Well, at least the tsuba looks okay...

[John C]

Sword found in Germany.

 

https://www.yahoo.co...eapon-160000216.html

 

John C.

[Davis]

Thanks John, I found this interesting. It seems museum officials were surprised that this sword found it's way to Berlin.  I'm not.  Berlin was home to many wealthy collectors and some of it's museums had extensive oriental collections.  In 1944/5 artworks were crated up and stored in bunkers, at least one flak tower and even beneath the Chancellery building. There are many accounts of these being looted.

[Rivkin]

... I guess condition is unusual.

I was involved once in a rough evaluation of Reich chancelorie and department of foreign affairs properties taken by the Soviet Union. Nothing appeared terribly interesting, mostly modern-Meiji things, actually there was considerably more Chinese pottery and decorative paintings (in 1920s there was a lot of back and forth gift exchanges) with the emphasis on pretty. There are plenty of personal/diplomatic Asian gifts everywhere, they are just not spectacular and more often than not budget friendly.