gbundersea

Thanks for the prompt and informative replies! So If I'm understanding you correctly, they would simply use acid to enhance the appearance of modern/mass produced blades by giving them an artificial hamon?

I finally got around to photographing the dirk/dagger which was brought back from the Battle of Iwo Jima by the same deceased relative who owned the sword which I've previously posted. I put the photos into this gallery: https://photos.app.g...gl/xr83JGhkxvTEUshn7 (A couple of them are out of order, and for some reason Google Photos is not letting me rearrange them. I will try again soon from the desktop rather than my phone.) The dirk is in very good condition, and has a blade with a beautiful hamon, unlike any similar dirk which I have seen online. I have not disassembled it yet, as I'm not sure how to do so properly, and I definitely don't want to damage it in any way. From what I understand, most WW2 dirks were somewhat mass-produced, and I'm thinking that this is an older, traditionally forged blade. All comments, instructions, and opinions are most appreciated!

Here are some close-up pictures of the hanger on the saya. It does indeed appear to be hinged.

Thank you so much for your detailed analysis! What are the costs and risks of sending it to NBTHK? Are such shipments insured? Forgive my ignorance, as I am a complete noob to all this! Almost everything I know about swords has been learned over the past couple of days, and mostly from you guys! Also, I'm doing this as a favor for a dear friend (ex-wife actually) who is fully occupied with some serious personal issues right now. I want to find out as much as possible so she can make the right decisions with regard to the sword. (And the dirk, which I haven't even photographed yet...) Again, my most sincere thanks!

Take a look at the detailed pictures I just uploaded, and let me know if they provide the answer to your question. Here is the link to that gallery: https://photos.app.g...gl/nD493CVJ1NfRUosXA

Thank you very much for all the input! And you guys definitely have keen eyes. It was indeed covered in a heavy coating of oil (not my doing!) and the fittings had moved around a bit due to the fact that the tsuka was removed. I carefully wiped it with a clean white paper towel, removing most if not all of the oil. I then painstakingly took a lot of photographs, per your instructions, along with extras of all the fittings and saya, on both sides. I put those into a photo gallery, along with high resolution versions of the pictures from yesterday showing the writing on the tang. The hamon does continue all the way to the tip, and I saw nothing to indicate a repair, damage, etc. Here is the link to that gallery: https://photos.app.g...gl/nD493CVJ1NfRUosXA

Thank you, gentlemen, for the great info! Per your suggestion, I took additional pictures, concentrating on the blade and tip. Be aware that the blade does have a light sheen of oil on it, so some of the fine lines with show up in the photographs are likely the oil. However, I did carefully wipe clean about 4" of the blade closest to the habaki, using a lint free shop towel, so that area gives you a good idea of the true appearance of the steel, as shown in the first of these newest pictures.

This sword was brought back from Iwo Jima by a now deceased family member. Like many combat veterans, he did not speak of his experience there, so we know nothing about the sword. I carefully removed the tsuka. It has a single menuki, though the tang has two holes in it. The saya is covered with brown leather. There are no stamps or serial numbers on the blade. I attached pictures of the writing found on the tang. It has a cloudy hamon, and what appears to be a fine grain visible in the steel. Any and all translations, information, and thoughts will be most appreciated!