I have what I believe to be a Japanese short sword, dagger or Tanto. All I know of its history is that it has been in the family for 60 to 80 years and tat it came from a country house. The dagger 430mm long is blade 285mm. The handle is covered in what looks like snakeskin. There is some corrosion and scratches on the blade and the sheath/scabbard is split suggesting some maltreatment or attempts to clean it in the past. It has spent the last 60 years in a drawer. The blade seems to be too substantial for this to be an item produced for tourists and I would appreciate any help in identifying what exactly I have and translating the inscription on the bye knife.
tanto
Hi, It is a "classic" tanto. From what I can see in the pictures, it is a very nice old example, although the blade is in rough condition.
There should be a bamboo peg that holds the handle onto the blade. It may be hidden under the handle wrapping. If you can take it apart without damaging anything, there may be a signature on the tang of the blade. DO NOT un-wrap the cord. The peg is tapered, so it can only be removed from one side. It is also possible that the peg is attached to the "menuki", which is the metal decoration in the middle of the handle.
The handle is a 2-piece wood core, wrapped in ray skin ("same'" in Japanese, the skin of the Giant Ray fish), then wrapped in silk cord. On the ray skin, note the larger "bumps" on one side near the end of the handle. These "nodules" indicate a higher-quality handle, because there is only one spot like that on the entire fish (I think it is in the middle of the back).
The small knife is a "kogatana" (lit. "small sword"), often called a "kozuka" (lit. "small handle"). It is the samurai equivalent of a pocket knife (not a weapon, although movies/TV often show it that way).
As for age, my wild guess is that it's pre-18th century. Seeing the tang of the blade would help.
Tonight I'll attempt to read the signature on the kogatana (with my wife's help).
Pete
peg
I just noticed that the peg ("mekugi") is clearly visible on one side of the handle. That's the large end of the peg.
So, you can find the small end of the peg by peeking under the wrapping cord on the other side. Find a tool that you can use to push the peg out from the small end. A bamboo chopstick is good, or something else that is durable enough, but won't scratch the tang of the blade or damage the wrapping cord.
FYI, for sword collectors, the "official" tool is called a "mekugi-nuki", and is made of brass.
After removing the peg, it is quite possible that the handle is "stuck". If so, I suggest this:
Wrap the blade in clean cloth so that you can hold the blade without cutting yourself, and without touching the blade with your bare skin (the salts and oils on your skin will cause stains and rust!).
Using a block of wood, or a wooden or plastic mallet, GENTLY tap on the tsuba (hand guard), to cause the tsuba to push the handle off of the tang. Often just a couple of taps will break it loose (and it may fall off...).
If unsure about what you are doing, check some internet sites to see how the various pieces are fit together.
To help preserve the blade, use a couple of drops of good-quality gun oil on a small piece of cloth, and wipe the entire surface of the blade except for the tang. A couple of drops is enough for the entire blade - you want a very thin film of oil only. Don't put anything on the tang, and don't "clean off the rust"!
Since this blade is in relatively bad condition, you don't need to use "uchiko" or the traditional cleaning techniques (in my opinion). Don't use cheap oil, or oil with "cleaning" additives, and don't use anything that is abrasive. For a cleaning cloth, I recommend plain white cotton flannel (from a fabric store).
Pete
Tanto
Many thanks for the info Pete. I am very tempted to remove the handle to get an idea of who made the dagger and how old it may be but I am also very wary of interfering with the it in any way until I am confident I am not going to do any damage. From what you say the aim is to preserve it in its present state and prevent further deterioration. I doubt it has seen a drop of oil in a century. While I take it the blade should not be polished, sharpened or refurbished does this also apply to the sheath/scabbard which is split and badly marked?
Alex
Naohiro ?
The kogatana signature is "Yamato (no) Kami Fujiwara Naohiro".
Not entirely sure about the "Nao", but it's likely correct.
A line of smiths that signed that way lived in the mid-17th-century.
Regarding the scabbard:
There's probably not much to be lost by "repairing" it a bit. Scabbards (saya) were intended to be replaced periodically. Of course, there are nice/valuable saya that should not be touched...
Years ago I "fixed" one by re-gluing it, and touching up the black lacquer with black nail polish.
Pete
blade preservation
If it were mine, I would definitely remove the handle, because seeing the tang is so important to knowing more about it.
After removing the handle, and if you find that the blade is high quality, then one option is to NOT put the handle and scabbard back on the blade. If you are interested in displaying it, and you have some basic wood-carving skills, you could make a "tsunagi", which is a fake wooden blade that is used to hold the other pieces together while on display. Poplar is a good choice for the wood for a tsunagi (or a saya).
Another reason not to re-assemble it would be if you sent it to Japan to get it polished (restored). A restored blade should never be put back into old mountings, because there will be crud in there that damages the brand-new (and very expensive) polish.
Speaking of tsunagi: In WWII, some families had valuable 'heirloom' blades that the soldier would take off to war with him. But the traditional mountings were valuable, and not suitable for a WWII battlefield, so a tsunagi would be made to store/display the mounting back home while the blade went with the soldier in WWII-style mounts.
Pete
Tang
Thanks for advice and info. After removing the handle I could see no inscription on the tang. I used a bit of dowel as a punch and found that less than half the length of the peg remained and it was in fact not holding the handle in place. No idea why the peg should not be complete as I am pretty sure the handle has not been removed in the last 100 years. The blade is 5mm thick but there are several nicks or chips on the cutting edge. The worst perhaps 3mm. Given the state of the blade is restoration feasible? I suppose this too depends on the value of the dagger against the cost of restoration.
Alex
unsigned
Given that it is unsigned, the next step would be to find an experienced collector who can study it in person, and perhaps narrow down the time period.
Most likely, polishing is not justified. Not only is it very expensive, but the chips mean that a lot of good metal has to be removed (a legitimate polisher will not do a half-arsed polish and leave the chips in place). Beware of amateur polishers.
Pete