Have a Japanese sword that I bought 20 years back. Have a local guy looking for this type of thing and am looking for someone knowledgeable about these things that I can send pics to so that I can come up with a price. Any help would be appreciated.

you think rifle looneys are odd--

No way to put a figure on it without looking,, but there are a lot of examples on the internet. Look up Japanese war swords.

Thing to remember that the war swords, although resembling a Samauri are not really. They are officer swords, and basically two types Naval and Army,, Navy are longer and have a Damacus pattern in them, but they are not hand made., Officer swords are shorter with greenish scabbards. The are still what they are, but the hand made Samauris will have the maker of the sword, which can be seen by removing the retaining pin and comparing the inscriptions on the tang with know literature sources.

That's one of those subjects that you'd better know what you're doing. You can make a huge monetary mistake either by selling too cheap or buying too high.

The story bout how your ancestor captured it on Iwo is worth more than the sword.

Pablo Ku ntz. Unique Japan Eliminate the space between the u n

Japanese swords cover a lot of possibilities.

Unless it is one of the most commonly issued WWII swords of which there are certainly more than two types & some of which were indeed hand made like the “samurai” type. It would really take a “hands on” appraisal by an expert.

The green saya with the painted aluminum handle is factory mass produced for non-commissioned officers. That type could be evaluated by pictures.

I see nothing in your original post that implies it even is a WWII bring back.

I’d like to send pics to a knowledgeable sword guy.

Join bladeforums.com and go to the knife identification forum.

Might hafta pay ta join, but cheaper than anything else you'll find.

P.m. sent

ive got one my grandpa took off a jap officer on the canal. grandpa carried the scar it gave him on his arm his whole life. I dont care what its worth,but knowing what he went through on the islands he was on, makes the sentimental value, priceless

Contact "Mike" on Pawn Stars. He knows all about them.

Yes some of the real ones were taken by military that were held in families for generations, most never made it back home. Also many saber types were issued, without the longer handle.
If you send pictures remove the pin holding the handle, and send pictures of the markings on the tang.

Contact Ray Singer on Swords of Japan. No judgement zone. He will take care of you and tell you the truth.

My dad brought back a Samurai sword from the war. I took it to an expert. He pushed on a few of the little bars on the decorative handle, and removed the handle. There on the steel shaft that the handle goes around were the markings put on when the sword was made.
This guy said that the sword was made in 1605. He said it wasn't worth too much, because we kids had sharpened it with a file.

It is worth more if the owner used it to commit seppuku.

If it was used on Americans then I am not sure who would want to own it.

Interesting take.

So long as you didn't scratch too deeply while filing on it, there are guy who can restore the traditional edge. It's not exactly cheap, and the deeper the file marks the greater the cost, but in many cases, it can be done.

Longer swords weren't used for Hari-Kari (the actual cut) Seppuku is the ceremony and ceremony followed by the Samuri

I have the Naval and the Army ones, from an uncle that flew P-40s in China. Can still remember his stories. I don't think the swords are worth much, but the memories are.

Maybe interesting side note and off topic but;

Kamakasi pilots and officers (including NCOs) were given the swords as a symbol to set them apart. I wonder who was doing this first, the Knights of the Round Table? or did they get it from the Japanese?

I see someone us paying attention.

A long sword would only be used by a second to take off the head.

For a good part of European history Crucifix swords, double edged swords with a large cross guard that formed the shape of The Cross, were reserved for Knights and Nobles. Single edge blades such as the falchion were the blades of the merchant and peasant classes.

It was very honorable for a Samurai to commit seppuku.
His second had to sever the head with one stroke, or the second was disgraced.

Not to butt in on this thread, but if you wouldn’t mind starting another one, I think we’d all like to hear your grandfather’s story. As we lose the greatest generation, their stories die with them and that is the real loss. People die every day but the stories about their lives and deeds should carry on.

Not a new thread but:
if your interested

My wife's uncle:

Didn't talk about it much, just a few incidents, cutting Japanese in half with a 50 cal. machine gun, stuff like that. No sword stuff.

He was the One-Man Army of Batan. Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, 3 Purple Hearts.

Wikipedia gives a better story than I can.

My dad was in the navy and served in the south pacific. He was in the battle of Leyte Gulf and several others. He survived a ship being sunk by Japanese dive bombers. He was awarded two purple hearts and some other medals. When the war was over and they were being mustered out in San Francisco, he had a captured sword and a rifle, probably an Arisaka. While standing in a long line on the gangplank, he observed officers confiscating the souvenirs of the seamen as they reached the end of the gangplank. Rather than turning his booty over to those bastards, he tossed them into San Francisco Bay. He did manage to get a Japanese flag and a bosun's whistle home though.

I have one also that I would like to send pictures of the tang stampings.