Sword with WW2 wrapping but an older blade with a family Seal

[Jumper]

Hey folks,

Id like your thoughts on the blade and family seal. Im being offered this piece but Id like to know more about it.

It is not signed but Im aware that there are some very educated Japanese sword collectors/enthusiasts that can tell from the tang marks a rough age or period.

The "rust" on the tang is more textured than most I have seen.

Could anyone shed some light on the seal and the approximate age of the blade.

thanks J

[Jumper]

1

[Jumper]

2

[BruceP]

I'm afraid I won't be able to help much on either question. The blade is clearly old, maybe someone who studies the nihonto can help with that.

I've checked both my sources on kamon, and don't see this one on either site. Nick Komiya, at warrelics.com, says that by WWII, any family could have their own mon, so it's possible this was a newly created one. But again, maybe someone with a better source can find it.

Nice habaki, usually a sign that someone spent a little extra money getting this fitted out.

[GHP]

... by WWII, any family could have their own mon, so it's possible this was a newly created one. ...

Any family could use a mon, but they "borrowed liberally" from the ancients.


Yours is like the image below, but without the encompassing ring.
中輪に八曜に巴
Nakawa ni Hachiyō ni Tomoe
Within a ring of 8 planets/stars, a tomoe [triskelion].


I cannot find any names associated with this kamon doing a Google search in Japanese.





--Guy

[Jumper]

Thanks guys.. I showed it to a few folks locally that specialize
In swords.. The common response is that it was made near the end of the
Koto period ... Pre 1600

Is that possible?

Cheers j

[Staldion]

Possible indeed !

[reeder3]

Mixmaster - early tsuka, late tsuba and fuchi. Looks like it was cleaned with an abrasive and no visible hamon/Hada. Might be okay if you needed some of the parts, otherwise not much to look at.

[BruceP]

Mixmaster - early tsuka, late tsuba and fuchi. Looks like it was cleaned with an abrasive and no visible hamon/Hada. Might be okay if you needed some of the parts, otherwise not much to look at.

Old blades donated to the war effort were always "mix-masters" as they were refitted with IJA or IJN regulation parts. They can be found with any number of variations of old and new.

[reeder3]

Old blades donated to the war effort were always "mix-masters" as they were refitted with IJA or IJN regulation parts. They can be found with any number of variations of old and new.

Thanks for the obvious... not what I meant. Mixmaster being post war put together from spare parts. Fittings don't appear to be consistent quality to my eye. Either way, no visible activity in the sword, at least in the pictures provided, and not much to be gained from this example.

[BobI]

You would need to hold the sword to say much more, probably a koto blade. It appears to be a lower quality blade, that tang was either fully or mostly blade at one time too.