---

Folks,

I’m selling a signed Shinto blade in World War II-era military mountings collected in Burma (now Myanmar) 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, and this blade may be worth the expense. 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 mountings (early-production Type 98 mountings, 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’ve tried to show the signature in the photos (please see below for information about the photos). The scabbard is steel with Army mountings, 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.

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).

Photos of this sword are available in the earlier thread I started about it, which I've marked "Removed" because it became too complicated and because the title does not reflect the sword's actual provenance. Higher-resolution photos are available on request; please send me a PM if you'd like them.

I'm asking $1,275 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

---

Reduced to $1,150 shipped.

Mark Millman

---

Folks,

Reduced to $1,025 shipped.

Mark Millman

---

Folks,

Reduced to $925 shipped.

Mark Millman

---

Folks,

Reduced to $800 shipped.

Mark Millman

---

Folks,

Also, there are additional photos at this Google Drive link if you'd like to see them.

Mark Millman

---

(I'll add that that the hamon is visible if you work really hard to photograph it.)

---

Hmm. That should have been:

(I'll add that it turns out that the hamon is visible if you work really hard to photograph it.)

Whoops!