3 Swords for Review

[GIZMO8Z]

I met a gentleman who has these three swords for sale. They don't resemble any WW2 military mounts I've ever seen, but I am far from an expert.

They certainly look old... I just don't know what to think of them...

The blades are covered in talc in an effort to preserve them...

Help on these swords would be immensely appreciated!

[rbminis]

Hello Joe,
These are all pre war swords. They all appear to be nice examples. Some are a little rough around the edges. Better and more detailed photos would be required to determine if the blades are valuable or not.
Ralph.

[GIZMO8Z]

Hi Ralph,

I told the gentleman that he should take out the pegs in the handles of each sword to remove the blades/ check the tangs for markings... Like a lot of people uninitiated in Japanese swords, he was kind of unsettled by the thought of dismantling a potentially valuable set of swords...

[rbminis]

Hello Joe,
These were made to be taken apart.
The longer of the three appears to be missing the meguki, (pin) anyways. If he would like, tell him that a new pin can be made from a bamboo chopstick. He will never know if they are valuable without taking the handle off.
If you do a search, you should be able to find a thread about removing the handle. As no tools are required other than removing the pin, (aside from your hands) there is not much chance of doing any harm to the sword.
Ralph.

[GIZMO8Z]

Hi Ralph,

That's exactly what I told him. I even showed him photos of the disassembled sword that the woodworker gave me...

[BOB COLEMAN]

The daisho or matched set of swords are mounted in formal scabbards with Tokugawa mon and the fuchi(lower handle fitting)bears the samurai's clan mon. Unless these belonged to a wealthy samurai who could afford two sets of swords, he likely had a set of plain sacquer scabbards to be used for everyday wear. In rare occasions, the blades are made by the same maker. As a rule, this is not that common. I am looking forward to seeing tang pictures. Please remember to post them vertical with the top towards the cutting edge. Entire pictures of the tang should be included for proper evaluation.