Although I am always favourable to try new things, I'm not sure whether mixing a western furniture style with such a tipycal japanese traditional object will turn out right. If you don't want to imitate traditional japanese stands I would not go for a recognisable style. If you want to make something different DO something different!
Think about what do you want to achieve... Do you want to enhance the sword? Do you want the stand to be the eye catcher that leads you to the sword? Do you want both things be perceived as one harmonic mix? Ask yourself a lot "what if..." questions, like what if I put it inclined? What if I put the scabbard vertical and the sword at 15º from the horizontal? If what you think looks in any way similar to something that you've seen discard it. Think about the finished thing as if it was a sculpture that you had to make with sword and some wood. Why not use driftwood for instance? Look up at some Ikebana flower arrangements and transpose them to your design. Soak yourself on what it meant to be a samurai and the relationship they had with their swords, in a way it is similar to the relationship we have with our ww tools. KAtana stands are like a shrine. Do you want it easy and quick or you don't mind spending sometime ideating and challenge your ww skills with a potentially difficult project?
Sorry Jim, I got carried away as if it was my project but I do think that it is a project that allows for countless solutions as there are no functional requirements to it like drawer, doors or the similar.
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