A Special Note on This Shirasaya:

We can't talk a lot about the blade itself, but suffice it to say that the piece is a very old, very special blade for which we had the great pleasure and distinct honor of carving a shirasaya ("resting saya" or "resting scabbard").

When you get a sword like this in your hands, part of the pleasure in the work is simply being able to examine all of the wonderful features of the blade. There is a distinct and unique history to this blade that - again - we can not share here (for the same reason, we avoided too many pics of the blade itself) but what we are allowed to share is this: It is rather old and clearly made by one of the more prominent and revered smiths in Japanese sword craft. It had been shortened and remounted three times, rendering it mumei (without signature) but all of the tell-tale signs indicating it's provenance are clear to the trained eye. Eventually, the sword - mounted in typical WWII Gunto Koshirae - was offered for sale and the current owner was able to recognize what a treasure he had stumbled upon.

We would like to thank the owner once again for the opportunity to study this wonderful blade.