Inherited this blade. Seeking information and care instruction. Complete Novice.

[JohnPublic]

 

My grandfather passed away last year and left me this blade that I believe he acquired in Japan while stationed there between 1942 - 1944. I've only had the item in my possession for a few days, but did manage to have some translation done, which, if correct, means that it was produced in June 1942 by Endo Mitsuoki? I've had some difficulty finding much info on the smith other than it seems he was reputable and achieved honors in smithing during his lifetime. 

 

Any info on the blade and/or the smith would be much appreciated. I would also like some info on care and maintenance. It is missing the pin that goes through the tang, there is some very, very light rust along the blade which I would like to take care of, and the sheath on the blade end is just ever-so-slightly beginning to separate. The knee-jerk response is to buy a bamboo pin on ebay, clean the blade with rust remover, and touch the sheath with wood glue, but I have a feeling that these are all very bad ideas. Any and all guidance would be appreciated.

 

Thank you.

-Seth 

 

EDIT: Tried to get a full picture of the blade, hard to do in my current lighting, will get a better one later:

[Ken-Hawaii]

Welcome to the forum, Seth. You did a darn good job on your photos. Care & maintenance are covered in http://www.nbthk-ab.org/swordcare.pdf  So, yes, a very-bad idea to do anything, except lightly oiling the cutting part of the blade, not the handle. Please leave the shirasaya (sheath) alone until you can send some closeups. Using the correct glue is important.

 

I'll let experts who collect Gendaito help with the rest. Congrats on your inheritance - it's a good start.

[16k]

Ken is right, Seth.

 

And your instincts were good. You have a WW2 Gendaito, meaning a traditionally made sword, so a good sword. If you’re afraid the saya is going to split, you can make a tight paper tube to put around it until you get this fixed. You should post this in the military sword section, or ask Brian to move it there as there will be a lot of knowledgeable people that will tell you everything there is to know about your sword.

 

Welcome aboard!

[leo]

Hi, Seth,

 

it seems to be signed by Echigo Kunimitsu and dated June, Showa 17 (1942). it also carries a kokuin (hotstamp).

 

Quality seems good so I guess it is a gendaito, a traditionally made military blade. i am sure the smith is listed in one of the books about showa swordsmiths.

 

Best Regards

[Geraint]

Dear Seth.

 

If you have not already found it compare here, https://www.aoijapan.net/katana-echigo-kuni-mitsuoki/

 

As others have said this is a very nice sword to own, especially as it is an inheritance from your grandfather.  Do you have any more of the story of how he acquired the sword?

 

All the best.

[Bruce Pennington]

Can anyone give a translation of the hotstamp? Sometimes it’s a stylized version of their name, or it could say something else.

 

After looking his name up on Japaneseswordindex - 国光 (Kunimitsu)

 

波多野 銀次郎 - it kind of looks like the last two kanji of his real name “次郎”.

[Nobody]

The hotstamp also says Mitsuoki (光起) in Seal script.

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Seth,

Replace the missing pin ASAP.  Without a pin the blade can slip out of the handle.  You can whittle a chopstick for this.

For the splitting scabbard mouth.  Cut a strip of paper 1" wide and long enough to go around the scabbard and then a bit.  Wrap the paper around the scabbard 5 or 6 inches below the mouth and then wrap masking tape tightly around the paper.  Place the scabbard mouth down on a table and force the paper/tape down till it is tight.  This will close up the split, prevent further splitting, and, when the time comes for a proper repair, it is perfectly reversible.

Grey

[JohnPublic]

Thanks for the info. Is there nothing that can be done for the minor rust spots short of sending it off?

[16k]

No sanding! Worst mistake ever!

 

Use uchiko and oil. Staining will remain but at least, you will preserve the blade from further damage. You can’t do anything about it yourself, it’s the job of a trained polisher. Now it’s up to you if you are ready to invest money in restoring it as this is pretty expensive.

[JohnPublic]

I'll get a cleaning kit and give it some love then. Thanks.

 

I have no intention of ever selling the weapon, but can someone give a rough ballpark of it's value? Again, I have no clue, but it would be good to know for posterity and insurance.

[16k]

In present state, I’d say around $3000/3500. Could be more in a fresh polish.

[Tom Darling]

Did you determine the length of the cutting edge?  Is it over 27 inches?  You have a very fine gendi blade.  Thank you.

 

 

Tom D.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Once polished it could be safely insured for over $5000. Here's another nice example:

 

http://www.ricecracker.com/inventory/1563_katana_mitsuoki_nbthk/1563_katana_mitsuoki_nbthk.html

[JohnPublic]

@Tom Cutting edge appears to be right at 27in. Is there some significance to that number?  

 

EDIT: Another question: I gather that the value of the item is the blade itself? Might it be a good idea to replace the shirasaya, or does the original carry some intrinsic value to where it would be worth repairing it?

[PNSSHOGUN]

Not particularly, it can be opened by a Togishi or Koshirae maker and cleaned but if you have it polished a new Shirasaya must be made to protect it. You can have a tsunagi made to put in the old shirasaya for display if you so wished.

[SAS]

Given the condition of the sword, it is unlikely that polishing would change it enough to require a new shirasaya, but the old one needs to be cleaned inside and refurbished during a polish.

[Bruce Pennington]

  On 12/24/2019 at 1:44 PM, Nobody said:

The hotstamp also says Mitsuoki (光起) in Seal script.

Thank you!  Do you know the significance of the "Mitsuoki" to the smith? (sorry for the distraction from the thread.  I collect stamps of all kinds and would like to understand as much as possible, when not obvious like this).

 

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Seth,

Your sword is perfectly fine as is; there is no reason why you should be in a rush to have any work done,other than the new bamboo pin made for it.  Someday, if you get serious about Nihonto, you can send the sword to a properly trained polisher and spend a couple thousand $ to have it restored.  Until that time, a polish will be largely something that you will have to worry about screwing up (a polish is easily damaged, scratched or corroded, and beginners often make a mess out of a new polish).

Grey

[JohnPublic]

Any ideas what type of wood the shirasaya is? Rosewood seems to be a likely candidate given what I've read, but I don't know enough about it to say for sure.

 

[16k]

Traditional material is honoki wood (magnolia family).

[JohnPublic]

I was reading that, but it seems too dark. Would it have been common to apply a stain to it to get it the color it is now?

 

EDIT: Also, have been looking at cleaning kits on Amazon US, seems like a lot of these are gimmicky, which stuff like "Hatori Hanzo" written on them. Can someone recommend a decent kit that won't set me back an absurd amount?

[16k]

Possibly. I’m not sure to be honest. But old shirasaya often have this color.

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Seth,

Here is a care and etiquette brochure:

http://nbthk-ab.org/cleaning-maintenance.html

You don't need a cleaning kit.  Keep a very fine coat of light machine oil on the polished blade (not the tang) and that is all that is necessary.

Grey

[SAS]

If  you decide to get a cleaning kit, i recommend getting it from Bob Benson, who makes uchiko the proper way. http://www.bushidojapaneseswords.com/about-us.html

[PNSSHOGUN]

The wood changes colour from age, handling and oil.

[Nobody]

  On 12/26/2019 at 1:18 PM, Bruce Pennington said:

Thank you!  Do you know the significance of the "Mitsuoki" to the smith? (sorry for the distraction from the thread.  I collect stamps of all kinds and would like to understand as much as possible, when not obvious like this).

 

 

I am afraid I cannot catch you. The stamped "Mitsuoki (光起)" is only his smith name, which is also inscribed on the nakago as 越後國光起造 - Echigo no kuni, Mitsuoki made.

BTW, his smith name is not Kunimitsu (國光).

[leo]

Your are right, Moriyama san, my mistake!

It is not Kunimitsu, but as you said, Echigo no Kuni Mitsuoki Tsukuru.

 

BTW, the mei is a tachi mei. Is this the rule with most Gendaito or just the personal style of the smith?

 

Regards

[PNSSHOGUN]

  On 12/27/2019 at 9:27 PM, leo said:

Your are right, Moriyama san, my mistake!

It is not Kunimitsu, but as you said, Echigo no Kuni Mitsuoki Tsukuru.

 

BTW, the mei is a tachi mei. Is this the rule with most Gendaito or just the personal style of the smith?

 

Regards

Shin Gunto are based on the Tachi so it's definitely more common for them to be signed Tachi Mei. There are some cases where a Gendai smith normally signs Tachi Mei but signed Katana Mei on a specially ordered sword. Then you have Koa Isshin swords that are signed Katana Mei, Yasukuni-To that are signed Tachi mei, the list goes on without any discernible pattern. To answer your question, yes, smiths preference for the majority.

[Tom Darling]

Hi Seth,

 

Simply put, at 27 inches and over makes it significantly more desirable. You have a real winner.  

 

 

Tom D.