Japanese Sword Fragments

 These cut pieces of Japanese swords date back to the late Edo to Meiji era, or around the mid 1800's to early 1900's. Japan had just come out of a two and a half century long period of isolation, and was quickly modernizing to compete on the world stage. Though the samurai class was practically abolished in the 1870's, swords remained an important part of Japanese society. Historically, samurai would carry at least two swords: the katana, a longsword, and the wakizashi, a shortsword.

The swords you see here were not cut apart by us here at History Hoard! They were most likely destroyed after Japan passed strict weapon laws in the 1950's. Under the new law, all mass produced swords were banned and traditionally crafted swords became highly regulated. People who owned antique swords were required to obtain a permit in order to keep them, a costly and time consuming process. Unfortunately this drove many people to cut their swords' blades down to less than 15 centimeters long, which made them legal to own without a permit.

We worked with an antique sword dealer in Japan to import these directly to the United States. Many of these pieces may have once been family heirlooms or were recovered after being put away in storage for decades, often hidden away in more rural areas which helped them avoid the bombings and Allied sword confiscations of World War II. Due to the sheer amount of swords produced by Japan over the last few centuries, many lower grade examples are surprisingly affordable.

Both pieces of the blades and tangs (handles) are available in three sizes. Please use caution as parts of the blades are still somewhat sharp. Each includes a Certificate of Authenticity and a small acrylic display stand.

A daisho (pair) of a 18th-19th century katana (below) and wakizashi (above). The blade itself has been removed from its mountings and the bare tang is visible. Image credit: LACMA