I downloaded a few authentic papered copies of that signature. I plan to scale them and overlay to compare. It will at least tell me if it’s worth submitting. I will say as a tool and die maker with 30 yrs experience, if it’s a fake, it’s a very old fake, and I’m still ok with that . If someone 350 yrs ago faked that signature, I still got a very old hand forged blade for a fair price.
First, sorry for not signing my post. Yes it is a Kunisada blade. I’ve had a long time interest in antique arms and edged weapons, but this is my first Japanese blade. A friend on another forum steered me to it, and I fell in love with its looks. The gold inlay on the tsuba, really drew my eye. John B.