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True, but I think the only (huge admittedly) problem is that they’re marketed as genuine. If you buy them for what you truly know they are, I don’t think you’re making such a bad deal. Of course, if you think you’re buying a Gendaito by a National Treasure, then you’re getting screwed. That’s why when you’re surrounded by dishonest sellers, the only saving grace is study until you know enough to see through the shady and unscrupulous traps this hobby is loaded with. ... and for this, this site is invaluable!

This is exactly what I believe they are. Chinese blades they are not, at least, not like any I’ve seen, and I’ve seen and own many. And I also believe you’re right about the mei. If they are made for a western audience, having a prestigious mei will be an important selling point. And as I said elsewhere, why should we care if they’re real or fake. They are cheap, so not a great loss of money anyway. And shouldn’t we judge a blade for what it is and not what it’s trying to pass for? Whatever the origin, these are good blades.

I personally stand by my opinion from the other thread. Real Gendaito, fake signature.

That’s a great job, Christian!

Bienvenue Manu!

oh, and one more thing. I asked Komonjo bluntly if his blades were gimei. The reply was: "Every sword is gimei until proven otherwise." Speaks a thousand word, eh?

Well, it’s been discussed, conjectured, debated many times here with no real conclusions. I actually own one. It is signed Yoshihiro and that would be Seto Yoshihiro. Of course, I’m not stupid enough to believe it was actually ,a de by Yoshihiro. I bought it knowing that and since most of these blades finish in the $400/600 range, it wasn’t a great risk. I wanted to know what they were. ... and I still don’t know for sure! I’m pretty sure they aren’t Chinese. I’ve seen too many of them to know that. Not that the Chinese don’t have the skill, they do. But it wouldn’t be cost effective. Most of their cheaper blades are already in that price range, and, trust me, they are very different. Those Komonjo blades have a nice Hada, a nice temper line, ububa, we’ll finished nakago. Comparing to the Yoshihiro pictures I’ve seen ,everything matches. Yasurime are correct, so is Nakago jiri, type of Hamon, type of Hada. Even the mei strokes look good. ...and yet, of course, they can’t be genuine, not at that price point. I’ll add they cut like a razor, more than any upper tier Chinese blades I’ve ever seen. The only thing that could be improved is the quality of the polish. So what are they? The jury is still out there. I believe they are Japanese but fakes probably smuggled out of Japan. Possibly iaito. Whatever, fake or not, they are very good blades, and at that price point, I can’t regret buying one.

Thanks Stephen, I had quite a laugh at that one!

Lovely pictures, but man, you should quit smoking! :lol

Well, Chris, as the least expert on this board, I can only tell you that, to my profane eyes, the Hada on these swords look very different. That said, I can’t say no more...

Sorry, I missed your question. No, on the contrary! Water quenched is better than oil quenched. Traditional swords are water quenched. It takes a considerable amount of skill to do that because the sudden quenching in cold water can crack the blade. That’s why semi traditional WW2 blades were often quenched in oil as the blade suffered less stress and so, less risks of cracking. The result of oil quenching also favored the appearance of a lot of specificities and effects along the Hamon (activities) something rarely seen on an oil quenched blade.

... and the heat of a buffing may well have removed the temper too! That’s a real shame!

If it goes via military base, I’d be honest and describe it for what it is, a WW2 militaria souvenir used by the imperial Japanese army. I don’t think it can be restricted and is accurate enough.

There are members here living in Japan, surely they can help you!

I don’t have this so I can’t tell you. I’ve been several times there from my IPad and never had an issue, but if your Antivirus tells you not to, please exerce caution. If necessary and others experience it, I’ll try and make screen captures of the relevant pictures. EDIT: I’ve captured them all, but there are 46 pictures, so I have to see if I can make a PDF file from my IPad to upload them.

Interesting link about mons. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a whole lot of them and their names! https://doyouknowjapan.com/symbols/

Hard to see and be certain from the pictures, but I concur with Stephen. The Hamon looks like your typical Seki Showato. But better people than me will certainly chime in!

What’s weird is most of the swords I’ve bought from Japan to France came through EMS! And France isn’t reputed to let weapons, even antiques, go through easily. The trouble for us comes when it reaches customs, not from the shipper. It is often solved by an easy trick. Changing the description. I know that now, for France, using “antique sporting goods” makes thing easier. Maybe you should ask the seller what description he used and guide him through a less “pointy” description to bypass EMS restrictions.

Now, that seems to be a real breakthrough!

Not an expert, but looks fake to me. If I’m not wrong, copper handles used red copper, not brass. Will let the others chime in but looks wrong to me.

Honestly, whoever made this, Chinese or Japanese, it looks good I think, recent, but good.

Chris, can you post pics of the blade and closeups?

No worries, Brian, We continued our conversation via PM. As I said, it was off topic, so better discussed somewhere else to leave this thread focused on just the W mark.

I tend to go for Shinshinto too.

Nie in a ko maru I think...