anyone a japanese sword expert

[ronin223]

can anyone ID this sword and know the approximate value for insurance. not interested in selling been in the family a long time

Read More

 

[tac]

Your sword is correctly called a wakizashi, the shorter of the two swords - Dai-Sho - worn by a Samurai. The long blade is called a Katana. The very short dagger is called a tanto, often carried concealed, is usually used as a means close defence or suicide.

Japanese swords are genuine minefield to find out about. Before we go any further, can I ask you, no, make that BEG you, DO NOT TRY AND CLEAN IT UP - ANYWHERE - BUT ESPECIALLY ON THE TANG WHERE THE LETTERING IS LOCATED.

Doing so and THEN finding out that your blade is a historically significant item can take, not hundreds, but thousands, even tens of thousands from the value.

When living in Tokyo, my boss and I used to visit the national collection every year, just to see what had turned up meanbetimes. One exhibit was a 'cleaned-up' blade that had been returned to Japan after having been surrendered in 1945. The then-owner had taken a wire brush to the rust on the tang, not realising that to a collector, the rust is as much part of the history as the name. The blade, in untouched state, might have fetched a quarter of a million dollars. It had been reduced to around fifty thousand by applying a wire brush for less than two minutes.

I suggest that you get in touch with these folks, located in Bellevue WA - https://japanesesword.com/contact

Whinemeal, with your blessing, I'll copy the images and post them to a well-known site in US - no mention of your name or location will be made.

Here is the link - https://www.gunboards.com/threads/wakazashi-with-heavily-incised-tang-help-needed-please.1201476/

 

[ronin223]

Thanks and no problems posting elsewhere. Just want to know more about it. Been in the family a long time.

 

[AshWilliams]

脇差 肥前国忠吉 刃渡り54.6cm 鞘全長77.5 日本... - ヤフオク!

ヤフオクを世界へ - Japan Auctions to the World powered by auction-labo.com 　商品説明 ●脇差 肥前国忠吉 刃渡り54.6cm 鞘全長77.5 日本刀 刀剣 武器 武具 刀 日本美術骨董 白鞘 時代 骨董 鉄 日本文化 歴史 江戸 銘 EG ■鞘込み全長サイズ：77.5 cm ■本体サイズ：67.4cm ■先幅サイズ: 2.1cm/先重 2.9mm ■元幅サイズ：0.5cm/元重 0.6mm ■ハバキ内寸：横下幅 0.6cm/横上幅 0.1cm/高

page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp

This is the same maker: Hizenkoku tadayoshi

The price in the above link is around $500 but a very nice one find about $1000.

 

[tac]

This example seems to have a good polish and therefore eminently sellable - if necessary. Having to have a polish carried out, even on a shorter blade like this one, can be a matter of a thousand dollars or more, even in the US where there are a goodly number of these skilled artisans.