vajo

Stamped on the mune? Never saw this. The blade looks like cromed and the shape is wrong. For me it is repro, no doubt. Can't see anything right on this sword. When you look on a real one you see the quality difference immediatly.

Not repro? Really The nanako looks inverse. The menuki looks not correct. The seppa is not that cherry blossom rim. The saya has no black primer. Thin lacquerd green The clipper is from that thin metal made. The habaki looks like the thin ones on the replicas. The bo-hi looks strange.

Jean is the last picture yours? I would need a single menuki of these.

Sorry but it is a replica type95 Someone painted it too to look better but he faild. On your sword all is wrong. I think it is one of these. https://www.kultofat...co-shin-gunto-sword/ I hope you didn't paid to much.

Painted and lacquered cast menuki. If they are real made they would look like this.

@Collin the buyer payed 3200 Dollar (450.000 Yen) for this menuki. What was the reason to pay so much money if not because of the thinking its gold. If Ford is correct with 75% gold ($930) the buyer paid 2270 Dollar more for the artwork? Make this sense? Btw: AOI sold the same for 120.000 Yen (835 Dollar).

So with Fords guess the gold worth is $930 for the both menuki.

I cant belive it that it was paid. He wrote 24k Gold. So the gilding is 24k? I would never buy gold menuki if they are not tokubetsu hozon. But anyway you get 1oz gold for $2000. So why to buy expensive casted pure gold menuki with 20gr gold ($1300) So maybe they are gold or not gold? Who can say this without proving? There so many gold menuki out there. And the gold price is near the all time high. Are they an investment? Everyone should judge but i never would buy it at these prices. If someone wants to buy gold buy gold ounces. The dragon rectangle series from Australia is very nice. And every year since 2018 they came out with a new motif. 1oz pure gold.

I'm old but not stupid

gilded copper yes. Looks new yes.

Uchiko is used for removing the oil. Not for polishing the blade to shine better Oil it and leave it as it is.

Hard to say from your pictures. I filtered it a little in photoshop and see this. You should show it a polisher. Looks promising to me.

Stephen maybe the pictures shows not what is seeing when you have it in hand but this blade looks oil hardned on that 3 pictures and the kanji looks like hammerd by a none Japanese smith. The nakago patination is a bit artificial. Without better bigger pictures can't change my mind. They are to small for me. Maybe I'm total wrong and then it would be not fair to the sword.

Looks like a chinese replica.

Those Meji invented daggers, dirks or what ever are not origin Japanese weapons. The modernised Japanese army/ navy got the design form european armies and slightly design it to look like japanse. These are no Tanto and i think Dawson and other are correct to call them dirks & dagger

Oh no not Rich. He was allways kind and helpfull with a great knowledge not only in Nihonto themes. So sad.

I'm on the no side oiling the nakago. Catch it with your bare hands often and the rust will stop in the future. The nakago will not damage from that little rust

boshi looks good.

sunagashi Bishu Ju Suketada 備州住助忠 around the wartime era

That Yoshiaki was a showa-to smith. It is not Mishina Yoshiaki. This is Mishina Yoshiaki Another. Mishina Yoshiaki was a Gunto smith too. And ranked on the last dish of 7 tables. Looking on your blade pictures i didn't see any gendai-to signs. The sloopy signature indicates more a non traditional blade signed from another person not from the smith. Its a typical showa-to in the lower range. Overall your sword is complete and in good condition. If you like it why not.

It looks nice on the first view. But.... I'm sure its a showa tachi.

My first thought was bushu but i think your guess of awa shoami fits better.

Dale i don't know if the chinese or vietnam are master in niage patination but i would say that tsuba is Japanese made. Could be hizen work.

Thats not what i have written. Thats your interpration

Nice Tsuba for mounting