MattS Posted April 25, 2020 Share #1 Posted April 25, 2020 I'm just about positive this is a Chinese fake blade and scabbard. With the handle and tsuba and other assorted parts gone, I don't think there's much that can be done here. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lambo35 Posted April 27, 2020 Share #2 Posted April 27, 2020 Possible "Island Sword", made in a Japanese occupied area during WW2 by locals for local officials etc. Close-up pictures of the scabbard (Saya) and fittings along with close-up pics of the "Nakago" (hilt),both sides Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted April 27, 2020 Author Share #3 Posted April 27, 2020 Some more photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lambo35 Posted April 28, 2020 Share #4 Posted April 28, 2020 Not Japanese made, IMO. I also do not think this sword was made in China for sale to tourists etc. Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted April 28, 2020 Author Share #5 Posted April 28, 2020 8 hours ago, lambo35 said: Not Japanese made, IMO. I also do not think this sword was made in China for sale to tourists etc. Chuck Thanks, that's a bit of a mystery then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted April 30, 2020 Author Share #6 Posted April 30, 2020 A lot of reproduction swords come out of India. Could this be from there? Or could this be a wartime blade made elsewhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SARGE Posted May 2, 2020 Share #7 Posted May 2, 2020 MattS, I recall reading the memoir of a Japanese carrier pilot who was forced down on a Japanese occupied island landing strip when he could not make it back to his carrier late in the war. His plane was shot up after he abandoned it on the runway and he was trapped on the island base for the remainder of the war. He recounted how his uniforms and sword were still on his ship and were eventually shipped back to his wife in Japan but he had only the clothes on his back on the island. He was able to scrounge together a uniform and he recalled that a friendly airplane mechanic made him a new sword out of a leaf spring off of a destroyed truck. He said it was not very pretty but he was very proud of it and wore it on the island until he surrendered it at the end of the war. The problem is that your sword may be an "island sword" but it was certainly not made by a Japanese blade-smith. It is not a traditional wartime Japanese sword. You would have to convince a buyer that it was period Japanese made and the sword has no back story. If the sword is not a reproduction it might as well be as it will be labeled as such by any potential buyer. This is one reason I always say, "Buy the sword and not the story." I hope this is helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted May 2, 2020 Author Share #8 Posted May 2, 2020 I appreciate that. A friend and fellow member here owns this sword, he bought it online with no backstory (presumably for not very much money) and asked me to post it to see if we could figure out what it is. So far, it's NOT Japanese. It MAY be a wartime blade, may be post-war. With no story and no handle or other important parts, it's not very valuable and probably not worth restoring I guess? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SARGE Posted May 2, 2020 Share #9 Posted May 2, 2020 In my humble opinion... correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted May 2, 2020 Author Share #10 Posted May 2, 2020 49 minutes ago, SARGE said: In my humble opinion... correct. Thanks Sarge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lambo35 Posted May 3, 2020 Share #11 Posted May 3, 2020 It could be a fun project to research this kind of sword variation and build/complete it, based on the information that your friend can find from the internet/books etc. Lots of possibilities there. Chuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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