Sword identification please

[MtnView]

Greetings,

I am hoping for some information about a sword I received from a family friend about 45 years ago. I didn't know where to turn until I heard about this message board. Any help/info would be appreciated.

The letter that accompanied the sword was dated 5 Dec, 1945 from a Lt Col. at the HQ of the 1st Cavalry Division. He was stationed in Gamagori, Japan at the time. Attached are some photos. Please let me know if you need a view of anything specific.

Thank you in advance for your help

[Kiipu]

靖徳 Yasunori.

[John C]

Looks like the sword is dated 1939.

John C.

[Kiipu]

昭和十四年八月吉日 = A lucky day in August 1939.

[lonely panet]

Kenzo kotani Yasunori was the student of kajiyma Yasunori. Which is the above smith. Once is apprentice was awarded the similar name he changed the shape of his nakago. Could you please show more. I bet its a cracking sword

 

 

[MtnView]

Thank you all for such a quick response and the information you provided.

lonely panet: What specifically do you need to look at and what is a cracking sword?

[lonely panet]

Cracking is slang for good. The smiths from the yasukuni shrine school aka Nihonto taren kai are know for superior gendai. 

 

Hamon,  hada, overall shape. Being earlish is should have a koto appearance 

[PNSSHOGUN]

What we all hope to find, keep it safe and be wary of any offers to buy it. The silver insert on the handle will be the Japanese officers surname. 

[SteveM]

飯野 = Iino.  

 

Iino with a double i

(not Lino)

[lonely panet]

1 hour ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

What we all hope to find, keep it safe and be wary of any offers to buy it. The silver insert on the handle will be the Japanese officers surname. 

Are there low scum on this forum that are doing that??

[Brian]

PM Offers fly daily. I get messaged by people who are overwhelmed by offers. Just something that happens I guess.
Richard, this is something of a low Grail item for those that collect wartime blades. It's a really good one. take your time. Also in professional and decent polish.
You scored big there.

[Matsunoki]

2 hours ago, Brian said:

Richard, this is something of a low Grail

Brian…typo?..Holy??

[Brian]

No typo. Was going to type Holy Grail...but these are good, but not like the best of the best etc. So I separated Grail items in my head into low, medium and high.
This is a Grail item, but kinda a low grade one. Hence low Grail

[Stephen]

Please show the full nakago without any fittings ie habaki.

Remember blade up nakago down.

Very blessed man. 

[MtnView]

Thanks for all of the input.

Although I've always been fascinated with Japanese culture, I am finding myself ignorant in this area and am enjoying the education you are giving me.

 

Stephen: are these the views you are looking for?

[MtnView]

Are the lines where the tang meets the blade the laminations or something else?

[PNSSHOGUN]

Those are polishers marks, or "Nagashi".  Different schools have some variations on how the lines can appear. There is further information at the bottom of the page:

 

http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/togi.html

 

To learn more about the Yasukuni Shrine swords, you will need a book called "The Yasukuni Swords" by Tom Kishida.

[ROKUJURO]

Richard,

as Stephen wrote: blade pointing upwards, NAKAGO pointing downwards. This is the way the signature can be read. 

[Matsunoki]

Richard, very desirable sword. This is the correct way to show images of the nakago (tang). It can be a tad confusing when you first encounter the “official vocabulary”.  

 

[MtnView]

I feel somewhat crass asking this but what would be the approximate value of this sword? Do I need to worry about insurance?

[SteveM]

Not crass - its a natural question. Just the Yasukuni sword alone is probably worth close to $2000. If all the fittings are in pristine condition, the ensemble would be worth north of $3000. 

 

Your mileage may very. 

[lonely panet]

6000 usd min

[PNSSHOGUN]

Would agree with Hamish, minimum of 6000usd for insurance purposes. 

[MtnView]

Many thanks for the info and the education! It is much appreciated.

[SteveM]

I didn't realize these were going for such high prices. 

Forget my original lowball estimate of $2000. The guys above are right - these are going for a minimum of $6000.

North of $10,000 if the furnishings are in great condition. 

 

 

[MtnView]

Thanks Steve

[MtnView]

I guess to be honest, I am stunned. I figured that I had a $50-$100 sword, if I was lucky.

My quest started out of curiosity and the possibility of returning it the family of the original owner. I have since found out how difficult that can be.

Now I'm dumbfounded and don't know what to say.

It's taking a while to digest everything I've learned and let it sink in.

[Brian]

If you decide to keep it, you may want to look for a copy of this book: https://www.amazon.c...3-1945/dp/4770027540

[MtnView]

Thanks Brian. Can't afford that right now but I'm planning on a trip to a college library, 2 hrs. away, that has a copy.

Besides the monetary value, the history of the sword is intriguing and holds its own value.

[Kiipu]

Hi Richard, click on the link below and then click on the bottom link called Yasukuni PDF.

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