Help me take apart this old mistreated katana

[Hunter Copelin]

Hello all, 

Knowing I am a bladesmith, a gentleman from church brought me a katana today asking if I knew much about it or if not, to find out what I can. 
I called a local dojo and was able to confirm what I had read about the ability to take the blade apart and read basically all of the information there is about this blade. 

Based on my studies this blade does not seem to be anything spectacular or rare, but it is a well built blade and I want to be as respectful as I can to the blade itself, it’s maker and the gentleman who now owns it. 
 

is there anyone here interested in potentially guiding me through the dismantling of this sword or pointing me to someone or some literature they would trust with a similar project?
 

I have brought this question here because most legitimate sword collectors and scholars won’t even read my post if my first picture isn’t of the bare tang of an already dismantled sword.  
 

here are some pictures of the unfortunate blade for fun

[George N. M.]

Welcome back aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming.  Glad to have you.

I am no expert on Japanese blades but my first thought, don't unwrap the fabric wrapping on the handle unless you are sure you can replace it, turned out to be irrelevant because there are no wrappings on the handle.  They seem to have been lost to the ravages of time.

A couple of obsrvations: the tsuba looks pretty elaborate to me which would indicate a fairly high quality blade.  I can't tell from the photos if the light colored places in the deeper spots of the decoration of the tsuba are rust or remnants of gold plating.  It the latter, it is another indication of a higher quality tsuba than average and indicative of a higher quality blade.

Be very cautious about cleaning.  I wouldn't use anything much more aggressive than soap and water and a soft to medium bristle brush.  And immediately dry anything you get wer.  Alcohol is a good dewaterer for moisture that gets into cracks, etc..  The value to a collector may be higher with a lightly rusted tsuba than one shined up and replated if there is evidence that it was originally plated.

I would not be very hesitant about knocking out the wooden pins holding the scales and ray skin of the handle out to expose the tang.  This was not uncommon for general, periodic maintenance IIRC.  You may have to replace the pins.  Trace and copy any marks on the tang.  If they are there that is the only clue you will have about the maker and age of the blade.  It may turn out to be a rare old blade or it may just be a mid 20th century reproduction.

Learn how to rewrap the handle.  I am sure that there are tutorials on Youtube.  If a gentle cleaning and rewrapping the handles is all you do you are still returning it to the owner in much better condition than when you received it.

I think the only thing I would restore other than rewrapping the handle is to build a new scabbard for it.  I think you could make a handsome one without getting into laquering, etc..

I would NOT try to brighten the blade.  I would leave it "in the black" unless several different reputable experts advised me to remove the oxidation.

I am sure that there are Japanese sword collector fora (forums) out there.  I'd search long and hard and deep and post your questions and photos there.  On some you may get the brush off and on others you may get more information than you can process.  Even a general sword forum may help.  I once got an identification of a Napolonic blade I have that way.

There are some art museums around that have extensive collections of Japanese swords and hardware.  Tsubas alone are collectible items.  You may want to reseach them and tap into their expertise.  If all else fails, a query to Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC may result in some information.  IIRC the Art Insitute in Chicago has a good collection.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Frosty]

The two names on Iforge that come to my mind immediately are JPH and Steve Sells. I'd PM them, I know Jim only checks in occasionally but Steve is one of the forum admins so he's not too hard to get hold of.

Were I tasked with what you are I'd be looking long and hard before I did much of anything but oil it. What I do know about Katanas and similar is the maker, date and blade name if it has one will be engraved on the tang.

Frosty The Lucky.