UBB.threads Forums General Militaria Japanese Militaria Forum 2 Japanese swords

These are coming up at auction shortly , one has strange stampings on the blade either side and what looks like a broken tang the blade is more like a thin carving knife than a samurai blade ,the other has a normal blade , both are 16 inches long .Are they tourist trinkets or something more interesting ?it aws suggested on WAF they are boys swords thankyou for your thoughts . Rob.(probable price will be $300)

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They are wakizashi (short swords).
The one with broken nakago (tang) most probably is worthless - too bad it's the one with horimono (carvings on blade) which usually adds some value to the sword.
However the tsuba (crossguard) and other fittings could have some value - is the tsuba signed?
The other one, without (kashira) buttcap - does it have some mei (signature) on the nakago (tang)?

It is very difficult to make any determination from your pictures. However, the concept of these being boys swords is quite plausible. The sons of samurai were given a sword or set of swords at the age of ten. Unless the son of a wealthy samurai, it was common to find blades of lesser value with lower end mountings such as these swords.

Hi guys thankyou for the replies ,unfortunately viewing day is over , if I can get them cheaply say $200 I will and if I do I will post the tang marks on the other (if there are any ) Rob.