Up for sale I can today offer a DIRECT veteran estate acquired antique Japanese Wakizashi. I got this nice little sword from the son of the WWII Pacific war veteran who \"souvenired\" it during his stint of duty. It appears to be a quite old blade, and has TWO holes in the tang, plus a very dark, smooth patina, indicative (to me at least), of a lot of legitimate age. I\'ve been told that this blade could easily be in excess of a few hundred years old, however the mounts, (with the obvious exception of the Tsuba), are all WWII vintage by all appearances. I can find NO Kanji on the tang, but it could also be that the dark patina of the steel is simply obscuring the markings. I do not believe however, that the blade is marked as to its maker. The blade itself measures 21 1/4 inches long (unmounted), and when the handle is assembled, the entire length is roughly 24 5/8 inches long (out of its sheath). The Tsuba is very simple, made of iron, and does seem to have some sort of impressed design which I can\'t quite make out. The blade has a double-Habaki, the outer-most piece of which appears slightly compressed. Additionally, there are a few light scratches on the blade just above the habaki, the result, I suppose, of the Habaki moving over this area in the past. I\'m sure these can be polished out (or left as is). The handle is wrapped ray skin, the Menuki appears very standard WWII fare, as does the pommel. There is some looseness between the handle and the Tsuba / blade, perhaps due to the compression of the Habaki, or perhaps just from age? The scabbard is longer than the actual blade (which I\'ve been told is correct for this type of sword), and is comprised of two wooden sleeves compressed together within an outer leather sheathing. This in turn, is laced at the throat, and interestingly, there\'s a metal band w/ scabbard ring through which both wooden slabs pass, and is facilitated through an opening in the leather. The scabbard itself is in good shape, albeit there\'s a bit of a bend near the tip, the result of having stood in the corner of a closet for many, many years. It has begun to straighten out since I\'ve had it, is coming back to form. Also, you can plainly see the remnants of what I believe to be the \"surrender tag\" still adhered to both sides of the scabbard. The blade appears to be for the most part, uncleaned and in its original polish (at least, I\'m as sure as I can be it hasn\'t been touched for decades, considering its source), and all I\'ve done is to wipe it down with a gun cloth. There aren\'t any pits, dings, etc, and it\'s still VERY sharp. All in all, a totally honest WWII \"bring back\" Japanese sword, that was sourced from the estate of a local deceased veteran, and being offered for less than the going price of a Japanese NCO Katana of consummate vintage (or for that matter, any number of WWII German service type daggers, which are FAR more common). This is a nice, probably very old blade in WWII mounts, and is being offered EXACTLY as it came stateside with a Pacific War veteran nearly 70 years ago. Buyer is responsible for ACTUAL postage costs only, to be tabulated at close of sale and based on buyers location and method shipped. Please do not remit payment prior to the receipt of your invoice, which will include the entire amount due, including postage and / or insurance. The postage shown is simply a pre-packaged estimate and is likely inaccurate. I accept most forms of payment, simply inquire prior to close of sale. Due to the nature of this item, its sale is restricted to the continental United States only, or to nations where the importation of edged weapons is allowed by law. It is the BUYERS responsibility to ascertain legality in their respective locations prior to purchase, as I can and will not be held responsible for items that are confiscated by foreign customs as the result of any infractions. Lastly, buyer must be above the age of 21 years of age. Thank you!

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