Request for assistance on World War II Family Heirloom

[BTak]

I would like to know if anyone can help provide more information about a short sword that was brought back by my wife's uncle,  Chaplain Eugene Blackburn, who was with General MacArthur at the Flag Raising in Japan. Thank you for any information that can be provided.

[nulldevice]

Echizen ju Shimosaka

Omi no kami fujiwara Tsuguhiro 

越前住下坂

近江守藤原繼廣

 

From Fujishiro:

Quote

TSUGUHIRO ÔMI NO KAMI [KANBUN 1661 ECHIZEN] SHINTÔ CHÛJÔSAKU 
 He produced in both Edo and Ômi, the katana he made have a ji of mokume 
tachi and the hamon is ordinary suguba or gonome midare. (Wazamono) 
Signatures: ECHIZEN KUNI SHIMOSAKA TSUGUHIRO 
 ÔMI NO KAMI SHIMOSAKA TSUGUHIRO, and on the ura, ECHIZEN JÛ 
Plate I: ECHIZEN KUNI SHIMOSAKA TSUGUHIRO 
 The swordsmiths of Echizen around the time of Kanbun did not inscribe 
the "Kuni name" on the omote, and there were many who inscribed "ECHIZEN JÛ" 
on the ura. This is in Hirotaka, Shigetaka, Kanenaka and Tsuguhiro. The 
oshigata shown here can be said to be very unusual in this point. 

 

Tsuguhiro was a fairly high ranked sword smith from the late 1600s. I can't speak to the authenticity of the mei (signature).

[Rivkin]

The signature is well done, so even without look at books I suspect its genuine.

[Tohagi]

IMHO the color of the nakago is very clear like if patina have been removed?

[Jacques]

 

4 hours ago, Rivkin said:

The signature is well done, so even without look at books I suspect its genuine.

A well-engraved signature is by no means a sign of legitimacy. There are a few (papered) examples available on the net. Personally, I think the mei is a little too far to the right, but that's just an impression. 

[Rivkin]

Everything's possible, but while I've seen koto plenty of fakes, in particular Bizen school ones, with convincing and well executed signatures, I admit to not having experience with a chujosaku shinto gimei where the writing itself would not be problematic at the first glance.

But the proper way is ofcourse checking the books.

[Tim Evans]

Looks like a nice example. Under the FAQ System at the top, read through the sword maintenance and handling articles in order to keep the blade in good condition. It looks like the silk wrap is a bit frayed. This can be mitigated by a small amount of white glue applied to the frayed bits. 

[Jacques]

Quote

Tsuguhiro was a fairly high ranked sword smith from the late 1600s.

Chu-jo only, high ranks begin with jo-saku

[BTak]

Thank you all for providing information on this family artifact from World War II....I will pass onto the family this information.