KenB

Hi John, no, I didn’t try to remove the tsuka. The mekugi looked wooden and was partially covered by the wrap on the tsuka. (Photos) I really didn’t want to damage by mistake and would rather a professional do the takedown. I am also very interested as well to discover what the nakago says…

Here’s some photos.

Pnsshogun, thank you for the article. The sword I have looks very similar to the one displayed in the article. I havent removed the hilt yet to verify but detail around the handle and saya are extremely similar. I’ll post photos over the weekend…

Thank you for the reference to Mike. As stated, I’m guessing from internet photos and descriptions as to what I have and would obviously get confirmation from whoever I find to restore it.

Hello, Like so many others on this site, I have recently acquired a Japanese Sword from a family member that has passed. I am overly confident that the sword is real since I also have the Joint Intelligence tag with the sword and my wife's grandfather was a naval officer in the pacific theater during ww2. It was not kept in the bast shape. I'm guessing Navy type Tachi Gunto Kikusui-tō "Minatogawa Jinja Masanao" from the 2 ashi (?) on the scabbard and similar cherry blossom details from internet photos. The scabbard has a leather(?) rayskin(?) cover with 6 button fasteners. The scabbard is broken 3/4 of the way down and it looks wooden. The blade has a sizable amount of surface rust on it. Since it represents a family member's history, it would be great to have the scabbard repaired, and sword reconditioned so that it could be displayed at our house. Is there any artisan's in Los Angeles County that could repair and keep it as historically accurate as possible?