Katana (Japanese longsword) and Wooden Storage Scabbard presented to Peter O’Malley in appreciation from Japan Baseball Hall of Famer Tetsuharu Kawakami

In 1966, during the Dodgers Goodwill Tour to Japan, Tetsuharu Kawakami presented this Kuninaga sword and scabbard to Peter O’Malley. In 1961, the two first met at Dodgertown – Vero Beach, Florida when the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants made the first trip to train at the camp. Kawakami was beginning his first season as manager of the Giants and 23-year-old O’Malley was responsible for the Giants’ schedule and itinerary at Dodgertown from their arrival through departure. The sword was made in the 1600s. The blade, 72.7 cm in length, is a representative example of work from the Mino Seki School. These swords exhibit a flowing wood-grain pattern with a whitish sheen to the steel. The hamon, or tempered edge, is made up of ko nie (martensite) executed in an undulating pattern. Mino blades were renowned for their cutting ability, and were sought after by many samurai. The tang was shortened slightly sometime after its creation, yet a signature remains bearing the two characters of its maker, Kuninaga. The blade is presented with its mount from the 1800s. As blades were often handed down from generation to generation in samurai families, it was not uncommon to have them remounted to reflect each new owner’s personal taste. The beautiful calligraphy for the attribution on both the shirasaya (wooden storage scabbard) and tsunagi (wooden placeholder blade) was done by the famous appraiser from the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kai, Dr. Sato Kanzan.