Pictures can only do so much, but I am more attracted to the second one.

I don't even bother with their descriptions anymore.

I wouldn't write any of them off just yet. Take them to a show, find a polisher. Get their opinion. Theirs more than anyone in the internet will be your definitive answer.

You bought a blade out of Japan and didn't take time to research it fully? That's a bit of a gamble, don't you think?

Looks like a real wartime setup. Can't say anything about the blade yet. The photos just simply don't show enough of it to make any sort of call on that.

This is the auction that was discussed here: In my opinion, these are likely fake/modern reproduction blades paired with some antique fittings in a colossal waste of money to deceive new collectors. Steer clear of this auction, these deals are really just "steals" from new collectors.

I don't think there's anything real about these two, sorry about that! If you bought them recently, definitely try to get your money back.

There are professionals who CAN rewire a sword handle properly. But the big problem is sourcing appropriate replacement wire; which usually means original wire, which is almost certainly impossible to find. You'd have to know someone in Japan who has new-old stock of it.

So your grandfather's blade is a mumei o-wakizashi (long wakizashi, not a katana). For it to be a katana, nagasa should be around 24" or greater. You could ask a polisher about the feasibility of restoration work and barring a fatal flaw, it would be possible. However, it would be a passion project to protect family history. In terms of financial viability, mumei wakizashi are generally not worth restoring. BUT, this is just my opinion based on a general consensus and only a polisher can give a definitive statement. Financial viability could change if the workmanship of the blade is judged to be of someone of merit. It does appear to have some interesting activity and doesn't appear to have any obvious fatal flaws. You can check for the definition of FATAL flaws here: http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/kizu.htm Those stones, if they are high quality, could be of interest to a professional polisher as the really good quality stones are rather scarce these days. Again, do make sure that no one attempts to use them on any swords as that could ruin both the sword and the stones.

Looks like your grandfather had ideas of restoring the blade himself. Hopefully he did NOT carry through with it! Restoration is best left to a professional, do keep those stones away from the blade as irreparable damage can be done to them by a person without the proper decade-or-so long training in Japan that is required to be knowledgeable and skilled enough to carry out such work. It does appear to be an older (not WWII) blade, possibly Koto as you suspect. Could you give us a measurement of how long the cutting edge is? (From notch to tip)

Super beautiful piece! Would make a fantastic addition to any collection.

This is the victim of a bad acid job. Nasty pitting, dull and lifeless waxy steel. Or it is a polish job that was done halfway and stopped. Possibly because of the damage in the kissaki. Looks pretty nasty.

Its an antique one. I just bought it (and the tachi it was mounted on) from a woman whose husband picked it up back in the 70's, so very unlikely to be Tschernaga's work.

@Bruce Pennington Here's one for you Bruce. This one is off a tachi I just picked up.

There are no words to describe... this.

What you're looking at is probably tobiyaki: sections of hardened steel above the hamon, usually in small dots. They can be intentionally placed or isolated remnants of the hamon that has been polished away.

The blade itself has some seriously damaged geometry in my eyes: lack of a hamachi entirely, yokote is gone, kissaki rounded off, the hamon may run off the boshi as well. The nakago appears greatly messed with too and the patination either appears missing or otherwise compromised. Something is off about the bohi too... just can't quite place my finger on it. My best guess is that someone had an empty kyu gunto koshirae and shoe-horned a very rusty blade into it. I'd pass on this one!

100% fakes/reproductions. They NEVER put serial numbers on the habaki and it is a dead giveaway that it is probably a Chinese fake. The Damascus steel should also be a tip-off as Japanese steel is far subtler and more refined. You should definitely pass and save your money for some books first. Trust me, they will save you a lot of heartache and money in the long run!