Heavily rusted Nobufusa nakago

[patrick7813]

Need an opinion. I have an 8th generation Nobufusa. The nakago is heavily rusted, yet his mei (Hokke Saburo Nobufusa) remains visible. I’m torn about removing most of the rust or leaving as is. If the rust is removed, I’d like some advice on how to approach. The blade was polished (don’t know by whom) because, I'm told, it had been allowed to deteriorate (probably the same reason for the heavily rusted nakago as well) and is now stored in shirasaya mounts. The original Type 98 shin gunto mounts were retained but are in so-so condition and no longer suitable for housing the blade. There is documentation about the sword from the vet who was the navigator on Gen. Stilwell’s plane and received it from the surrender ceremonies held on Okinawa.

 

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

 

Cheers,

 

Patrick

[cabowen]

That's a shame....The problem with removing the rust is that the mei will be damaged as a result. You might try soaking it in penetrating oil for a few weeks and then hitting it lightly with a wooden mallet to see if you can't get some of it to flake off. There may be some chemical removers that might work if used very carefully....Normally it would be filed but as I said, that would ruin the mei...

[Ed Harbulak]

Patrick,

I used to own this sword and know a bit about its history. I purchased it at a gun show a number of years ago from the dealer who had just recently purchased it from the vet who had been the navigator on the general's plane. I examined the nakago before buying the sword and because of the degree of rust I was convinced it was an older, probably Shinto blade in military mounts. The blade itself was in quite decent condition and had apparently been well taken care of. Since I thought it was a much older blade and quite likely better than a showato, I purchased it. Due to the rusted nakago I had trouble reading the mei although I could see it was there. I showed the sword to Japanese collector I knew who was also at the same show and with a careful examination of the mei he discovered the mei was that of a gendai smith, namely Nobufusa. Because the blade was in decent condition, I had it lightly polished and put into shirasaya. I made a silver habaki for it rather than use the original habaki with the shirasaya. I left the rust on the nakago the way it was and personally I won't do a thing to it, just leave it as is. It's a part of this blades history and was something that happened to the sword during the war in the Pacific. I suspect that salt water had gotten in contact with the nakago at some time during the war and that caused the severe degree of rust on the tang. While unsightly on such a young blade, the mei is legible and it is a well made blade by a good maker. My advice is to leave it as is. Anything you try to do to the nakago will only make matters worse. It is what it is and can still be enjoyed as is. Take good care of it and appreciate its history.

Ed Harbulak

[patrick7813]

Thank you Chris and Ed. Although torn, I was leaning towards leaving the nakago as is for fear of doing more harm than any good in attempting to remove any rust. Given the mei is only somewhat discernible, I wouldn’t want to do anything that would result in its further diminishment. The blade itself is very fine and attractive. I was drawn to this sword because of its history and the quality of the smith’s work. Ed’s information, much more than I gained from the person from whom I acquired it, is very helpful supporting the blade’s provenance and in reinforcing my decision to have acquired the sword and now leave as is.

 

Cheers gentlemen,

[Brian]

Looks to me like the rust is stabilized and hardened. I don't think any of it would remove anyways. I also have a good Gendaito with a rusted nakago. Doesn't bother me too much.

 

Brian

[Ed Harbulak]

You are correct Brian, the rust at this point is quite stable, dry and pretty much inactive. I removed all the loose rust when I bought the sword years ago using a stiff brush, then oiled it to prevent any further damage. While it looks bad, at least the mei can be read and as I told Patrick in a PM, my only suggestion would be to perhaps see if Nobufusa's son who was/is also a sword smith, might be able to re-file the nakago and re-sign his father's name with an indication that the blade's mei was restored by the maker's son.

[patrick7813]

All

 

While the rust is stabilized and I'm content with leaving it "as is", I was intrigued by Ed's suggestion of contacting Nobufusa's son to address the nakago condition. For the sake of discussion, I would likely need some help in brokering a contact with his son and returning the blade to have the work performed (if it could be returned due to its weapon status). Regardless, the final expense may not be worth the effort but am interested in knowing more.

 

Cheers,

[cabowen]

It would most likely be his grandson. The 7th was the mainline smith active during the war with the 8th generation making daisaku, etc. The 8th died a while back so you would need to contact the 9th generation. I am not sure there is one.....

[Dr Fox]

For me Ed has got it 100% right. You have a sword with a rusted nakago, it has a good provenance, its yours. Why not just enjoy as is, its got character.

[JDinMT]

There is a 9th generation smith, go to hokkesaburo.com and check it out. Information on family timeline, swords etc.

 

John D.

[patrick7813]

I’m with the majority of views to leave the nakago in its current state. While I find chasing down the 9th Nobufusa for any possible restoration intriguing, I’ve concluded it’s an effort I’m unwilling to undertake. Perhaps the next owner may be more inclined to do so. As many, both here and elsewhere, have advised, the nakago, although rusted, has wartime provenance as is, the mei remains visible and its know history combine to impart character to the sword.

 

My thanks to all that have chimed in with thoughts.

 

Cheers,