Heinrich

Cooooool... I wonder if there's any way I can accurately date it. ...Is there a thread on how to do proper restoration without damaging it? I hesitate to do much more than go at it with a toothbrush and gun oil, but some of the wire wrap could be tightened and it definitely has some tarnish.

...Is there any reason to doubt its veracity? I couldn't find any arsenal stamps like these, and the fact that it lacked both mekugi mounting and any guard decoration made me hesitate. I know they made western-style peened gunto as well, but the combination of things made me unsure it wasn't just a decent copy. The blade has a decent springiness to it, but that doesn't mean its temper is necessarily thorough.

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Sorry; couldn't figure out a way around the attachment data limit. I've got more pics, I'm just going to have to fit them into multiple posts. -H

Not sure if this is even genuine, but I'd like to find out. When I first encountered it I thought it had to be a Spanish reproduction from the 70s, but now I'm not as sure. It has floral decoration along the handle (possibly electrotype?), but none on the guard. Handle appears wooden or horn with wire wrapping. Peened tang, no mekugi. Two identical stamps side by side (that essentially look like "peace symbols" appear in the guard behind the blade. No other markings, from what I can tell. My only guess was South Manchurian Rail, but I'm not even sure if they made any other swords besides shin gunto. I wasn't that interested at first because I thought I had it pegged but the more I dig into it the more I doubt myself and now I'm too invested not to find out where it came from. -H