ChrisW

Hmm. I am not sure then. Might just be an inferior heat treatment... which would be unusual. But let's see what the guys have to say!

Eh... if it were hardened steel on that tip, it'd be broken off I'd think. Can you make out a hamon through the boshi or does it appear to run off? If it runs off, that indicates that perhaps the original tip snapped off and it was reshaped into a new kissaki. That then means that this blade is effectively dead as that's considered a fatal flaw. That sort of goes along with you observing that this blade is signed katana-style. (Although I don't truly know the difference myself). The fact that the person is willing to accept any offer sends off a red flag. This thing feels like someone has significantly tampered with what was a dead blade that I wouldn't be comfortable offering for it. Also, I could be wrong but Morihisa is a BIG name smith from what I remember and a likely target of gimei. There's just too many red flags. Of course, I am no expert and I would wait to hear from someone far more knowledgeable. These are just my initial impressions.

Interesting, thanks Jean! Its something I never really looked much into. I always thought it was overly-dramatic and fictionalized. As with most things, there's a seed of truth buried somewhere down in there.

I always thought this was the stuff of fantasy... I mean, ninjas WERE real in a sense, mostly as political assassins/peasants who took up arms against samurai by using the implements they had at hand (IE farmtools). I know some things were real like a kunai with chain. I didn't think that stars were a thing though. Neat if authentic! Honestly, the thing above looks more like a broken/bent caltrop than a practical star though.

Thankfully I've never been cut by any of my nihonto in my relatively short time as a collector! Though I've had a 17th century french court sword do that to me unexpectedly. Was cleaning it and my grip slipped and it poked a nice hole in my thumb.

@Ken, I can see that one very much still has enough steel on the spine to have structural flexibility. I just wonder about the one he showed us. With it being so wildly erratic, wouldn't it simple find a point where there's little flex and snap/crack through? Regardless, it is a very pretty blade (at the original). Definitely a work of art.

Is that core steel exposed all over it? It looks like it should fail spectacularly if it were to ever be used (hopefully that'll never ever happen). I get that its a purely art piece, but at their core, Japanese swords were meant to be utilitarian items. The samurai lived and died by his blade, like any other swordsman.

That's awful to hear. The nerve of some people.

It depends on what you're wanting and your budget. At $750, you might expect to reasonably obtain a machine-made blade or you might really struggle. For nontraditional, it goes up from there. For full-on traditional (kai gunto), it varies widely on smith and quality/condition. Kai guntos can easily run several thousands. As for the kind you mentioned, Kyu Gunto? They can run a wide gamut as they come in both traditional and non-traditional machine-made blades in both katana and wakizashi sizes. But their mountings are characteristically western in style such as this one here: http://yakiba.com/Koshirae_D-Ring.htm(koshirae only, blade is a tsunagi "placeholder") I would suggest either dealing with Ed @Yakiba or one of our many members here. They do pop up now and then and you can expect to be treated well here. But if you're looking to only spend $750, it might be hard at that range for even a machine-made. Also, please make sure you make a signature with your name in it so members know how to address you! Forum rules.

Ah. I wouldn't know personally. I was just attempting to interpret the conversation. It would take me decades to even begin to approach your guys' expertise.

I think they're calling it gimei with a reshaped nakago to reinforce the deception of it being 1st gen. Tadayoshi, Hamfish.

That's pretty scary when you consider what Showa's been up to, John.

Hey all, I just wanted to say a quick word of what a pleasure its been to do business with Ed over at Yakiba.com. I was the person who bought the mumei wakizashi#1 listed a few weeks back. I have had time to look at it thoroughly and I must say I am very happy with my purchase. If you guys are looking for high quality blades packaged with a positive experience, you should talk to Ed. He is a well-known member here and an upstanding guy. A very rare thing it feels like today. If he doesn't mind, I'll share just a few pictures of the blade he took and had on his site so you all won't have to deal with my garbage photography skills. ~Chris P.S. Ed, if you want me to take down these pictures, just ask. I understand if you need it to be so! Thanks for the beautiful blade.

That paint is so minty!

Monkey see, monkey do (time in prison for fraud). It'd be nice if the scumbag was caught doing something illegal and stripped of his livelihood and freedoms. Then the market would be a little safer. Con-artists deserve no sympathy.

Ha! So you were the one who bought it. I was watching it on eBay too.

I whole-heartedly agree with Ed here, he's got this sword's best interest in mind and it would be a great disservice to cut corners with such a potentially important piece of nihonto history.

Such a pretty blade. Its a real shame you have to let it go!

That was a really informative read Gabriel, thanks for sharing!

This is seemingly inconceivable how this blade could have came to be.

This guy (the eBay lister) is known for selling put-togethers and fraudulent pieces to begin with. If you want to buy a piece that is much more likely to be what you want, watch here and wait for a fellow board member to put one up. You're a lot less likely to be disappointed. It might "cost" more, but you won't get burned with something that is not what it says it is. Being that there's experts here (or what I'd call experts), things that get put up for sale here are seen up close. If you put out for a description of what you want and the price you're wanting to pay in the "Want to Buy" section, you might get a reply; especially if you want a gendaito. Honestly, the best entry level blades are going to be your shinto/shinshinto mumei wakizashis. Yes, they're no signed koto katana, but its far more affordable and allows you to study much of what you need to know to wade out further. Plus the people here are the friendliest on the net, bar none. The sheer amount of knowledge available here is truly staggering at times.

I think we all wish we could find something like this. Its the stuff of a nihonto enthusiast's dreams!

I know we are all thinking what I am about to say: let's hope this lucky find gets proper restoration and doesn't end up back in a dark safe or closet! I sincerely hope you'll get in touch with Markus or Darcy and allow them to be your guide. I know they would not steer you wrong. This is quite fortuitous that you've come here. Best of luck to you and your new find. I hope it turns out for the best!

Huh... that is *quite* the coincidence. I am inclined to say you've found something there! I wonder what Bruce will say? I am sure he's encountered these if you've managed to run into three.

Yup. Ultra fake.