ChrisW

What Bruce means by "civil blade" is a sword that was made prewar and not in a large factory setting, AKA probably hand-forged by a blacksmith. Dismounting the blade from the tsuka and looking at the nakago would be the tell in this case.

Yup! I haven't seen one in person yet, but maybe this year at the Chicago show.

This is not necessarily true. There is the "Satsuma-age" but it is avoided at all cost and usually only done to a sword with a completely broken-off kissaki. Generally speaking, probably 99.9% of all suriage work is done from the nakago up. Generally a blade is considered castrated in terms of collectibility if it has had satsuma-age done to it; but there are rare exceptions if it is done really well and the blade is important. A lot of satsuma-age was also done to make an ad-hoc functioning blade; ergo the origin of the term "Satsuma" which refers to the Satsuma rebellion where even broken swords were pressed into service via this technique. This sword is definitely not Satsuma-age, it is suriage; possibly machi-okuri (wherein the whole nakago is kept, but the machi are moved up on the blade).

Without a doubt, this is an older blade. The shape, the number of mekugi-ana, and the way the nakago presents all leads to the assumption this is an older blade. The only thing even remotely wartime about this blade is the leather combat cover. Color of the patination and overall shape leads me to guess MAYBE Kanbun shinto? But I'll leave that guess to better educated folk. This was probably a family blade carried for the war, might be gunzoku (civilian contractor) or it might be something else of that nature; but the mounts are not very close to regulation at all unless it was done post-war, but unlikely. Originally, the mounts might have originally been in the handachi style (that guess is based on the style of kashira). It appears the blade was originally longer than 25" or so based on how the nakago appears to be suriage.

I believe the going rate for a good polish nowadays is about 100-120/inch, per Bob Benson/Woody Hall. John said it best, the polish is still good enough to not warrant a full polish.

The photos here aren't really showing much other than the blade appears to still be in its saya (scabbard) and it looks VERY straight for something you believe to be on Japanese origin. It appears it might be a nagamaki if it is Japanese? Try some closeup shots after you've managed to draw the blade out from its scabbard and see about getting some measurements too. That ought to be a start for us to give you a better read of what you might have.

The metal shows activity but seems a bit lifeless, like a bad acid polish or buffing wheel was rendered unto it. It has that hazy, waxy appearance about it. Or it could just be a really sleepy wartime polish. The silver-plate habaki promises a decent blade. I'd be interested in seeing the nakago as well.

Yes, but only because people don't have to live there. Just imagine an amusement park from the 1980's, left to rot without proper maintenance for 40 years! If you want a good amusement park in Indiana, go to Holiday World. Family owned, clean, free drinks and sunscreen, well-gardened and shaded paths, with a waterpark that you can make a day trip out of on its own without even touching the normal amusement park!

We either get the newer generation interested in them now.. or they go to scrap when we're gone. In general though, I've seen an uptick in interest in nihonto lately. But we cannot get complacent, the duty falls to all of us to get younger people into the hobby. Or as I said will happen: they'll end up unwanted and will turn to dust in the wind. So, ignore generational differences, ladies and gentlemen: reach out, educate, share, sell them at a reasonable price, and do your part to make sure the things we love live on past us.

Looking forward to it, see you all there!

That place is a train wreck, rusty, decrepit, and smells.. has the whole nine yards of horribleness! But our meeting was wonderful, and we'll see you at the Chicago show!

The ITK meeting on March 4th was a great time. Thanks to everyone who showed up! We discussed old business, then Shinsa preparations with Mark Jones in attendance, then we had a wonderful photography session of the blades presented photographed by our own Johnathon Crow. Big welcome to our newest member: Jim Tobin! Our next meeting will be an informal one held at the Chicago Sword Show next month! All are welcome to stop by the 'Indiana Island" at the show and chat with us/peruse our blades/books/tosogu!

Hey Ray, I noticed you're a resident of Indiana like myself! I've sent you a message if you want to meet up with another collector.

Many tanegashima with proper care and maintenance are anything but wallhangers. Some of them are still used in demonstrations in Japan today. Of course, you would want it to be thoroughly inspected by a knowledgeable gunsmith first and you would use low-velocity powder. I am not sure if there are very many modern makers though I believe there are a few.

Our next meeting is a week from today (Saturday), 10 A.M. at the Morgan County Public Library. Any and all are welcome! The meeting topic is: Photography of Nihonto/Shinsa Preparations. Expect to see some nice blades being presented for photographing by a skilled photographer! I'll see about sharing some of the results here. DM me if you have questions.

There. Something to countermand it! Though don't know why they'd do so either.

Just looking at the way its been cut down, I would guess its older than the Edo period. Looks koto to me.

I would say you could easily post it here on the board following the format Brian has asked us to use and you'll get a sale quickly. I would say this is a good project blade for someone willing to send it off to be polished.

Yup! We'll see you there!

On an out-of-polish blade, shintetsu will be hard to spot, but they will show up as patches of darker colored steel. They are much easier to spot on a blade that has a decent level of polish intact. I can see what appears to be kinsuji. Other than that, I can't discern much else. I would get a polisher's or a fellow collector's opinion in person; photos online can only do so much, especially with regards to an out-of-polish piece. The relative thinness of the blade compared to the nakago means a high probability of the blade being tired alone; but construction really does matter, so it may still yet have some life in it. That is a question for a polisher though.

Hard to tell definitively, but there appears to be a lot of ware for an Edo blade and that is never a good sign. The blade has the appearance of being acid-washed (damaged) from the overall milky/cloudiness. The only way to be certain would be to get it in front of a trained polisher to ask their opinion.

You are correct in your assumption that the signature on the kogatana is likely unrelated to the larger blade itself. The condition of everything appears to be really nice though! The blade looks to be late Shinto or Shinshinto in age based purely on the patination of the nakago/ crispness of the yasurime, but I have been incorrect before.

There should be some members in the area. If not, the Chicago sword show is coming up!

I think your next step would be having your friend find someone close to whom he can take the blade to and get an in-hand opinion. Pictures online can only show so much detail. If you're in the Indiana area, I can help. If not, there's plenty of members on either coast to ask as well!

There is no reason EVER for anyone to ever use an antique Japanese-made anything to do 'cutting tests' with. Please do not consider using any nihonto for cutting tests as you will likely destroy the object in question. It takes years of training and practice to use a Japanese blade that non-Japanese martial arts cannot prepare you adequately to do so. Most martial arts use modern-made cutters for this purpose, if at all. Seeing how thin this blade already is, you will likely destroy it. I would reconsider heavily. If you are curious about destructive tests for Japanese swords, the work has already been done a century ago or more and you can read the results. I can promise you, that short of being ground flat, and to slight varying degrees that all Japanese swords are SHARP and will cut. By design, their edges will chip before they roll over and go dull. Lastly, if you are foolhardy still and determined to ruin another blade, I can guarantee that people here will avoid helping you in the future for fear that you'll keep doing it. Using Japanese swords for anything other than study and appreciation will draw askance glares here. https://markussesko.com/2019/08/27/destructive-sword-testing/ http://www.nihontocraft.com/Suishinshi_Masahide.html http://www.nihontocraft.com/Aratameshi_Nihonto.html and http://www.nihontocraft.com/Nihonto_cold_weather.html