I just took a commission to refurbish a blade that I want to know more about before I begin.
The blade has four Kanji symbols stamped into the blade and then ground flush.
Without a handle, then blade is 10.25".
The cutting edge is 7".
It is chisel ground on the right with a slightly convex bevel.
It is forged carbon steel (hammer marks on tang).
It was a hidden tang design.
Its width varies between 1/4" and 5/16".
It has a beveled spine at the peak (perhaps for prying apart bones at the joints).
The wooden scabbard is a softwood with wood veneer woven through thin slots for aesthetic effect. It was never sealed with a finish or glued or nailed together. My best guess it that is was simply wrapped with something.
The knife was acquired in Japan in the early 1950s by a military member. It is owned by his grandson now.
What I find most puzzling is the angle of the handle to the blade. When I stand the blade on edge, it is flat and the tip of the tang becomes a second point of contact with the flat surface. The spine is rounded downward. This doesn't seem consistent with examples of other Japanese blades. It also makes for very limited relief for the hand. It would be impossible to chop on a cutting board even without a handle without slamming your knuckles into the board before the cutting edge does its work.
I wonder if this means that it was designed to chop hanging meat. Maybe?
The spine of the knife has been used significantly as a hammer for some purpose. This has widened the steel at the spine from impact.
There is a deep 4" fuller on the left side of the blade.
Pictures attached.
Penny for your thoughts...
