Brian

Thanks Tom, appreciate it

Steve, I have NO idea how you do it, but thank you very much :-)

Very lightly done...seems typical of the school. Can anyone make it out or should I try better pics?

Some stunning Japanese art there. @Bugyotsuji Check out some of the netsuke.

I helped someone local here in SA to move a project Koto katana in out of polish condition, and my part of the deal was I kept the spare tsuba that it had, which didn't belong to that sword. It's an average piece...I would say in the "Nobiue style" although obviously not even close in quality. But nice tortoise geometric design. Don't have the size on hand. Pattern is clearer on one side, the other side looks purposefully obscured a bit with hammer marks. Nice glossy patina. Anyways, just a cute tsuba. Then he offered me 2 tsuba for sale at very modest pricing, so figured I'd pick them up since stuff like this hardly ever comes up for sale in SA. Can anyone assist with the translation on the signed one? Very lightly signed, nice little tsuba...I like it. 70mm x 73mm, edges taper slightly to about 3mm from about 4mm. The other I like a lot too. Seems to have a kinpun? mei. Brushes, a leaf and not sure what the other oval emblem is. Can't tell if that is a Tadahisa or..? 75mm Round, about 5mm thick. Just sharing in case anyone has any info on them. Yes...I played with the colours a little but to show the features. All have a decent deep patina with very little wear.

But nice shape and very popular style. Would need to be examined carefully for quality and workmanship. Could still be a nice sword even if gimei.

Look at the mei and the shinogi line in the nakago. I would still call fake. If not...then the whole nakago was ground down poorly and a new poor mei added. Not something anyone would want to own.

Fake junk

Fake

Probably real wartime mass produced...buffed to hell. With terrible fittings. Bleh. Probably amateur restoration

Real, antique but nothing special. Poor condition with lots of grain openings. Nothing worth grabbing unless it's dirt cheap

Blade is either chromed or buffed within an inch of its life. Hard pass.

Mostly wartime swords. But I think #2 and #5, and most likely #4 too...are Chinese fakes.

Well, not a lot can be said from those pics, but it's definitely real, way before WW2 and traditionally forged. Does appear to be an early sword, but the nakago has some unusual wear and missing material. Can't really decide what's going on there. Needs a decent in-person examination. What is the nagasa?

Looks genuine to me, but in really poor condition. I don't think you'll get a mei out of that remnant. Not all of these have a hamon, some are through-hardened. I'd make a short shirasaya for it and display it. Don't see anything there suggesting a fake or repro.

Quite a popular theme for menuki, have seen them a few times.

Not really Damascus steel. It's usually acid etched....a fake pattern.

Every single book Markus has is invaluable and a sound investment, I really recommend picking up a few bargains here. Do NOT miss this.

I would take Grey up on his offer. He's too modest. He knows more than most of us here, and will be able to guide you properly. I agree with the statements above about returning swords. The successful ones are by far in the minority, and most modern Japanese do not want reminders of this past, and regard these as weapons. Plus the logistics are considerable. Preserving and researching it would be a fitting tribute. Nice sword that does deserve some research, and appears in decent condition.

Almost certainly a real Japanese blade, but clearly broken off at the front and reshaped into a shorter blade. What you have is the rear half or 2/3 of a longer blade.

Yeah, why don't you quote the rest of your comment? Here..let me refresh your memory. Keep criticizing and insulting the forum you are on, and I'll be glad to make it permanent along with a decent IP block. Oh yeah....try Facebook for answers?

When I was still importing from eBay, it was common for me to get a USPS quote on shipping for around $20 or so for example, and then GSP asking sellers to charge $60 to $80. Even with vat/duties, I was consistently being charged about double what actual shipping would cost. Most SA'fricans experienced the same. They also way over estimated vat and duties by over 50% based on what we were actually paying. When queried, sellers said that is what the GPS program makes them charge, and there was no alternative. I stopped buying from anyone who uses it. The company who ran the GSP was Pitney Bowes, who were running it like a scam. I think eBay has maybe changed to a new program, so maybe it's better now.

Thank you Ken, the forum appreciates the support. And I guess I owe Piers a meal when I make it to Japan...hopefully next year this time. Lovely gun. Many of us dream about owning a genuine pistol like this. Rifles are common. I'd agree with Pier's valuation, definitely sought after in the UK and USA.

Spare us the indignation. It takes literally 1 second of looking at any part of this to easily tell it's a cheap and not even well done Chinese fake. You clearly have no experience with knowing what a real signature, real nakago shape, real fittings and real blade looks like. We are blunt here, there is zero reason to coddle anyone, especially when the fake is so far from a real one. You could have showed just the bottom inch of the tang and we would have told you it's a fake. How about you take it to a sword shop or expert, and if it turns out to be real, I'll Paypal you $100. But if it's a fake, you send the forum $50 for giving us hell when we're trying to tell you the truth in an honest manner so you can stop spending time researching it for no reason?

Only happens if sellers use that stupid Global Shipping program. I hate it. It's a big scam