---

Folks,

I’m selling a World War II-era Japanese officer’s sword collected in Burma in the 1980s. It has suffered surprisingly little damage from spending the past eight decades in tropical and semi-tropical environments (it went to Savannah, Georgia from Burma).

This example has what may be old handprints on the blade; there are areas of black staining on both sides, with very minimal pitting. More serious is that the blade appears to have been badly polished, so that there are fine scratches along its length and the hamon is not visible. The edge has some nicks. A proper polish would remove all of these flaws, but this blade probably isn’t worth the expense. It’s a factory-made blade (of the 1.200-per-year variety, rather than an elite artisan's 2-per-year or a mass-production factory's 12,000-per-year) with a marked tang. I’ve tried to show the tang markings in the photos below. The scabbard is steel with Army mounts, and the fittings are brass. All are well patinated but in good condition. The hilt’s organic materials are also in good condition, and the mounting is tight and solid.

Higher-resolution photos are available on request.

I'm asking $775 shipped in the U.S.A.; foreign buyers will have to discuss shipping. I accept PayPal (for Goods and Services, please add 3% to cover the fee) or check or money order. Sorry, no trades. Please send me a PM if you're interested.

Mark Millman

---

 Attachment: 709.04 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 672.02 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 696.08 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 695.86 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 699.47 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 637 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 661.21 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 636.21 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 657.43 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 618.33 KB
[ Download ]

---

Here are more photos.

---

 Attachment: 653.82 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 688.55 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 693.51 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 599.25 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 614.19 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 761.84 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 549.04 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 572.62 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 532.1 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 529.69 KB
[ Download ]

---

This sword would be good for cutting, if you're interested in using a historical example in your practice.

And because I'm a bit compulsive, let me note that Burma is now Myanmar.

Mark Millman

---

Folks,

I've gotten some further information about this sword. It's signed Hitachi no Kami Muneshige; the name was used by two smiths (presumably of successive generations), working between 1661 and 1704. So it appears this is a Shinto blade given military mounts (early-production Type 98 mounts, I'm told, which would place them in 1938 or later) and carried during World War II--but its presence in Burma made that likely anyway. I wrote above that it probably wouldn't be worthwhile to have this blade professionally polished, but that may not be true.

In any case, this calls for a price adjustment, so I'm now asking $2000 shipped.

Best,

Mark Millman

---

Folks,

In my enthusiasm, I got a bit carried away with the price. The new price is $1,275 shipped.
Best,

Mark Millman

---

Folks,

Also, the dimensions are:

blade length: 28 1/2" (72.4 cm)
grip length: 10 3/8" (26.4 cm)
blade width at habaki: 1 1/4" (3.2 cm)
blade width at yokote: 7/8" (2.2 cm)
curve depth: 5/8" (1.6 cm)

I'm afraid that I don't have a scale that will give me a precise weight, but it's around 2 1/2 pounds (1,135 g).

Best,

Mark Millman