tonyadelaideAU

Thank you all for your replies This is a scan of the tag I can't get an image any better than this In regard to 濃州住源天秀鍛之 Nōshū-jū Minamoto Amahide Kitaeru Kore Is that maker's name and town? Regards Tony

I've also attached an image of the "good luck" message that is attached to the sword Tony

Hi All I have had some great help here in the past with a sword I've been privately offered a sword in WWII shin gunto with some characters on the tang I'll probably buy it if its old Just wondered what the writing says and if it's a foundry commercially made WWII sword or older based on what is written? My gut feeling is it is an old pre-WWII sword. I have slightly limited access to it but it has a nice wavy hamon and the blade is reasonably good condition I'll post some more pics of it if I go ahead with acquiring it Regards Tony

Thanks SAS appreciate the input Agree re combat. Most of the Japanese the Australian fought during WWII were in New Guinea and the Indonesian Archipelago and were there from 1942 so quite likely it saw some action then. Some more images taken outside in bright sunlight showing hamon, signature and both sides of the tang I've been very gentle handling this sword. (I'd like to think so anyway) Regards Tony Bond

Thank you for your wise words and sharing your knowledge Steve. Same goes for all those who have commented. I'm quite confident the sword hasn't been touched since WWII. I've been looking on this site for the last 24 hours and the wealth of information and the knowledge base here is almost overwhelming. Time to give it some more thought but probably getting as much information on it and then getting this to a collector who would take it to the next level is a more likely option. As I've said I'm used to doing research on items and I am a long term trader in ethnographic material particularly Australian Aboriginal and Pacific items. Plus a fair bit of WWI & WWII militaria. So I guess I am trying to say I completely understand how much one needs to go through to become knowledgeable on a 'esoteric' subject. I'm happy to put some more images up if required and would love to hear more from other members here. Kind Regards Tony Bond

Thanks Steve, What does one do to getting something like this sword polished? And should I do it? Is it worth getting 'papered'? Or should I pass it on to someone who will do exactly what needs to be done? As I said in my first post I am a trader and this is in no way in my field of knowledge and doing something like you suggested needs to value add. Having said that I'm used to doing research on items. Regards Tony Bond

OK in a classic case of persistence beats resistance the habaki is off. The third try with boiling water did the trick along with some gentle tapping with a wooden block. Thanks Bazza. Images of the naked blade attached. EDIT: The sori as measured from the notch that was under the habaki is 23mm The photo below shows it measured end to end Thanks again for all the advice and help Regards Tony Bond

Hi John, It's seriously stuck. I'm not sure how to proceed. It's like I've opened a can of worms! Regards Tony

Good Morning from Adelaide Thank you all for your input. This morning after a strong coffee I've tried the boiling water method to no avail. I then tried the light tap with a piece of wood. What it's revealed is there is another copper Habaki under the silver one. (image below) This isn't taking into account of the other outer copper one that was loose. Getting this blade naked isn't going to be easy. I'll try the penetrating oil later on. perhaps? A couple more questions: If I damage the habaki is this bad? the outer silver is very soft. In my efforts so far I've already put a small wrinkle in it. Assuming this blade is of some value should I use penetrating a oil like WD40? Or just keep that stuff well away? Or should I be seeking professional help? I hope the additional images attached help with ID and thank you in advance Tony Bond, Adelaide Australia

Hi Bazza Starting to get dark here so I'll take that collar off tomorrow. The loose one looks more like copper than brass actually. Here are a couple of it with the sword. Hopefully I'm getting you what you asked for Regards Tony B.

Hi Bazza Blade is 69cm to the top of the habaki and 67cm below. There is another brass(?) fitting that goes over the one in the images. It was loose. I'm not game to take that collar off in the image as it's firmly in place Regards Tony

This is the point. It has a few marks and dings. Length of blade is 837mm (including tang) or just under 33 inches for our American friends I'm trying to get some provenance on it but a WWII 'souvenir' of an Australian officer for sure. Possibly Manus Island. Thanks Again for the help Regards Tony

Hi Bazza Nice warm day here today I've always liked Japanese swords Is this what you meant? I've also included an image of the Tsuba and the other bits that come off it. I assume these are WWII issue. I'll get a photo of the point later Regards Tony

Hello to all I'm seeking information on a sword I recently acquired. I was able gently remove the handle and free it and the tsuba etc.. from the blade. I would say this hadn't been done since WWII era or before. I got the two characters on the tang translated as Morimitsu (imaged attached) They are the only characters on the tang. The sword is a leather covered military scabbard. The leather has a nice patina from age though it is a bit brittle. The blade is in pretty good condition and has a irregular wavy hamon. I've traded militaria, artefacts and other collectables for 30 years and I believe this may be a blade of some age and a bit better than the average wall hanger. Please excuse me if I've spelled anything incorrectly or got the terminology wrong. Thanks in Advance for any help with further identitfying this. Tony