ChrisW

Also, quick question: does the signature contain some traces of gilding in it? It appears to be gold from my examination, I just assumed it was. Its definitely not a powder as I cannot remove it with a cotton swab and I am not aware of them using any kind of yellow lacquer.

Still trying to capture a decent picture! Haven't given up yet. And upon hearing Sukehiro, I just assumed its gimei. The chance of me coming across a real one is approximately zero. Regardless of it being gimei, I bought it for the workmanship which seems to be fairly high.

Given how fragile uchigatanas are in general, their relative scarcity, and the fact that you have core-steel exposed... it might be best to just leave it as is. It will have centuries of life left like this; who knows if it can take another polish?

Thanks Juan! I'll try that first in the morning.

I'll see what I can capture. Is there a particular angle where it might show up best at? Or just fiddle with it until I get it? Thanks!

Thanks Ken! I'll see what I can do. Can anyone else glean the school/possible maker from what I've got already?

Its alright! I just had to work at those photos for a while on a miserable humid day.

I get what you're saying, but I could without the attitude. Thanks, I'll do that next time.

Ah... probably gimei then? Mmm big name like that, probably gimei. But, I did buy it for the shape and the hamon pattern anyways, so no bother!

One more set for the road:

This filesize limit is a real pain in the rear also... is that a feature of the gold membership or just a site limitation? Here's more:

Hey guys, Been a while since I posted a blade, and while I am strapped for cash, this is a blade that I got in my trip to Arizona a while back from a gentleman by the name of Brian Quinn. A real stand-up guy and he sold this to me at a really fair price. Its fairly nice to look at and while the polish is not particularly great anymore, there's enough to enjoy. It measures 28.5" nagasa and has a mostly complete signature. I'll let the pictures do the talking since I am crap for words anyways. What I'd like is a name attached to this blade and an opinion on the signature itself. Anything else is gravy!

Yeah.. if it is real, then it is a blade that's been cut up to fit into the tsuka. A real tragedy if so!

*weeps at empty pockets* I don't suppose you do trades?

My gut feeling is that you reaaaaally shouldn't have removed the orikaeshimei even if its gimei. Better to have an intact history than a tampered one. You cut the metal where it was folded? Never trust an online consensus with something possibly valuable; it is preferable to go with an expert's opinion in person.