Surfson

Clive, I'm interested that you think of ayasugi hada as contrived. I myself find it to be truly appealing and amazing that the consistency of the grain was made with such fidelity. I once had a Dewa Gassan blade that had truly fabulous hada. While it is contrived in the sense that it was done intentionally, and presumably with no technical or functional merit beyond other grain patterns, wouldn't you agree that many types of hamon patterns are equally contrived? Certainly kikusui or fujiyama or other shinto patterns. That is to say that they were often done to be part of the "art" of the sword rather than solely for utilitarian reasons.

Looks like a bakana gaijin took a can of gold spray paint to it.....

Looks like an authentic Japanese sword to me, with a fake signature and inscription. I'm not sure if the tsuba is genuine or a copy. Either way, you did great for under $200.

I didn't read the whole article, but it specifically referred to counterfeit BRANDED items. Will this only apply to gimei swords? Or no swords at all?

What is the shape of the mune? In one of the photos it looks squared off, which is not unheard of but rare. It may be the perspective, but if it is, it might be a concern that it's been shaved.

Grey, you may be correct that they are made somewhere besides China. I sincerely doubt that they are made in Japan. The motive to make them is clear - to deceive and profit from unsuspecting or greedy novice collectors.

They are real swords, they just aren't Japanese. They are Chinese reproductions, in my opinion.

Your eyes are better than mine Chris, I missed them. B

Thank you all for the help. It looked like a sword with a very active hada. I wasn't able to determine the maker and so sat on the sidelines for this one! Cheers, Bob

Hi All. I wonder if any of you have been able to make out the mei on this sword that just sold on ebay? http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-Japanese-Ko ... 098wt_1141

Kanetada and Masanori. Both made in 1945.

It's a bit hard to make out the mei. It has more information, but the key information is Bizen Osafune Sukesada (I think - the actual mei at the bottom is hard to see). The date is Eisho three, which puts it at around 1507.

I have too many to leave them all out, but I have a few on display and keep the rest in a gun safe. Most collectors that I know get a good safe, especially if they meet with prospective buyers or sellers that may not be well known to them.

These are two WWII army swords. The surname on the signature is Kanetada, but I can't make out the given name - ___hara I believe. This sword was made during wartime. One of the swords appears to have been buffed. A photo of the tang of the second sword might help in establishing its age and value. Assuming that it is also WWII vintage, each of them are worth around $1000 to $1500 I would say. B

Lots of testimonials, and it speaks well of him. I also appreciate his honesty in the listing. The concern that I raised is that he does bring in to the US quite a lot of blades that are gimei or have issues, and thus don't have papers. It's when the folks that buy these blades decide to put them back into circulation that they may not be represented so fairly. I guess one always has to be on the defensive about authenticity in this sport!

I agree Chris, and assume they come from bottom feeding at auctions in Japan. The disturbing part is that they start to cycle through the hands of US collectors and some are only found out by a very discerning eye.

Looks like a noble sword that has been mounted many times. Have you noticed the extensive shintetsu?

In a very creative listing, a blade signed Miyairi Akihiro is being sold: http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-Samurai-Sw ... 2254wt_922 The interesting thing is the following quote!: "The blade is guaranteed to be a gimei. If it turns out to be genuine, I will gladly buy it back."

I think that his explanation is good enough. I take it that he is young as well, being a student, and not experienced in these things. I'm not an aggrieved party, but if I were I would forgive him and welcome him to use the NMB again (with a full disclosure!).

It looks to me like Akitoshi, and then a date of showa 20, which seems kind of late (1946).

It is bad form to use the names without permission, but probably not illegal since the opinions were rendered on a public forum. It is shortsighted on the guy's part since he will not find many people rush to help him in the future unless he comes in to the NMB under an alias. Finally, I am curious as to whether it will affect the ultimate sales price. I think that all of those photos tell the story well. Without the info from the NMB, it might even pass as an older sword.

Curtis, there are lots of interested parties willing to take it off your hands, including me. I suggest that you put it up on ebay and let us all know the listing. Cheers, Bob

There's a family crest on the butt end of the handle (kashira). I suspect that it is probably silver. If you think this is true, you might try a small dab of silver cleaner on it and see if you can bring the color back. Slightly reminiscent of the Takanoha (crossed feathers), but a little different. You can check references and find out what family it is. This would be the family of the former owner who carried it in the war. Your Dad did well!

Looks like Nagahiro to me. B

The Pawlonia on the saya are one good clue that it is Japanese, for future reference. I have not seen this design on Chinese or other nationality pieces (though I'm happy to hear about exceptions).