Featured Need any info about this old KATANA style SWORD.

possibly a blade smith pressed into service , while not living at home ?

Anything out of the ordinary.....does work for the blade!

 

I did collect japanese swords for some years, and am totally fascinated by them and ancient Japanese culture. Particularly fascinating for we, were swords carried during WWII, but with ancient blades. I had several from the 1500 and 1600's, and the oldest was a tachi blade from about 1350, but used in modern mounts like yours was. They were still a very essential weapon of war.
I have asked about the blade, and hopefully, will hear back shortly for you. I'll keep you informed.

 

I'd be glad to measure it- should this be measured along the curve of the spine or edge, or straight across the spine?

 

Particularly fascinating for we, were swords carried during WWII, but with ancient blades.

Yup !!
which is why the handle and sheath , may have no bearing on the blade whatsoever...

 

Hopefully, I have translated the mei (signature) correctly, though it is years since I collected them and read signatures etc.
There were several different levels of sword smiths, ranging from the absolutely fabulous to schoolboy metalworker. Some were made in the ancient traditional manner which we call Gendaito, others were lesser quality which are called Showato. Others still were simply blade shaped objects, simply ground from a solid lump of metal.

 

tip to tang , I believe........

 

Quite, the oldest sword that I had and mentioned above, ca.1350, had exactly the same saya (scabbard) as the one in the original post, and exactly the same tsuba and tsuka (guard and grip) as the example you posted.

 

Oops, disregard duplicate post- it looked like first post wasn't there. I didn't see we were into page 2!

 

These are measured from the tip of the point (Kissaki) to the shoulder of the blade where the copper sleeve (habaki) fits on (Mune machi). This measurement is called the nagasa.

 

a little history....

After Japan's surrender in 1945, Allied forces—primarily the US—confiscated
roughly 500,000 to over 3 million Japanese swords as part of a demilitarization campaign. While many were destroyed or dumped at sea, thousands were taken by Allied personnel as war souvenirs, with many valuable, historic heirloom blades lost in the process................
Key details regarding the confiscated swords:

• The "Bring-Back" Phenomenon: Thousands of swords, often called "gunto" (military swords), were brought to the US by returning soldiers. These ranged from mass-produced arsenal blades to ancient, family-owned, hand-forged, blades.
• Destruction & Disappearance: Many swords were destroyed in Japan, either melted down or dumped in Tokyo Bay. A famous, priceless example, the Honjo Masamune, was surrendered to police in 1945 and subsequently vanished, becoming one of the most significant lost artifacts.
• Akabane-to: Around 5,000 to 50,000 swords were stored at a US military facility in Akabane, Tokyo, and were meant to be disposed of; many were later destroyed or distributed to high-ranking officers.
• Surrender Tags: Many Japanese soldiers, hoping their swords would be returned, attached tags with personal details to their weapons, but the majority were never returned.
• Modern Repatriation: Some veterans or their families have returned captured swords to their original families in Japan.

 

but this wasn't Vietmam......

 

Obviously... I really wish we had some kind of info from Harry (the Vietnam vet who had this). He always wore a Vietnam veteran cap, but I never heard him speak about it. I still see his wife regularly at church, but she said she knows nothing at all about this sword.
What a shame so many fine swords were lost in this way. I can understand the "disarmament", but- the fact that so many of those were art, history, and heirlooms- is sad.

 

OK, measured from tip straight to the shoulder is 64.6 cm (25-7/16").
From tip straight to middle of the end of tang is 85.7 cm (about 33-3/4").

 

I have heard back and my translation thankfully is correct. There are evidently three smiths from the era listed who signed Katsutoshi, however,none of them signed Chikuzen (no) kuni, which as I said is a somewhat unusual province for the era. Maybe, he is simply unlisted, or possibly he moved and perhaps changed his signature.
Can you please possibly get a really close up of a section of the blade, just a small section will do, preferably against a black back ground.

Pictures like those give me nightmares Komo. Interestingly, all the swords in your picture appear to be naval swords (Kai-Gunto) as opposed to army swords (Shin-Gunto) like that in the original post. I have a picture somewhere of hundreds of Japanese swords and daggers simply, and literally, being shovelled into a furnace!

 

I feel ya !!!
Just putting it out there as a shot of GI's with confiscated swords....
the boys could be Marines ....

Sorry !

You looking for a special Hamon on the blade ???

 

yeah, I'm with you on that one Komo.

Wow, I'd be happy with just a couple of those now. Though often naval swords are of inferior quality. I presume because of the salt air etc.

A sword did turn up in California some years back, It was in WWII Shin-Gunto ( army) mounts like that of the sword you posted earlier. After appraisal it was almost designated a national treasure! I don't OTTOMH remember who made it now, but it was really exceptional. So, you just never know.......................

 

Excellent. I understand the disarmament, but Japan is a friendly nation now, and many are family heirlooms.

I hope there are Japanese who will return keris, also family heirlooms. My husband's family had over twenty keris, which they took to Javanese relatives in the countryside when the Japanese invaded Java, but all of them were found and confiscated by the Japanese anyway.

 

Yes, sir - here ya go... (Apologies for any fingerprints/stains you might see. I noticed there are some on the blade.)
I took various pictures under different lighting- it's always difficult for me to decide what is the "best" view of such reflective subjects.
Below are view of opposites sides of the same section of blade. If you need anything different - angle, lighting, smaller section with higher resolution, etc. - let me know, and I'll do my best to accommodate you.

 

WAAAAH! That's worse than pitctures of jewelry "art" made of perfectly good vintage jewelry, or what was perfectly good before someone trashed it. For every so many utility scrap-me swords, there was likely one treasure that will never be seen again.

 

Thank you for the pictures. Unfortunately, the blade has been rubbed and much of the original finish lost already. However, the edge seems to have a slightly black ish finish, which is theresult of an oil quench. Traditional handmade quality blades were quenched in water, which is a very difficult thing to do. Oil quench is far easier, but was never done on quality blade. So, this blade appears to be what we call Showato, which is a semi massed produced item and not traditionally forged. That would also tie in with the unusual and unrecorded 'smith' Katsutoshi in Chikuzen; he wasn't a sword smith as such, he was a metal worker. As the war progressed many Japanese swords were made this way to help keep up the demand.
Even if the blade is Showato, it would still be worth fitting a hilt to the sword.