Police Raid Recovers Stolen Japanese Swords

Police said they recovered a pair of stolen antique Japanese swords in a raid on a Hawthorne home last week, but the Los Angeles police captain who oversaw the operation was not too impressed.

“They’re worth a lot of money,” said Capt. Clayton Mayes, “but to tell the truth, they’re very plain. They’re not that impressive.”

Apparently the swords, one of which is valued at $30,000, are an acquired taste. “They are fine art objects. They are like paintings or sculpture, or anything else. They just happen to be swords,” said Ron Hartmann, who edits a newsletter for the Japanese Sword Society of the United States.

The two rare swords recovered Thursday were part of a $1-million collection stolen in a 1981 Hollywood Hills burglary, police said. Mayes’ officers and Hawthorne police officers said they found the swords Thursday in a search of the home of Richard Gonsalves.

Gonsalves, 55, was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property and later released on $5,000 bail.

Several informants called police in the last several weeks to report that Gonsalves had offered to sell them the swords, Los Angeles Police Detective Bill Martin said.

The two swords were among 150 taken eight years ago from the home of Willis M. Hawley, a leading collector and expert on Japanese swords, Martin said.

The $30,000 sword was made in the 15th Century by the master swordsmith Yasumitsu, Martin said. Its plain wooden handle and curved blade are a relatively short two feet, indicating that the sword may have belonged to a prince.

The second sword was made in the 16th Century and is more than three feet long. Its value is not known.

Several of the stolen swords burglary have been recovered, but more than 100 are still missing, Martin said. Last year, police recovered three of the artifacts and arrested two men on suspicion of receiving stolen property.