Hi there. Sorry if this is the wrong place, but I'm wanting some assistance identifying a sword I got as a child from the head of my karate organisation. He was a 7th Dan, exceptionally well renowned person and I have no idea of the history of the sword, other than I remember him saying it was from his own collection. Given who he was, I have no reason that believe it's not genuine, but I would love to know its potential origin, is it mass produced/a copy etc. I have no intention of selling this unless it happens that be worth an significant amount (which I personally think is unlikely).
I've never held a real quality sword before so it's hard for me to describe the texture, but if anyone wants to get on Skype/Discord or something to ask questions and have a look I'm sure I can arrange that.
The biggest issue I'm having is there is no clear way to dismantle the blade (I believe there's usually a little latch on most katana) as all of the grip is some kind of bone/ivory/imitation. The scabbard itself is my biggest worry of it being something cheap, as the bottom feels very plastic like, and some of the swords decoration feel rather flimsy too.
Thank you in advance for any help and advice offered. I've always been fascinated by Japanese culture and swords, so it would be nice to learn something about the only one I own :)
Gary
