ChrisW

Super beautiful piece! Would make a fantastic addition to any collection.

This is the victim of a bad acid job. Nasty pitting, dull and lifeless waxy steel. Or it is a polish job that was done halfway and stopped. Possibly because of the damage in the kissaki. Looks pretty nasty.

Its an antique one. I just bought it (and the tachi it was mounted on) from a woman whose husband picked it up back in the 70's, so very unlikely to be Tschernaga's work.

@Bruce Pennington Here's one for you Bruce. This one is off a tachi I just picked up.

There are no words to describe... this.

What you're looking at is probably tobiyaki: sections of hardened steel above the hamon, usually in small dots. They can be intentionally placed or isolated remnants of the hamon that has been polished away.

The blade itself has some seriously damaged geometry in my eyes: lack of a hamachi entirely, yokote is gone, kissaki rounded off, the hamon may run off the boshi as well. The nakago appears greatly messed with too and the patination either appears missing or otherwise compromised. Something is off about the bohi too... just can't quite place my finger on it. My best guess is that someone had an empty kyu gunto koshirae and shoe-horned a very rusty blade into it. I'd pass on this one!

100% fakes/reproductions. They NEVER put serial numbers on the habaki and it is a dead giveaway that it is probably a Chinese fake. The Damascus steel should also be a tip-off as Japanese steel is far subtler and more refined. You should definitely pass and save your money for some books first. Trust me, they will save you a lot of heartache and money in the long run!

Ultimately it comes down to tradition and not wanting to be caught (on record) if they are incorrect. Easier to blame the owner or whomever removed a gimei signature even if the judges then later agree with the alleged gimei signature. That's my understanding of it anyways.

Hey Steven! Congratulations on your finds. To take a proper measure of sori (curvature), you should measure from the mune-machi (notch where the habaki sits on the transiton between the nakago and the mune of the blade) to the very tip of the boshi. The sori is probably around 1/2" just from a glance though. The blade is a very standard size for a WWII-produced blade and may very well end up being gendaito (which could warrant a polish). Just based on what I am seeing, there is a good chance of that. So definitely find a token kai or collector near you for assistance!

Does it smell bad? Might explain its ability to clear a room.

Could be made into a mekugi-nuki!

They can sometimes be rather subtle, especially if the wartime polish is scuffed or not in great condition. Either way, Kinmichi is only known to have made showato. If this were a gendaito, it'd be a first. But unlikely, as those who were not deemed worthy did not get access to the materials during the war to make gendaito I believe. However, pictures across the internet can only do so much. You should bring this to the nearest Token Kai meeting or sword show to get an in-hand opinion for something more definitive.

If that is a silver habaki, they didn't tend to put those on junk blades. WWII menuki are easily replaceable.

Kinmichi only made showato, as far as I am aware. If you look in the peaks of the hamon and see dark spots, that is the tell-tale sign of oil-quenching.

I have a blade by the same maker in a nearly identical setup as yours!

I have a friend and fellow ITK member here by the name of Jim Tobin. He is not very tech savvy and has asked me to post this here on his behalf for a translation. Any opinions/translations are welcome. I believe the blade is a WWII blade judging by how chippy and rushed the signature looks. This is unfortunately the only picture he was able to get me. Thanks guys! ~Chris

Thanks for the education regarding these mass-produced/reproductions Dale!

If you get a chance Vu, join a local token kai and attend some meetings! There should be one in California.

It looks like a fairly nice package! (Even if it is a put-together.) I think the blade is fairly attractive and as the others have said, if you got it for a good price then all is well!

Clearly this is not THE Horikawa Kunihiro. But it may be A Horikawa Kunihiro... or it might just be an outright gimei. The only way to know is to stop quibbling, get a polisher to assess and polish it if it is deemed necessary, then put it in front of the NBTHK or possibly Tanobe-Sensei. They are the best judges of what is what when it comes to nihonto; anyone claiming otherwise is a fraud or a charlatan. And if you won't do that? Then I think you know deep down that it isn't worth being THIS excited over: you'd just be stirring the pot for other reasons. So the old adage goes: put your money where your mouth is. I know I'd be interested in seeing what it comes back as!

Were you successful in obtaining this piece? Its quite a looker!

No problem! Nice piece. Would go for it if I had money to burn.

Fairly certain it is forum policy to have a price posted on an item for sale. But it should also be in the 'for sale' section. Why not put up a post there?

Mourn not his passing, but celebrate his having been here. Rest in peace, you'll be missed Roger!