Hi all-
I have what I believe to be a katana Japanese officers sword. My dad was a 19 year old grunt in the South Pacific in 1945, and was one of the troops that entered Japan after the surrender. I'm not sure if he picked this up there, though that is my hunch. It was hanging on our wall(s) since I can remember.
However, he did serve in Korea later as a general's aide-de-camp, and I would think it's possible he got it there. I have no idea as to the details; he passed away 4 years ago.
I have no knowledge about Japanese swords, and am curious about what this really is. Is it hand-made, machine-made, the swordmaker, etc.
I attached some photos (I hope not too many!) from a couple times that I attempted to photograph the sword. From the little research I've done online, it seems the key things are the hamon and the characters on the tang. Getting the tang was hard, so I can can give it another try for better lighting and less depth of field.
Anyway, this seems like the best forum online, and I wondered if anyone has any thoughts on this sword, based on these photos...?
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