Cool housewarming bonus: free Japanese katanas, potentially carved by a master craftsman

This handyman got an incredible bonus in the new house he purchased – three katanas! They may be worth much more than you would expect…

If there’s one thing we learned from Quentin Tarantino’s two-part slash-happy cinematic venture Kill Bill it’s that when you want a cool sword, you take a trip to Japan.

While Hattori Hanzo, the swordsmith in the movie, is a fictitious character (albeit with the moniker of a historical ninja) there are all manner of blade artisans in the real world who are capable of tempering steel into a glorious, shimmering blade. Katana bladesmithing has been a respected art form in Japan for centuries, and collectors are still eager to lay claim on the work of history’s great swordsmiths to this day.

So of course, someone just happened onto a bundle of old katanas completely by accident.

@crazymind_poul is a YouTuber who specializes in property ownership and financial literacy. In his videos he purchases nightmarishly broken down properties and spruces them up through D.I.Y., and one day a house he purchased came with something interesting tucked in with the piles of garbage.

▼ “Bought an old broken down house and got some bonus katanas! Who the heck is Kagemitsu? LOL”

As his commenters eagerly told him in a flurry of responses, Kagemitsu is the third generation master swordsmith of the Osafune swordcrafting school in Bizen province, a school that produced swords throughout the late Kamukura period (1185–1333). Kagemitsu katana are known for the straightness of their blade lines and their narrow, delicate shape.

“If that’s an Osafune Kagemitsu,” one tweet stated, “that’s a really valuable sword.” “Yeah, like we’re talking national treasure levels,” chimed in another commenter.

After the deluge of interest, @crazymind_poul posted an update.

▼ “Everyone seems real interested in these swords, so have a detail shot.”

▼ He also recorded his discovery of the swords for his channel.

After getting advice from his Twitter commenters, @crazymind_poul called the police to ask what steps to take. Unfortunately, as he couldn’t find the registration papers for the swords (as even if they existed in the house they were likely buried under similar piles of trash) he was unable to proceed with the verification process. He’s stated at various points in the Twitter thread that he will be taking the swords to experts in the area to verify their authenticity.

According to one comment, were he to prove the swords were legitimate antiques, he could have another registration filed for 6,000 yen (US$56.32) yen apiece; though they also noted that professionally sharpening and cleaning the swords could easily set him back about around 300,000 yen. This is still a trifling figure compared to the estimated value of a Kagemitsu original: a staggering 25,000,000 yen!

As detailed in the news spotlight on the story, this isn’t the first time he’s come across valuable treasures in derelict houses – previous finds include a pure silver sake cup and stocks in the South Manchuria railway.

The good news is you don’t have to go rummaging through abandoned houses to see a (possible) Kagemitsu blade for yourself – in fact there’s an incredible museum slash hotel where genuine Kagemitsu blades, among other great swords, are placed on display for everyone to enjoy.

Source: Twitter/@crazymind_poul via Otakomu
Top image: YouTube/天才投資家ポールのお金持ちになるクレイジーマインドちゃんねる
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Credit:
at 22:16

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