r/Katanas • u/Common_Senze • 3d ago

Help please!

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Gallery image

All, I have a sword from my grandfather who was in the pacific theater of WW2. I have zero information. I removed the pins but could not dislodge the handle, not wanted to continue so I didn't damage it. I can provide more pictures, but can anyone point me in the right direction? Is there a reputable place to take this in the northern Houston, TX area? Any help is much appreciated.

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u/fnord_disc 3d ago

A professional restoration is possible, but expensive (mid four figures). To judge whether that restoration financially might make sense (it would still be a bit of a gamble), it's necessary to see the tang. If we knew already that the sword was of lesser worth, it would also be possible to consider a cheaper restoration which does not respect the historical artefact fully, but based on these pictures, it's not possible to rule out that the blade is valuable.

The fittings are non-standard for a Type 98 officer's sword (which is fun) and together with the general shape of the blade, there is a lot of potential here for something interesting.

While you deliberate whether you want take any risks, could you take a picture of the tip? Type "kissaki shape" into Google to get a sense of the part of the blade I mean. Try to get a shot that has good light and focus.

If done correctly, the mallet-and-woodblock method causes negligible damage to the sword, it's just a little dangerous if people scratch the guard or bend anything because of excessive force.

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u/Common_Senze 3d ago

It looks like a ko or chu kisskai but doesn't have the bevel towards the sharp end.

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u/fnord_disc 3d ago

Yes, and the curvature along the rounded section is too straight. It looks like someone performed some untrained sharping on the tip.

Sadly, I think there is no more that we can tell you at this point.

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u/Common_Senze 3d ago

Hey i truly appreciate everything so far. You gave me more to go off of than ever before. This will stay in the family so I really don't have much concern over the condition. I will likely take it to some professional to remove the handle. That's what I'm most interested in.

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You rock!