9/5/19 - This is an original WW2 production Japanese Officer's samurai sword. The blade is released from the scabbard but a button pressed on the handle. The blade is in great overall condition with a minimal amount of speckling / oxidation throughout. The handle is wrapped in cloth and towards the bottom of the handle is a family mum. The wood peg in the handle is fairly loose and can fall out easily, but this is common on these swords. (The peg rest secure in the handle and isn't too loose.) There is some wood chipping on the underside / interior insert of the handle that is covered by the hand guard. The tang is marked on one side as shown in photos. This marking is a signature "Noshu Seki ju Yoshida Yoshitsugu saka". Yoshitsugu made swords during the WW2 era. We've received a few different opinions on this sword on whether it's hand-made or not. Some believe this is hand made with old polish, while others think this is a factory made blade. We aren't 100% sure and have priced the sword to reflect that. The scabbard is painted a reddish orange and has various spots of missing paint / rust colored areas. There's some additional wear / greenish oxidation on the protruding accents of the scabbard as well. Overall a nice collector's sword.
