I am no expert on Japanese weapons, but as you must already know , the grip , and probably the scabbard too, are replacements . Looks to me as though the sword has been in tribal hands and been re hilted . It all depends what your objective is , ie to preserve it in its 'tribalised' form or to restore it to its original Japanese state . If the latter , then any damage to the grips during their removal is of no consequence and replacement Japanese grips are easily obtained .
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