Virginian

Sorry for the delay, but here are some answers to questions/concerns: -I don't have a good camera, nor the skills to take pictures any better than the first ones I posted. I'm sure at some point I will show the sword to a local expert and he can take some pictures. -I have PM'd individuals in response to them asking me to do some kind of documentary. I'm not a very public person, but I told them I would listen to any proposals and decide from there. I'm not ruling it in, or out. -Blade Guard Paste is made from 100% non-toxic ingredients. The base oil is the most highly refined food grade mineral oil available. It is in paste form due to the addition of 100% natural beeswax. The paste was tested, approved and is used by KA-BAR Knives on their high-end custom blades. It was also recently praised by the Buck knives owners club magazine. I have used Blade Guard on rare firearms from my grandfathers collection for years to protect the finish and prevent rusting. I informed Ted Tenold of the ingredients and he knows I put it on the sword. I don't expect any sword collectors to use something different than what they've always used, but the fact is that it contains only what most people use anyway. -As for the California cancer warning... I bought seatbelts for one of my old cars yesterday and they had the exact same warning. As a matter of fact, every page of the 2 inch thick catalog had that warning on it. Due to lawyers and idiots, every company in the US has to post that warning to protect themselves against lawsuits. Take care, George VO

The sword was returned back to my hands this afternoon. Even though it has sat around for years with nobody paying attention to it, it's like a long lost friend returning home. I am indebted to Darcy and Ted for taking it across the "big pond" to verify that it is what they thought it was. It's hard to tell where the story goes from here, but rest assured that the blade will be better cared for than it was in the previous 75 years. As soon as I received it, I coated all metal parts with my Blade Guard Paste and put it back in the gun safe. Thank you so much for all the info I received from members of this forum. You guys have been an unbelievable asset and I appreciate your efforts. I have no plans to send the blade away for polish, since I suspect that any damage it may have might be due to over polishing over 800+ years. I will inform my children of the history of this blade, so they are not as lost as I was when this story began. I'm sure it will hit the market someday, but unless it's for an amount that helps out my mother immensely, the groundhogs will probably be delivering my mail. I have always appreciated this sword and the other one my Grandfather captured, but will appreciate them even more, since I know the history behind them. Holding an 800 year old work of art is a humbling experience. Thanks again to all involved and I wish you all success in your hobby/lifestyle. Last night I watched a rerun of a show called Expedition Unknown about a sword called the Honjo Masamune and it was very interesting seeing the both the historical side and the collectors side. I can understand the attraction you guys have for this hobby. Good luck and take care, George VO

The sword just arrived back in the U.S. safely. I still have to decide where to go from here, but I have some of the best advisors on the planet. George V

Thank you all for the overwhelming support through private messages. This is a great group of guys that are passionate about the hobby. Because of the recommendations of numerous experts and several Marine brothers, I will be waiting until the sword is back in my hands before making any decisions. It is no longer for sale and I will be setting aside some money for a future polish. Thanks again to everyone involved. It is amazing to talk to so many people who have absolutely no agenda or motive beyond what's best for the blade. Take care, George VO

As a Marine officer, my integrity is more important to me than anything else on the planet. I will never question Darcy's honesty and I know he is a pillar of your community, so I'm not sure where our disconnect is. I have a complete email trail of everything sent to me from the beginning and I may have taken some things out of context, but I have not in any way, said something that wasn't in print. Anything I've said here or in private message can be verified. Take care, George VO

SAS, Thank you for the message. I honestly don't think people here are elitists and would probably say that they are some of the friendliest and most helpful people I've ever met. When I said that I didn't feel like I had much in common with the group, I had just got back from busting my butt on the farm all day and I was sitting in one of my old trucks that I could hardly get running and I was reading a bunch of comments from people that were making it seem like I was out to hurt the sword, or that I didn't care about it. I felt ganged up on and said a stupid comment. I have received countless private messages from people offering advice and I appreciate every one of them. I think it's too late for me to take up sword collecting, but from what I've seen, most of you guys are "salt of the earth". My apologies to anyone offended as I usually have thicker skin. Thanks again to all on the board. George VO

Brian, that is a very good point that I hadn't considered and I appreciate the input. The only comment I would add is that car owners spend 100k to restore a car and most will never see the open road. They are trailered everywhere they go. Your point also somewhat makes my point; swords are very important to only a handful of people, so when the board members hammer me about the extreme importance of this blade, is it really all that important in the grand scheme of things, or only a handful of people? Everyone thinks their hobby or collection is superior. A local auction house sold a small hanging cupboard from 1800 by a builder with probably less than 10 known works for $962,000. There are over a million known woodworkers from that time and I bet only a handful of collectors, and yet.... To a sword collector this decision is a breeze. To a non collector, I'm being pulled/pushed in a thousand different directions. I'm almost guaranteed to make a less than perfect decision according to sword people. When I bounce the info of this off of my friends, they think I'm the only one making sense... which is scary. Somewhere in the world is a guy who will pay a million bucks for a Pop Tart that looks like Tom Petty and it will never make sense to the rest of the planet, but it did to him. Thanks, George VO

Thank you guys. I'm glad to see not everyone believes I wake up every morning with a plan to destroy this blade! Darcy is correct in saying I received a substantial offer for the sword, but please humor me for a minute: If I have to finance the house I'm trying to build for my mother, the amount offered would lower my payment on a loan of 150k by $129. Would anyone here sell something like this to save $129? I don't have a bunch of money, but I will reach down and find that much in order to keep this sword. In another story that completely baffles me: I spent the entire day yesterday pulling a 1932 Ford Coupe out of the barn where my stepfather kept it since 1955. He bought it when he was 20 years old and started to hotrod it. He died over a year ago and left my mother a widow. In order to build this house, I decided to sell it. This car has been in a barn for about 65 years; has surface rust; incorrect headlights, taillights, engine, wheels and interior. It also has a "fatal flaw"... the engine is locked up. They probably made 20,000 '32 Ford Coupes and I'm sure a couple thousand remain. Long story short, I asked a friend to find out what is was worth and attempt to sell it. It sold in under 5 minutes on his Facebook page for $6,000 more than I was offered for the sword. In addition, a film crew came and documented the entire event for a future show. I know there are more car people than sword people, but how does an 87 year old inoperable car (covered in dust and mouse crap) bring more in America, than an 800 year old sword is valued by the top collector in Japan? I'm not saying it wasn't a fair offer, I'm just saying that I will never sell the sword for that amount. I am conferring with Darcy about the possibility of leaving the sword in Japan for either a possible sale, or in case I change my mind and have it polished. I'll wait to hear from him on his recommendation. I would like to sell it to a board member who would appreciate it and give it the respect it deserves... but most of all, make the tough decisions about its future. I don't like to play people off each other for a sale and I understand that the Japanese people refuse to bid against each other, but I don't have a lot more options to get this house built without a mortgage payment. I will entertain offers for the sword, or will listen to recommendations for a worthy price. Thanks again, George VO

I can't be the only "regular Joe" on this board! Let me lay it out. I make less than 30k a year in military retirement. I make a little more from other sources, but not much. My kids are adults and provide for themselves, so I don't need much. My wife and I rarely eat out and we live a very country lifestyle. This isn't a pity party because this is how I choose to live. I grew up in a house with no electricity or running water and wouldn't have missed it for the world. Now picture me trying to justify spending a third of my annual income to polish and paper an object that one of the top experts in the field says is "a roll of the dice". Darcy asked if I "felt lucky", because while it would always be worth the price of the polish, it might be worth less than before the procedure took place. If this sword is truly a historical object that means so much to the world, why are there few offers to buy it and take on the cost of polish/papers? I now know what a historical blade value is in Japan and it doesn't overcome my sentimental value. I appreciate and will never overlook the efforts of so many to get where we are today. From giving up a spot in the line up, to walking the sword through a gauntlet of top experts in the field, to identifying it on this board in the first place... but then the real world kicks in. I have been told by the premier dealer in the world that a polish could possibly further damage the blade. Darcy has generously offered to cover the polishing cost, but that cost comes out of a sale that may be lower than when we started. There has to be at least one individual on this board that understands that kind of risk. I'm almost positive that not everyone on this board is rich... There are numerous Marine's on this board and I've never met a rich Marine! I truly appreciate the one or two people here who aren't envious of my situation, but I'm a realist and a survivor. I was a Marine Drill Instructor for 8 platoons, so there are roughly 500 people in the world who pray every night before they go to bed, that I suffer a tragic death. I also appreciate offers to help with the cost of polish, but I would never in a million years take money from strangers for such a thing. Call it pride, but to me it's just who I am. I have never been given anything, or taken a free ride and I won't start now. I have already told Ted that I will reimburse him for his expenses of getting the blade shipped to him and carrying it to Japan. Even though Darcy offered his services for free, I will gladly reimburse him as well. Thanks again to each and every individual on this board who has impacted this event. I can never express my gratitude enough for the kindness and well wishes. Truth be told, the more time I spend here, the more I realize I don't have much in common with most of the members. I promise to care for the blade to the best of my ability and ensure my heirs know what they have. The sword has received more love in the last month than it has in the last 75 years. Take care, George VO

Thank you guys for all the suggestions. I want to make perfectly clear that Darcy never said that cutting the sword down should, or even would be done. He was trying to explain, in layman's terms, how crazy the papering process is. Please try to picture Queen Elizabeth trying to explain to Jed Clampett about why he should use a salad fork. Darcy is at the peak of his profession and I owe him a debt of gratitude. I completely trust his opinion, but even he said he wasn't sure if polishing would improve the value and that it might even reduce it. As for turning down an offer, I don't sell things for their value, I sell them for their value to me. Awhile back a friend of mine saw a Pep Boys oil jug in one of my barns and said he wanted it for his man cave and offered $20. It was worth less than that to me, so I sold it to him. Turns out it was from 1934 and worth a couple hundred bucks. My friend offered to give it back, but I was happy with the deal. Will the price I accept for the sword be fair? Maybe not, but it'll sell for its value to me and not what the market recommends. Darcy has been a true gentleman at every turn. He has kept me in the loop during the process and even offered to send pictures of the blade to confirm the condition. I told him that I didn't need pictures to believe him and that I wouldn't know what I was looking at anyway. He also recommended getting a second opinion, which I doubt I will seek out. He and Ted have seen the condition, in addition to some of the top collector's in the world and no one knows what to expect from further polishing. A professional polish by the top guy in Japan may cost as much as 9k (probably less), and it might hurt the value. Like Forrest Gump said "life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're going to get". Basically, I'm refusing to bite the chocolate to see what's inside. I'm still open to suggestions, but ultimately I have to lean towards sentimental value and my gut. Thanks guys, George VO

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and comments. I don't know much about swords, so any description I make will be lacking, but I'm sure Darcy can fill in some blanks. Darcy and Ted did exactly as they promised and got the sword in front of the experts in Japan. I approved Ted to use a stone to try to expose the invisible hamon in front of a prominent collector. It was evidently a miraculous event to see the hamon come to life and I wish I could've been there to see the elation. At some point there was an area of about 1 inch where the hamon did not "jump out". There is still no consensus about whether the hamon is interrupted, or is weak in that area. I have been told that it's possible that polishing may improve the area, but that it would be like "rolling the dice" and could even make it worse. After reading articles on Darcy's blog about the interrupted hamon flaw, I understand the cause is being polished over many years, or being too aggressively polished in one area to remove a chip. Either way, I don't want to jump into another polish if that's what caused the problem in the first place. The sword world is definitely different than the warriors world. Sword collector's want a flawless blade, even if it was used in battle for over 800 years. Darcy even mentioned that there are people who would possibly cut this sword down to get it through the papering process. I would rather have it in my safe than cut it down for a piece of paper, or perhaps further damage it through polishing. I'm not much of a gambler and don't play the lottery, so a roll of the dice is not for me. Darcy secured an offer from a Japanese collector and I declined that offer. It may have been the best offer I will ever receive, but I'm not in a hurry to sell and won't be remorseful or ashamed if it never sells. It is a warriors sword, taken by another warrior and passed down to fellow warriors. I will listen to future offers, but the price offered will have to surpass my own attachment. Thanks Again for all the kind words and thoughts. Semper Fi, George VO

This is the other sword my grandfather captured during WWII. I posted pictures of it on the identification page and was told that the stamp showed it being made by Asano Kanasane. I have spent a couple weeks using oil and scraping it with a piece of antler and I think this is as good as it will be. I might continue to soak it to see if anymore if the corrosion comes off. Any help with identification will be appreciated. Thanks, George V

A lot of good people on this board... I'm feeling the love. I assumed that Darcy dropped one of his own blades in order to take mine. I had no idea another collector dropped from the trip. My hat is off to that fine individual. I pray that your patience pays off. George VO

Thanks guys for the well-wishes. Darcy and Ted Tenold are first class gentlemen and it's been an honor and a pleasure to pick their brains and get their professional opinions on this sword. There are still a lot of moving parts to this adventure, but it's amazing to have posted pictures on this site and within a couple weeks, my sword is in Tokyo. There are a lot of people involved in this effort, but I personally believe that Michael was the driving force behind it. He stuck his neck out with some observations and even contacted Darcy... Thanks Michael. George VO

Thanks Robert. I have plenty of deer antlers laying around!