Hey Folks! Does anyone have any Japanese blade appraisers that are recommended? I have come into possession of a WW2 officer's sword through my grandfather. No signature on the tang, no hamon, etc. Would like to know the age and value. If it's worth something, I'll have a professional restore it. if it's not worth much other than the priceless sentimental value, I'll restore it myself. 

 

Thanks! 

No signature? it sounds like a common production gunto but why restore it ?

And what precisely do you mean by "restore"? Return to like-new condition? Repair damage? Stabilize corrosion and other progressive deterioration? 

When I was working in the art restoration studio, we did all kinds of different work, depending on the client's wishes. For example, private collectors often wanted their pieces repaired in such a way that they looked perfect and often could still be used. Museums wanted repairs done in a way that showed (in a minimal way) that the piece had been broken and repaired, as part of the record of its history. Moving companies wanted things to look like they'd never been broken!

Perhaps he wants to clean it up and prevent further deterioration, such items often show the effects of beer and bravado.

That they do!

Our standard go-to procedure for most non-porous objects (including a lovely Japanese helmet, btw) was to vacuum off loose dust, clean any significant grunge with diluted Murphy's Oil Soap and Q-tips, allow to dry, and give a light coat of Renaissance Wax. There were more specialized cleaners for particularly delicate items, but we went through a LOT of Murphy's!

Even if it is a common NCO shin-gunto which were mass produced, it is pretty valuable. Your better off taking lots of good pictures and heading to a world war two collectors forum before you do anything with it. A lot of WWII memorabilia has skyrocketed in price in the last few years.  A basic US entrenching tool, for example, that used to be 25 bucks at a flea market, date coded, is now worth well over a hundred.

Hi folks, sorry should have clarified what exactly I meant by restoration. I would like to clean the rust off of the blade, and some dark tarnishing has occurred from 70 years of people testing the edge with their fingers. I recently spoke with the president of the San Francisco Nipponto Society, and he seems to think it was a Chinese made sword. I am awaiting another appraisal for confirmation. 

If it is indeed a chinese made sword with not much value, I will clean the blade and polish it myself, since it probably isn't worth much besides sentimental value. The saya does not close properly. It's missing a tsuba, etc. I'd like to polish it and clean it up, keep the old mountings in safe storage, and carve a shirasaya for it to sit nicely next to my two iaito and one shinken on my wall. I would love to one day take it to the dojo and see how it cuts, even. It's a bit shorter than most, maybe 2.35 or 2.3 shaku. 

If it is worth something, regardless of it's origin, I will pay to have it polished professionally. 

Photos help; i haven't logged onto this site in a while, but i spend a lot of time on the Nihonto Message Board.....lots of helpful people there. Some decent photos, and you should get some educated opinions.