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I have been given a few names, but so far the only response I got was with a price higher than the value of the sword. All I need is the ito, as the rayskin is still in place. It is just a WWII gunto, but I want it to be complete.

I'm pretty new to Japanese swords, but very familiar with European ones. The European swords also have a lot of fake signatures, but even within the same workshop of the original smith, those signatures often vary. Because of that, those blades are generally judged by style and workmanship rather than by the signature itself. I would think a Japanese smith could far more easily fake an exact signature than make a blade of the same style and workmanship, as that is where the real skill lies. And I seriously doubt that a hand chiseled signature would be exactly the same from one sword to the next, even if it is the same smith. So wouldn't a blade need to be judged by its style and workmanship rather than just a signature?

Many thanks for the translation Jan! Would you have any information on this smith?

I recently bought this sword from a guy who's uncle brought it back after the war. It has a lovely active hamon and the nakago is profusely marked, with two holes, but I haven't had much luck with reading it. I really appreciate the quality of these traditional Japanese blades, but am very new to determining age, school, province, or reading the mei. Any help will be greatly appreciated.