John C

Ken: Any pics of the nakago? John C.

Does look like a nice zohei-to. From Ohmura's site: John C.

The earliest versions were made with copper metal handles. These carry a premium because of their limited numbers. There are threads here about them. John C.

Yes. Not sure it's mismatched; just the serial number is missing. In pristine condition, I would expect it to be in the 1100 to 1500 range and even more for copper handle. John C.

Assuming the blade is in good condition, I've seen them on Ebay in the last two years in the 800-1000 dollar range. John C.

The one on the right looks like a Tokyo 1st inspection mark. Not sure about the left. John C.

It's possible the saya was replaced at some point due to damage. This was common during the war. John C.

David: I'm not a translator, however to get you started the blade is older than ww2. The symbol on the top is a kikumon. John C.

@Bruce Pennington Bruce: Do you have this hot stamp recorded? John C.

Certainly the officer who purchased the sword would have spent more for it than most others. He probably came from a wealthier family. John C.

I thought these were nice - but way above my pay grade. https://www.ebay.com/itm/273621882781? John C.

George: This may answer a question I have had for a while - how the ordering process for swords was carried out. So were blades produced THEN sold through shops with the customers ordering the various koshirae types or was the entire sword ordered, blade and hamon type, then produced? John C.

A translation of the above: "Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum and I need your help to identify and date my very first Wakizashi. I don't have much information about it, other than that it is o-suriage, has no signature, measures about 57 cm (22 inches) and dates, according to the seller, to the end of the Muromachi period. I also think that before it was shortened, the sword must have been a katana because of its length, but this remains a hypothesis on my part and I am not an expert. Thank you in advance for your answers." John C.

Below is a pic of clay being applied. You can see how the ashi are formed with the edge of the stick or pallet knife. And yes, mine is also star stamped dated 1944. John C.

Fujiwara would be the clan name the smith wants to associated with. Minamoto is another popular one you will often see. John C.

Gareth: Below is the reference for your mon. I don't know the name, however the mon is associated with "Ya" (arrow). Also, the numbers in kanji on the end of the tsuka match the stamped numbers on the other fittings. John C.

I believe Matt from Sohei swords is in VA. John C.

To add, there is an order. From Ohmura's site. Note the larger seppa are on the blade side.

I agree with Colin. Firstly, it looks like grenade fragmentation to me. Secondly, it's important to give respect to the individual's memory as he most likely did not survive. John C.

Brian: You will hear that Ebay is a minefield and to stay away, however it's worth noting that many of our trusted sellers also sell on Ebay! So, on any site, be patient and look at every aspect of the sword without reading the description first (it's probably salesman crap anyway). For example, many listings will say "samurai" when describing a WW1 or WW2 sword or use the term "pilot tanto" or "suicide knife", all of which are used to attract buyers but are wholly inaccurate. Study condition issues and know what to look for (kizu, higare, etc.) then study the blade carefully. Look for recent NTHK or NBTHK papers. Don't necessarily shy away from mumei blades; they are often cheaper because they don't have a name, gimei or otherwise, associated with them. Are there dealers to avoid? Yes. You can find many of them discussed on this site. Lastly, as others have said, there are no diamonds in the rough. Sword sellers know what they have and know what they are worth. If a sword seller is giving an amazing deal, there's a reason for it. You just need to understand 1) why is it so cheap, and 2) is it acceptable to me. John C.

Mike: Just to add to what Bruce said in re: the dots. There was an old video posted some time ago that showed a smith making farm tools that used blades. The smith noted in that video using 3 dots in a triangle as a maker's mark. He also indicated it had been done for some time. So as Bruce noted, probably nothing to do with assembly but rather a maker's mark of some kind. John C.

Thank you! Unfortunately, I passed on a papered Echizen Rai Nobuyoshi because it didn't have the older style marks. I'll know for the future. John C.

Do the new (2023) NBTHK security features still include these print marks? Thank you, John C.

Looks like the tassel was attached in the original picture. Wonder what happened to it. John C.

This is the only picture I have of the whole blade. Not much detail there. John C.