KB1107

Yes… that’s the plan. Hopefully, one day I will be lucky enough to put this piece properly back together (I’m patient). Your post gives me hope… it definitely looks like the same pattern! Thank you for the post…

Matsunoki… thank you for the assessment. Yes, I will store the tsuka that came it and find something similar to mount to the blade. I agree…fuchi is similar, but not a match (the original tsuka and other parts have been lost to time) I kinda knew it when I bought it. Thank you again for the comments. i will work on this piece after the New Year and find the needed parts to put her back together. David

I had some extra time this am so here’s a few more pics. I believe the fuchi that’s on the tsuka is similar, but not a match… you be the judge. I attached a couple pics of the habaki as well. The last two pics are of an additional fuchi that the seller added (where it came from who knows). As I stated earlier, I think somewhere a long the way a lot of these parts may have been misplaced. I doubt the sellers father brought these swords home in parts. I could be wrong… but… my thought is they would bring home complete swords. The tsuka fits well to the sword… the kashira is well worn… a very little trace of cloud/rain (maybe).

Hello and thank you to you both for responding. i will post pics of the tsuka later today. I should’ve done that with the rest of pics (Sorry). I will let you decide if they’re the same. I believe the fuchi is similar…not so sure about the Kashira. Yes, I want to put it back together… only other thing I will need is a Tsuba. If I’m being honest… the only reason I purchase these two pieces was because of the saya.

A couple more pics…

Hello all, I think I made my end of the year purchases a couple weeks ago. I bought 3 wakizashi/saya(s) in fairly rough condition… sadly, two of the three blades are badly stained. I purchased 2 of the wakizashi’s from an older gentleman that stated his father brought them back from WW2. The sellers kids didn’t want any of the swords so he decided to sell them. The one I’ve listed above is intriguing to me… the fittings on the saya have a dragon theme and appear to be quite old (maybe Edo? Or a smidge earlier?). The saya and fittings appear to be intact and relatively good condition. The sword itself isn’t stained, however… it looks as somebody dropped the blade and the tip is bent (luckily it didn’t snap off) The tsuka is also in pretty bad condition… the Tsuba and seppa (s) appear to have been lost or misplaced over time because they’re not included in the sale. A fun project for next year

Thanks for the comments. I’ve worked with antler material before make handles for knives. Sambar is one of my favorites… I actually bought a Colt SAA with sambar grips (A beautiful piece!). Anyways, I’m not saying that it’s not sambar… this tsuba is pretty thick in circumference and maybe too big for sambar (Or the animal was a monster). Looking at this tsuba, I would lean more towards horn. Now the “Scales” sounds on point!. It would be pliable enough to fit the shape of the SAYA! I 100% agree with you on that… thank you for the post. As far as the re-wrap of the tsuka, I will most likely leave it as it is. The reason being… the blade is the weak link of this package. She’s old and dark stains on both sides. Hopefully one day I will dig deep in my pocket and have the old girl polished. I do see a little bit of hamon in the correct lighting. I also agree this SAYA was made from pieces of left over skin. I think that’s the beauty of it for me…. The artisan that made it had a creative vision! Thanks to all for you comments, David

Thanks for the replies… Are these embellishments common to see on sayas? A sword friend of mine thinks it could be bone as well. i googled horn tsuba and one immediately popped up that looks similar to the one shown in my post. I’m confident that John C hit the nail on the head! The one I saw on-line is from the 19th century… maybe a cheap alternative to an iron/steel tsuba. Again, thank you for the post!

Ahhhhhhhhhh…. Thank you! Both make complete sense to me. Horn and shell… didn’t even cross my mind. I don’t think I’ve ever seen horn used for a tsuba. Interesting…..

Hello all, I picked up this tanto a few weeks ago and I’ve finished working on it to post a few pics. I didn’t buy this piece because of the blade… I mainly purchased it because of the saya (I know I’m crazy). The reason being… somebody at some point put several coats of polyurethane on top of the original finish. It was thick, clumpy, and very uneven. A part of my collecting is trying to restore pieces that have been tampered with. This was no exception… well this is how it looks after removing the poly and smoothing it out. So… my question is, the three embellishments towards the top. Does anybody have an educated guess of what they are? They’re raised a little bit and I’m somewhat baffled as to what they might be. I’ve asked a few of my sword friends and they don’t know either… thus the reason I’m posting here. The saya appears to be pieced together with several different types of skins (several seams noticeable). It’s definitely an odd piece… and very beautiful in person. The blade itself appears old and dark stains… nakago unsigned. The tsuka is basic with basic fittings. Now the tsuba has me at a loss as well… I’m leaning if towards it’s a Chinese fake. It looks that it’s made out of wood or composite material? It looks as somebody attempted to match the fitting color on the tsuka. The tsuba does have some weight to it. Any ideas on this piece would be appreciated too.

Yes, anything is possible. It’s a mystery that nobody will truly know. The piece was purchased about 10 years from the seller at a gun show. He too believes it’s a piece together sword. if nothing else, it makes a Great War story!

Thanks for the responses. Yes, I agree that the quality is low on all the etching on this sword. I would expect it during the war effort… I’m surprised seeing this type of etching on a war blade. This is the only wartime piece I have with a Horimono and Bonji etching. Being that I’m primarily a military collector… I’m thrilled to place it in my collection.

Here’s a few more after a little oil and wipe down

Hello all, It’s been a while since I’ve posted here… I picked up a new addition to my collection yesterday. This katana was for sale in an auction and I decided to make a bid at the last minute. To my surprise, I won it for $520.00 (just me and one other bidder). Anyways, the nakago is signed by Fukumoto Kanemune and a seki stamp is also present (Clearly a Showa blade). A decent Harimono and BONJI are an added plus. The tsuba is clearly civilian and not military… as also is the tsuka and saya (the saya leather covering is a bit worn and has a break). So… in my opinion, there’s also some military looks to this piece as well. The sarute looks as though it was added at some point and also the brown leather cover to the saya. Is it possible that this was initially a civilian sword that was converted to a military piece? Is it a “pieced” together sword? An odd piece for sure. The blade itself is in pretty decent condition… with exception to some staining from fingers touching the metal.

Hello… I’m way late to this discussion because I’ve been out of the country. I’ve always wondered about this sword… it’s probably the nicest one I own (She’s a beauty… and the heaviest sword as well). I too thought this was just an unknown maker…

I 100% agree with all of you in regard to sunlight. My swords never leave my gunroom (No windows/ no sunlight). There’s only led light for about 30 minutes a day. I don’t think led will harm anything, or at least it hasn’t in the years I’ve been collecting. I’ve seen a lot of damage/pitting from swords, guns, knives, and bayonets being stored in leather holsters, metal/wood scabbards. I’m sure all of you have seen tips of blades or cutting edges with dark spots or pitting. People store these pieces for years without pulling them out and cleaning them. Moisture is like satan… it just needs a starting point! Thank you to all that have commented. I enjoy hearing comments and always learn new things by reading posts here.

Yes, most have been identified… most are signed… most are gendiato Foolish to store this way? Naked to the atmosphere? They are usually stored in the saya to protect the blade and transport…yes. This is the way I’ve chose to store them for the past several years (without any issue). Plus, I’m willing to believe that they’ve been subject to much more crucial environment than in my gunroom, on racks, and in AC. They survived WW2… that in itself was a miracle! Now they just enjoy retirement like me…. Thanks all for the comments… and thank you Rivkin for the putting a range date to this sword. D

Thanks for the post… I store all my blades out so I can see them. Moisture is a killer for any high carbon blade, this way I can make sure no black is forming on the blade. As far as the fingerprint on the blade, for me… it’s part of the history of the sword. That fingerprint has been on that blade for many years, I’ve had the blade for 10 years. I use it as an example to make sure a thin coat of oil is on the blade… otherwise, this can happen. This is how I choose to store my blade..

Yes… just put a thin coat of oil and to the rack with the others she goes. Funny, I have a couple military blades where somebody over the years touched the blade(s) with their bare hands. The ridges and valleys from their fingers are like fingerprint cards on the blade. The ridges from their fingers turned black on the blades over the years. A good reason a little oil is a good lesson. Someones fingerprint will forever be attached to this sword! Thanks for the post.

Thanks to both for the replies… I’m mucho happy with it. I agree, not a ww2 military sword. No doubt it’s a WW2 bring back sword… she’s a beauty in real life.

This is the other side of the blade where a couple groves have been cut. Interesting that both sides are different… old blade? Oh yes, the says is a basic black civilian type say… very good shape.

Hello All, It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything or asked a question here… mainly due to my gun collection side taking priority over the swords. Anyways, I saw an ad for this sword a few month ago and the asking price was $1150.00 (I believe). Recently, the price was lowered to $750… the seller stated that his grandfathers friend obtained this sword while serving overseas in WW2. The story the seller told me was… according to his grandfather, that his friend took this sword off a Japanese naval officer. The grandfather passed away a while ago and the seller inherited this sword. The sword was listed for sale because the seller doesn’t have a use for it and doesn’t collected military items. Anyways, I inquired on the sword since it’s been for sale a long time… I made an offer and the seller accepted.. Here’s a few pics of the sword and parts… no signature as you can see. My question will be… I’m assuming the designs on the Fuchs are some sort of a signature or a family mon? I searched online a bit, but didn’t find anything “exact” to what I have. There looks like a leather type seppa mixed in with the brass ones…I’m just gonna leave it. I was gonna separate them, but the brass septa seems to be too attached to the leather. I like to leave them as original as possible. The blade is beautiful… one of the nicest one that I have (Looks much better in person). Any and all feedback is welcome. Now… the back story on the sword? Well, probably just a story… I don’t see a naval officer possessing this civilian sword. I could be wrong… and usually I am. I just thought I would share my new acquisition with the forum… I’m completely happy with it.

Thanks for the info.

Interesting... I think the owner has this sword widely advertised. Thanks for letting me know....

I think this is all...