Northup87

Gentlemen, Thank you for all the information! You have made both my friend and my day! Can you judge by the photos if this is worthy of professional polish? What would this hamon style be called Gunome Midare? Would this be a middle to end of Muromachi era Nihonto? Regards A.J.

Hi guys, This is one of my first posts, I have been hanging in the back ground for a while as a guest and just recently signed up. This sword belongs to a friend and since I have not purchased or held an authentic nihonto, my opinion as to its authenticity is not really valid. I have read several books (Fundamentals of Japanese swords and The Japanese Sword) but that really pales in comparison to being able to hold and study early blades. My Geographic location limits me to viewing online and studying in books. (I live 80 miles from a stoplight) The question I have is this an authentic nihonto or is it a knockoff, I told my buddy that it looked like the hamon was acid etched, but there are other things that look fairly well executed and I don't know what an out of polish blade can dull down to look like. Any idea on the age? Any thoughts on the blade would be greatly appreciated, and sorry for the terrible quality pictures. http://imageshack.com/i/j6k0s5j http://imageshack.com/i/4j9c6jj http://imageshack.com/i/mki2inj http://imageshack.com/i/0fqteaj http://imageshack.com/i/mqcx1ij Highest Regards A.J. Downey IV

Hello Gentlemen, After sometime lurking in the background, I would like to introduce myself. My name is A.J. Downey of Newberry, Michigan. I am interested in the beauty of Nihonto blades, and the pursuit of perfection in their design/culture. I am an artist myself, thou my media is wood more than metal, I can understand the drive these artisans had striving for the perfect blade with advances stretching thru generations. It is amazing to say the least. I am slowly gaining knowledge from a recent book purchases "Facts And Fundamentals Of Japanese Swords", but truly enjoy the wealth of knowledge shared on this forum. Thank you for the hours of enjoyment received and the many hours more to come. Regards Andrew Jackson Downey IV