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Japanese Officer's Sword Photos |
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Below are some photos of the Japanese Sword I spoke with you about. I've put captions below each photo to explain what you are seeing. Thanks for any assistance you may be able to provide! I can be reached during the day at (703) 814-7345. |
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| Here
you see the top end of the blade and the two parts of the handle. The "Tang" has no markings on it at all, and no holes through it. The top is threaded as I explained on the phone, and finding the "Crabs Eye" nut to fit it is what I'm trying to do. |
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| This
is a close up of the handle and guard. You can see the relief on the top of the handle. |
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| Another
close up of the handle and guard. The handle is wood on the inside, wrapped with what I believe is Stingray leather. |
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| Here
I've loosely assembled the handle and guard onto the blade, note the chrysanthemum on the handle, there is one on each side. That piece of the handle is made to fit around the leather wrapped wood and appears to made of brass or something similar. |
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| Here
you can clearly see how the threaded end of the 'Tang" sticks out of the top of the handle. The "Crab's Eye" nut I am searching for would thread on and hold the handle and guard assembly in place. |
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| Another shot of the handle and guard. |
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| In
this shot you can see that there is a separate ring that circles the handle where it meets the guard. There is a hole in it, and also in the wood below, but the hole is only on one side. The strange thing is there is no corresponding hole in the "Tang". I'm thinking that maybe there was some sort of anchor that was secured through this hole that engaged the second slot visible in the photos of the guard above. If that's the case, then I'm missing that piece too, and whatever type of fastener that was used to hold it in place. |
