Just inherited a Japanese Sword

[25 yr Navy Vet]

I just obtained an old Japanese sword from WWII - from my grandfather's attic (who passed a while back) it had a bamboo tag on it that looks like an inventory tag? I managed to get the hilt off, but the characters are very dark and hard to get a shot of. I was debating a polish of the hilt to try and make out the characters, but looking at the posts some people might scream at me. Just trying to see if additional research would be a waste of time. I figure the right side of the tag is a year or inventory number and I found the bottom character of the gold on the hilt is a single syllable 'shi?'.  If it doesn't look like it is an old Majong tile, I can take a few more photos amd post them - don't want to waste people's time. Thanks for any help I can get.

 

 

 

[Franco D]

1 hour ago, 25 yr Navy Vet said:

I can take a few more photos amd post them -

 

Please do. Full image of entire sword, with close ups of the boshi (tip) and full nakago, for starters.

 

1 hour ago, 25 yr Navy Vet said:

I was debating a polish of the hilt to try and make out the characters, but looking at the posts some people might scream at me.

 

 

Condolences for your Grandfather.

 

Thank you.

 

Regards

[uwe]

Indeed, it’s an important (iron) rule, “never clean the tang (nakago) of a Japanese sword”!!!

A untouched tang can tell you a lot about a sword in question. These informations are lost, or at least obscured, if the tang is altered/cleaned/polished…..

 

The two kanji you posted are made in kin-zōgan (gold inlay) and are most likely an attribution. I’m still not sure about the first (maybe 兼 = Kane), but the second is “元” (moto). 

Waiting for the pics….

[Brian]

Clean the tang, you devalue it by thousands. It looks like it may have possibilities to be something special. Post more pics and preserve it for now, make sure you wipe the blade with some light oil.

[Grey Doffin]

Hi John,

Go to: https://nbthk-ab2.or...ord-characteristics/

and scroll down for Care and Cleaning. Other than a very light coat of machine oil and a new bamboo pin in the handle if the old one is broken or lost, do not try to fix anything. Your sword is much older than WWII, hundreds of years old. Beware of sharks trying to buy it; learn what you have before acting.

Grey

[Ray Singer]

As said above, the blade has a kinzogan-mei (gold inlay) attribution to Kanemoto. There were 27 generations in this lineage, but from the limited appearance this is a koto blade (Muromachi period). . 

[Ray Singer]

Another example, for reference. 

 

https://www.samuraim...k-hozon-certificate/