Identification or advice re: avenues for further research requested

[Novitiate]

Good morning everyone,

I would be very grateful for any information regarding the sword pictured below. I can tell you nothing about its history, other than it was part of a large and not particularly selective collection of old swords put together in the UK. This included several shin-guntō, but also many other British and European blades and bayonets, all in a very poor state blade-wise (most appear to have been 'cleaned' using sand paper and buffing wheels). I do not even know if this is the correct forum to post in, or whether the Military Swords section would be more appropriate (if so, many apologies). Any help greatly appreciated, particularly advice re: avenues for further research, should this be warranted.

 

The sword is a fraction over 34" in lenth (measured from tip to tip, as it were); the tang is 8"; the width of the blade at the widest point is a fraction over 1/4".

 

R

 

 

[Geraint]

Dear Richard.

 

Welcome to NMB.  Your sword has, as you suggest been 'cleaned' really badly.  For examples of what they should look like have a look here, https://www.aoijapan.com/  There are many other sites in the links at the top of the page for you to explore.

 

Please don't clean anything else, have a look in the FAQ for care guides.  From what I can see this stands a very good chance of being a shingunto, in other words a sword made around WWII.  I can see hamon in one of your pictures but it is probably not worth the cost of a proper restoration, you may wish to have it professionally polished for your own interst but it's an expensive undertaking.  

 

Depending on where you are one or other of the gang would be happy to have a look in person and give you some more hints.

 

All the best.

[Novitiate]

Dear Geraint,

 

Thank you! As a WW2 piece, is it likely to be handmade, or a mass-produced example?

 

Odd coincidence that you are in Cornwall. I have only ever bought one other Japanese sword: a signed shinshinto wakazashi at a jumble sale in Padstow ca. 25 years ago for £45, which turned out to be by Yamato-no-Kami Hidekuni - on the advice of various experts (to whom I owe all the terminology!), I sent this off to be polished and had a shirasaya made.

 

I saw the above in a local antiques shop the other day among piles of other swords and thought it also needed to be rescued. I had some vague idea of finally getting the wakazashi out of the cupboard and putting both on display as a pair, though it sounds like they would be a bad mismatch in terms of period, probably also of quality.

 

Many thanks once again,

Richard

[Rivkin]

Likely WW2, possibly not entirely traditional.