I have had and lost several opportunities to own a good Samurai Sword. When my friend moved, I found out that he had put the sword on consignment! Both of us respect our individual need for cash and the best price, so there was no conversation about the sword. Then I found out that the sword did not sell. I felt compelled to make him an offer of trading it for the painting that I knew he liked and he accepted!
The story is that the sword was recovered from the wreckage of a Zero after a kamikaze attack in the pacific. A great provenance, but not a pre-war sword.
The painting is a small acrylic on paper and I am very comfortable with the mutual values.
I am curious about the quality of the blade. It is extremely sharp and I could not resist taking a swipe at one of the branches of a shrub. An effortless cut! Wow!
I want to have it x-rayed and take off the sheath. I have promised my friend to renegotiate our trade, if the blade proves to be more than the standard Japanese army issue, but right now I am delighted.
