What's more important, preservation/information or karma?
Maybe I'm just the one out of touch and maybe its useless even posting this on reddit, but what are we even doing?? Not only is sanding down an original katana destructive and devaluing, there is a chance it really could be authentic and old. It may be a mass produced item with little value or it may have a ton of value, so why even take that chance?
My complaint is not with the poster who sanded his sword since he didn't know better but with this idiot commenter who says "why all these pedantic gentle-sirs downdooting you?! Its probably a mass produced one anyway" even thought there is no way to tell that from the pictures and its known that Japanese officers did sometimes bring antiques with them into service. Like how is it even possible to be so brainrotted that you value digital reddit karma over the preservation of what could be an antique? Its crazy how people really think reddit karma has any value and rather have worthless "updoots" than inform someone about preservation of a historic object.
I don't even use this platform that often but this just gave me enough reddit to last several months. Am I taking historic preservation too seriously? Because if that was a valuable antique, then that's one less in the world. Like there aren't any more coming from that smith for the rest of time. Sorry for the rant, but this just rubbed me the wrong way and reminded why I hate this site sometimes.