Long story short, I was playing a card game and I won a short sword. So while I was examining my sword after I'd brought it home, I noticed that there was a small blade and file/pin in their own compartment in the scabbard. Anyone know anything about swords to tell me what they are/why they're there?
It really depends on the origin and type of short sword. I'd have to have a description or picture to figure it out. Up the top of my head, I'd say the file/pin are for maintenance (sharpening the blade, tightening or loosening fixtures) and the small blade a general purpose utility knife as well as a dagger for combat emergencies. If the sword is based off of a medieval design the knife might be an eating utensil as well. That was pretty common back then. ---------- Post added 10th Nov 2013 at 03:22 AM ---------- Also, I would advise not storing your sword in it's scabbard. Doing so would likely damage the blade over time do to chemicals in the scabbard's materials. Only use a scabbard when transporting the sword.
It's a japanese sword (based on the kanji), type I'm not sure. The file/pin starts off with a small tab (I'm guessing for easier removing from scabbard?) before it widens (this size makes up half the tool) and it has a depiction of two forces fighting each other, before tapering off to about half the width for the remainder of the tool. The other side is covered only in close together striations that looks similar to tiger stripes. The blade has a discernible handle (making up slightly less than half of the total length) where one side has a depiction of a hermit/sage/old man with flowers/vines/river above and below him. The blade is also only beveled on this side. The other side the blade is completely smooth and the handle is pockmarked.
Okay, then disregard my earlier statement. That information applies to European swords, not Japanese swords. Your scabbard is probably wood. You can leave a sword in a wooden scabbard without damage, so long as it is only lightly oiled. It's leather scabbards that cause damage. I would take a look at this. Maintenance is very important with swords. From what you've told me, I'm guessing the file/pin is a spike for arranging hair. That was commonly carried in a separate pocket of a sword scabbard. The knife would be a small utility knife, also commonly carried in a separate pocket of a sword scabbard. The spike would be referred to as a kogai, and the knife a kogatana.
Welcome. I love teaching about stuff like this. ---------- Post added 10th Nov 2013 at 04:18 AM ---------- I posted the wrong PDF. That's for European blades. For Japanese blades, you want something specifically geared towards them, like this. It really is very different from a European blade.
What is the length of this sword? It could be a wakizashi, which was used as an auxiliary sword to the katana (what most people think of when imagining a Japanese sword). Here's a good visual glossary of sword parts and accessories, which Cassindra correctly identified. JAPANESE SWORD VISUAL GLOSSARY Whatever you do, don't try to polish/sharpen it because that requires special training to avoid damage.
