Posted 9 years ago
RICCCKY
(2 items)
This is a wood sheath chrome looking blade. The over all length is
24" the blade is 15" I inherited it from my father in law. He was stationed in Japan in the mid forties. I think that's where it came from.
Thanks Rick
That would be a shirasaya wakizashi. A wakizashi is a short sword, often worn as a set with the longer katana sword by samurai. A shirasaya is a plain wood grip and scabbard, it was mainly used to store the blade rather than fight with it.
None of this means it's old. They still make shirasaya wakizashi today, and yours may have been made to sell to GIs as a souvenir after the war, or it may have belonged to a Japanese officer or official during the war, or it may be an old heirloom that got separated from the family - I have no way of knowing by the pictures.
Chris
Thanks Chris,
I would think there would be something stamped on the blade. I see no marks on the blade.
Rick
That may be a good thing. The ones with something stamped on the blade would almost certainly be modern/factory made. If you want to risk it, you could examine the tang. That's where a Japanese sword might be marked.
Personally I would take the risk of cracking the wood or having a little wiggle in the sword/grip fit to look, BUT that is a personal decision and there are people on this site that would advise against it. If you decide to do it....
There is a small peg through the grip. Take a good look at both sides, because the pin may be tapered, in which case you want the small side. Get an appropriate size wood dowel and tap the pin out with a hammer (do NOT use a steel punch).
wrap a towel around the blade and try to firmly and carefully pull the blade out. If that does not work, you can try to tap on the grip with a rubber mallet to loosen it. I have had luck wrapping the blade in a towel, putting it firmly in a vice poit up and putting a piece of flat wood against the side of the blade and tapping down on the grip by tapping the piece of flat wood with a hammer. I never strike with any hard force.
IF there is anything on the tang, photograph it or do a rubbing of it with onion skin paper, and a dealer/expert in Japanese blades should be able to tell you something. Be aware you might have gone through all this and find no inscription.
To reassemble, you may be able to just re-insert and tap the pin back in with the mallet. If not, you can place the tip against a block of wood and GENTLY tap the grip back in place with a rubber mallet.
Chris
Thanks Chris,
I'll give this a try.
Rick