Requesting assistance with signature - false or real any idea of a date?

[csandecki]

I am pretty much begging for a bit of help before I give up once again. I won't go into the story of how I came to have this sword but it sat in storage for 60 some years before I rescued it from an otherwise sad fate and I tried to find out as much as I could over 10 years ago and became frustrated then and sort of gave it up.

 

What brings me back to this attempt to find out more information is frankly,  I feel the sword deserves to be know for what it is. ... even if it turns out the signature is not what I have been told it could be. I know it is a wakizashi. It has a beautiful Tsuba but it otherwise has fallen apart and the fittings are in a bag. Before I give up again and put it away for another 10-20 or more years I thought it deserved another go at it.

 

If it is worth the investment I would like to restore it to some level but this is would really require a lot of effort by an expert if it is deemed to be worthy.

 

I greatly and very sincerely appreciate any advice, assistance, thoughts or insight from this very well informed group.

 

Best regards, Christopher

[uwe]

Hi Christopher.

 

The mei reads “Tamba no Kami Yoshimichi” (Mishina school).  Which generation, legit or gimei......I’ll leave it to the experts.

[ROKUJURO]

Christopher,

welcome to the NMB!

There are many options on the net to compare the signature (https://www.aoijapan.net/katana-tamba-no-kami-yoshimichi-osaka-third-generation/) 
but even if GIMEI the blade might be a decent one, so look at the quality and the features first and then the MEI should confirm the smith (in the best of all cases).

Please show more of the blade so the experts could comment. 

[csandecki]

Hello to alI who see this post,

 

finally got around to taking a few photos go the blade. I was away on a business trip. This blade is in bad shape and Ido not know if it can be restored. A good deal of rust? I did measure it and tried to take pictures of the sides even though it is hard to examine with the rust blooms.

 

The condition of the sword is not good and I was given the sword from a late family member who stored in a closet since the 1950s. So not too much good information about it.

 

Any idea or assistance or advice or insight is greatly appreciated and I would be thankful for. I am trying to determine if it is legitimate and if worth the time and expense to search for a restoration? I greatly thank any experts for their comments.

 

Very much Appreciated,

Christopher 

[csandecki]

Here is another photo I took of the overall length.

 

I am most thankful for any information provided.

 

Sincerely,

Christopher 

 

 

[SAS]

Yoshimichi? edit: never mind, somehow I missed the earlier responses. Polished, the blade could be worth a bit more than Ken stated, but it rarely is a profitable endeavor....it is nice to see them restored, however, and it does look like it would come out well. Please avoid self help measures.

[Ken-Hawaii]

The length indicates that it's a wakizashi, Christopher, & the polish leaves a lot to be desired, as I'm sure you've noticed. Figure that it will cost you up to $100/inch for a good polish, plus a new habaki ($350), plus a new shirasaya ($400). When you're done, it may be worth $800-$1000.

 

I understand your desire to be a good caretaker, but this blade probably should be enjoyed for what it is, as-is.