Is this WWII bring back Japenese sword worth restoring

[lestweforget]

I am hoping someone might be able to give me an idea of what to do with this sword blade I aquired at an estate sale. I purchased a WWII USMC footlocker filled with quite a few things, one being what appears to be a (in not so great condition) Japanese Sword Blade. The inscriptions I was told read" Kawachi (no) Kami Fujiwara Kunisuke and it could date back to the 1600's.

I was told it appears to be a family heirloom blade, missing the handle. It is pretty rusty looking, has a small chip in the middle of the blade. It is 25-26" in length. Hopefully the photo link below give a better idea....
http://s1029.photobucket.com/albums/y352/lestweforget65/sword/

Is this even worth restoring and if so, where and how do I go about doing this being I have no clue who could in West Virginia.

Would I be better off to just sell it to someone that is a collector and that would appreciate this item moreso then myself? I have no clue as to what it is even worth.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[hso]

Any signed blade that isn't broken is probably well worth restoring, but the cost may be far more than you'd be willing to pay. A good stateside restoration of the blade alone will probably cost more than $1,000.

I'd suggest getting some pictures off to Fred Lohman company and seeing what they think it's worth as is and after restoration. Alternately you could contact the folks at http://sites.google.com/site/sfswordsociety/san-francisco-sword-restoration-center