Original Item: Only One Available. The Japanese Katana (刀 or かたな) is a sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. The design is iconic, and probably one of the best known sword styles in the world, easily identifiable even in silhouette. The official term for katana in Japan is uchigatana (打刀) and the term katana (刀) often refers to single-edged swords from around the world. Developed later than the tachi, it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge facing upward.

After the Meiji Restoration, its use became much less widespread, however when Imperial Japan developed large ambitions, the Katana once again returned as a sign of prestige and rank. After the war, many were brought home by returning U.S. servicemen, which is how most that we see ended up in the United States.

This example dates from the mid to late Edo period (江戸時代, Edo jidai) or Tokugawa period (徳川時代, Tokugawa jidai) of Japanese history. This is the period between 1603 and 1867, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional daimyo. It is around the middle of the blade length range, and has a "Shinogi Zukuri" shape, the standard for the Katana. It also looks to most likely have been reissued for WWII use, as it is now in a military style wooden scabbard, with a leather field cover on it.

This example has most likely been remounted several times, as was common for Japanese blades, which is why there are two mounting holes in the tang. This pretty much removed the YASURIME (鑢目 - file marks) on the the tang, intended to help hold the blade in the handle, and given the tang a lovely oxidized patina. As there is no maker name on the tang, this blade is considered 無銘 (mumei), or "anonymous".

The blade has the following period correct features:
- Folded steel blade (fold lines are evident on the spine and body of the blade)
- holes (mekugi-ana) in the tang are punched and not drilled
- blade has a faint temper line (hamon)
- blade shows grain (hada) in the body (ji), only possible with laminated steel.
- Blade wounds (kizu) or lamination artifacts are present on the blade. Both ware (lamination lines) and fukure (carbon pits) are visible.

This example has an overall length of 33 ⅛ inches, and the blade is 24 ⅛ inches long. It looks to have seen a good amount of use and cleaning since the last polishing, which has made the aspects of the blade hard to see. It looks like it was probably cleaned multiple times with uchiko powder to remove oxidation, and possibly something more harsh while in the field. The edge is however pretty much dent and nick free, and still relatively sharp in many areas.

The tang (nakago) is of the futsu 普通 (regular) style, with a Haagari (asymmetrically rounded) nakago-jiri (tang-tip). The HAMON (刃文) temper line is visible in the light, and is of the SUGUHA (直刃 - straight) shape, though it can be hard to see. The other aspects of the blade are not really visible due to the condition of the polish. There are blade wounds including ware (lamination splits) and fukure (Carbon pits) confirming that it is a traditionally handmade blade. It also has a very nice BO’HI (fuller, which is only seen on a minority of blades. This makes the blade lighter, while also making it a bit stronger in some ways.

The tsuba (cross guard) is made of iron and is of the MARU GATA (round) shape, and it is quite perforated, with some lovely designs present inside the outer border. These include what look to be a stylized crane and a turtle circling inside the outer border, and they are quite well executed. There are two hitsu-ana cut outs on either side of the blade, used for the handles of accessories such as Kogatana knives and kogai hair pins, which are not present. There are two brass SEPPA (spacers) around the cross guard, and the HABAKI (blade collar) looks to be a WWII reissue type, made from brass.

The fuchi (collar) for the tsuka (handle) is blacked bronze, as is the kashira (end cap), and both have some lovely gilt and embossed designs. There are two gold highlighted bronze menuki grip ornaments present, which look to be spiders on a web, which is itself on a ladder. Definitely very interesting and decorative!  The stingray (Sa-Me) grip is in very good condition, and the brown grip wrapping (Ito) shows wear and staining, with some fraying near the end. It does not look to have been re-wrapped for WWII.. The mekugi (grip peg) is a recent replacement.

The Scabbard (saya) on this example is wood covered with a leather field cover, often seen on older swords refit for use during WWII, as they required far less materials and production time. The leather looks to originally have had a brown finish, which is worn in some areas, and may have been touched up with red dye or paint. There is some flaking and cracking in the finish, but the leather is still solid, with the stitching fully intact. It is sewn completely onto the wooden scabbard, and has a brass KOIGUCHI scabbard mouth fitting, and a brass hanger ring and fitting under the cover. There is a crushed male snap at the top, which would have secured to a strap on the handle, now missing.

A nice Edo Period Katana reissued for WWII where it probably saw long use, complete with scabbard and ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 24 ⅛"
Blade Shape: Shinogi-Zukuri (鎬造)
Overall length: 33 ⅛“
Scabbard Length: 28 ¾"

It has been over one thousand years ago that the art of making swords appeared in Japan. The swordsmiths of the time may not have known it but they were creating a legendary sword. The Samurai sword has seen combat in many battlefields. From the early days of the Samurai warrior to the fierce battles in the South Pacific during WWII.

Each hand-made Japanese blade (日本刀 - Nihonto) is unique because it is forged from multiple pieces of folded steel stock. A tremendous amount of work is dedicated to creating these pieces. They were an instrument of war as much as a beautiful artifact to adorn a room.

The traditional Japanese blade and mountings have grown to be one of the most highly desired military antiques.