Jam

Thanks for all the feedback and the info, I really do appreciate it.

I have been trying to figure out what exactly is the black paint character at the bottom and what it signifies, not finding any thing, I'm probably looking in all the wrong places as usual. Also, does this sword look like its worth the $650 I paid for it?

Hi there, I'd appreciate anyones help to translate the characters on this tang. I have been told it may be Kanehide, or kanetoshi...seki showato. Any help that can be provided would be appreciated.

Thanks very much for the replies and info. I really do appreciate it. I have also found a seemingly knowledgeable seller on eBay who says he has some seppa available for me to buy. Thanks for the kanehide translation, And sorry for the postimage usage, I didn’t realize that was annoying, but you learn something everyday.

I forgot to add good pics of the handle in my original post.

Hi everyone, I pulled a complete noob move and bought this sword without knowing a thing about it, just went on gut and excitement. It is missing some seppa and I wanted to try and buy some that would be correct for this sword, but I am not certain what type I should go with. Also, is it advisable to do that, or would it be wrong to add in pieces that aren't original to this sword? I am going to start working on trying to learn more about the specifics of this piece, but if anyone has any general comments and can give me some initial details I would love to know more. Is this a type 98 shin gunto or something else Lastly I am trying to figure out if there is any chance this scabbard is real, it is a really high gloss black paint, only one fitting. From looking down the inside it does look old but I havent seen any other pictures of saya like this. I will appreciate any help and guidance you can offer.