At first glance; they appeared to be twins.

[Fred Rowe]

But one was made by a skilled craftsman; the other, I believe, was not.

These two ww2 Japanese swords came to my shop in poor shape. I should have taken pictures, so you would not have to take my word; but both tips were bent, as if they were stabbed into concrete or the like and both blades were rusty, one more than the other.
They were both taken apart and the parts put in separate containers.
The first blade only had to have the rust lifted with naval jelly and a lot of elbow grease applied; the grinds were well done and the hamon was even and distinct; the second blade the grinds were convex instead of flat and the blade had a slight warp, the length of the blade. The hamon was high on the blade and indistinct. One of the sheaths had been used to bat rocks or something of like; the other was just rusty.
The materials were of a lesser quality in the one with the warped blade. You can tell in the photos. I really think one was manufactured in the early part of the war while the other one was produced later when the war and the money was winding down.

One point of interest, that I think worth sharing: the second sword, with the warped blade, had a paper shim inserted into the inside top of the handle [between the handle and tang] to make the handle fit correctly. I can imagine the assembler of the sword, at the time it was made; cutting the shim with his knife and inserting it between the inside top of the handle and the tang, driving it home with his palm, in order to make it fit.

The gentleman who had me clean these swords up, has always wanted a pair of Japanese swords to put on display in his home, but could never afford the older more valuable swords;
Now at 70 he now has his set of swords and it did not cost him an arm and a leg.:what!: He was pleased with the restoration; even though I admit " it was done by an amateur".

Regards, Fred

The pic at bottom shows the hamon on the top blade at a different light angle.

 

[sanjuro]

Japanese twins

.....the grinds were well done and the hamon was even and distinct; the second blade the grinds were convex instead of flat.... The hamon was high on the blade and indistinct.....

....the second sword, with the warped blade, had a paper shim inserted into the inside top of the handle [between the handle and tang] to make the handle fit correctly.....

Fred,

never ever touch a Japanese blade unless you have profound knowledge or you are a Japanese TOGISHI (polisher)!

All men are created equal but Japanese sword blades are not! Your photos do not show any details except that the SHINOGI is not polished properly with a MIGAKI BO, so I cannot judge about the quality and features of the blades, but there is definitely no reason to assume that one blade should not have a convex grind (which ist called NIKU in Japanese terms).

Depending on the schools, the period of time, and local traditions Japanese swordsmiths manufactured their blades in quite different shapes which is not obvious to the lesser informed admirers.

While your blades may be made either shortly before or in WWII, they may as well be older. It is known that many Japanese officers from SAMURAI families took one of the family treasures with them in the battles. It is quite easy for a specialist to find out the age of a blade - one quick look at the NAKAGO (tang) may be sufficient.

The value of a blade depends on it's quality and the state of preservation, not so much it's age. If a good blade underwent a faulty treatment in removing rust, dents, or nicks, or in the worst case, was ground in another way than the swordmith intended, then the value may be lost completely.

Let us hope that the blades were from industrial production and had only little value!

The use of paper shims is quite normal.

Regards

sanjuro

 

[Fred Rowe]

AW: Japanese twins

Thank you for your post. You will be pleased to know that the gentleman who had me refurbish these two swords is pleased with them, no matter the market value.

Regards, Fred

 

[sanjuro]

AW: Japanese twins

.....You will be pleased to know that the gentleman who had me refurbish these two swords is pleased with them, no matter the market value......

Good morning, Fred!

As I said, I am not able to judge the quality and value of the two swords by the photos. They may be of little value if they were made industrially.

However, the fact that they show a distinct YAKIBA and HAMON could be a hint that they might have been made in a manufacturing process. The Japanese government had a number of blades made by renowned craftsmen in the YASUKUNI shrine, and these blades were forged in the traditional manner with very good steel. So these blades represent very high quality and some of their respective smiths later became 'living national treasures' (NINGEN KOKUHO), which is the highest reputation a craftsman can achieve in Japan.

Such blades can have a value of tens of thousands of Dollars, if they are in perfect condition. This includes the original shape, curves, angles, and surfaces.

I have no doubt at all that you did your best in trying to restore the blades, but a Japanese polisher has to pass an apprenticeship of ten years or more (depending on the master). Part of that time is spent on learning to identify the differents steels used in forging, the different styles and schools of blade forging and the traditional techniques and styles of polishing before the young polishers are allowed to touch a blade. Over the years this learning is done by examining closely hundreds and thousands of good blades in perfect condition.

How many original KATANA (or TACHI) have you had the opportunity to see?

Some years ago I made a visit in an ethnological museum in my hometown, and I was allowed to have a look at the 'SAMURAI collection' in the back rooms. They had a 'specialist' come and refurbish the blades, and of course he used European polishing techniques to make all blades glossy and 'clean'. It is my estimation that he destroyed a value of hundreds of thousands of Dollars with his 'work', and I am not talking about the market value. It is the loss of ethnological and historical value which I complain, and this is due to our Western attitude to think that 'we know better' or 'no problem, I can fix that'....

Regards

Sanjuro

 

[Fred Rowe]

AW: Japanese twins

We are in agreement that western attitudes have and do destroy a great many cultures along with their heritage and the fiscal items that are representative of that culture; it is embarrassing to me personally.
I think this comes from the fact that we do not possess a long lived cultural heritage so we do not have an understanding of what that actually means.
Again I thank you for your post and for the knowledge that you have imparted.
Fred