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Chōshū Hagi-jū Naka Tomomitsu(長州萩住中智光) http://www.sword-auction.jp/ja/content/af18414-鍔：長州萩住中智光-tsuba-choshu-hagi-ju-tomomitsu

Usually the only reason to remove a mei on a tsuba is because it's gimei

It seems there was a mei and was removed

寛延三年八月吉日 Kan'en 3 (1751) August, a lucky day

Would be more interested to know if NBTHK would judge it as mumei or not

Did you try this procedure before?

The sayagaki says "Ichimonji Yoshifusa katana 2 shaku 1 sun"

Seiryoken Hagiya Katsuhira

三位有功 (Arikoto, bearer of the third court rank) court noble, lived from 1796 to 1854, it is said that he started to forge blades by his own because he was dissatisfied with the sword collection of his family, he was trained by the swordsmiths Ozaki Masataka (尾崎正隆) and Nankai Tarō Tomotaka (南海太郎朝尊)

It's a kurikara (倶梨伽羅) horimono, more info about it here https://markussesko.com/2015/03/18/kantei-1-sugata-4/

It's a mochi pounding mortar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmSrULDVRPc

Kojima Norimichi, Seki stamp. Gendaito Seki swordsmith

Of course i might be wrong, but from what i see the blade isn't tamahagane for sure and most likely not even steel. The hamon is drawn and the nakago is been badly adapted (most likely to fit the tsuka). Usually this kind of blades are called "mogito" in Japan, and can be wall hangers for tourists or iaito for practice. Tosogu are all modern cast and the koshirae is "wall hanger quality". At least is probably made in Japan, since usually China ones are steel

This is a mogito, a practice sword with blade in aluminium alloy and modern cast fittings

The signature is different too, a compare of original Fukunaga's hakogaki on left and the certificate on right, please note the last kanji

I'm sorry if i sound presumptuous, that wasn't my intention. Just i studied Muramasa and his works for a while and what i see on this blade doesn't look anything like his workmanship. He made hitatsura, but never this picturesque and regular. Hada doesn't fit either. What i said about the papers wasn't against you, since you said yourself that this is suspicious, is just a general raccomandation. I always doubt of papers on mumei blades, even NTHK or NBTHK, after all is just an educated guess And about the certificate doesn't seem Fukunaga's http://www.shibuiswords.com/papers1.htm

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g439924880 The blade looks nothing like Muramasa, better study the sword first and then the papers

For everybody's enjoyment https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Jb-Hamburg-Wissenschaft-Anstalten_22_BH5_0001-0062.pdf

it seems 石井和天 Ishii Kazuten(?). It is a really suspicious nakago, can you show the blade?

The Kaga blade is probably a "Kaga no Kami Fujiwara Morimichi"

A day in august of first year of Daiei era (1521)

Bishu Osafune Sukesada

After some research seems it could be genuine, here's some pic

Thank you very much Steve!

I'm having an hard time to read the mei of this kogatana, can anyone help?