Matting2

Thank you for your help Mark

It looks like lacquer,and corrosion at the end of the nakago

This is a new katana to me as well. Any help with translation will be appreciated. Mark

Thank you everyone. I will get some better pics with angled light to see if it is clearer.

Welcome Matt. I started my journey the same way. 2 inherited Nihonto from my parents passing. Just a warning, I now have 5 of them and that collection will continue to grow. There are great people here. I have learned so much about my new collection. Enjoy the ride. Mark

I have been trying to find a translation for the kanji on this Wakizashi. I was hoping the good people here could lend a hand. Any help would be much appreciated. Mark

Thank you all for the great information. I know that I have a lot to learn on my new quest. I appreciate all of the support that I have received from everyone on this site. The welcoming nature and effort at teaching a newbie about Nihonto has been unbelievable and welcome. Thank you all for all that you do and thank you Brian for running it. A donation to help with the effort will be coming soon.

Does anyone have any ideas on the second one? I can send more pics of it as well. It is also in great shape but unsigned

Thank you all for the incredible advice. It is greatly appreciated. I may do the chicago show first. I live about 3 hours from there. If it is a sword of historical value, I will treat it with the respect that it deserves. 5000 or more wouldn't be a problem, as I said, to me this is a work of art, no different than any of the paintings that I have. It will be treasured for generations to come. It really is in great shape.

What is the best way to learn to read the Mei? I have quickly discovered that google translate is useless. Are there online resources to smiths names and how to read dates and locations. I fascinated how so many here can so quickly interpret the Mei.

Do you have any idea of the cost of having the sword polished , determined by length of cutting edge, new saya, shipping fees of the agent and shinsa? Money isn't an issue. If it is worth restoring a damaged monet or Rembrandt for a few thousand, it would be worth it just to preserve the history.

The guys on here have been great in identify the Mei as Shigimasa on my katana that came back from WW2. There are however many Shigmasa's can anyone narrow it down based on the appearance of the blade or the signature. I plan on eventually having it polished and getting a shinsa. Just curious how old it could be.

Perfect. Thank you. ありがとうございました