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Purchase Advice Needed


Wouter

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Hi,

 

It is definitely Chinese.

 

As to the "why":

1. "hada" (the grain of the blade) is too visible and coarse - nothing like on a real sword

2. ito binding (handle wrapping) is completely wrong

3. quality of the tsuba and other fittings is terrible (even when compared to low-quality (real) NCO swords)

4. strange step where blade meets habaki (blade collar)

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Hi Wouter

 

Yes, this is a fake and a really bad fake it is.

Look at the pattern in the steel. The tsuka ito is wrong, the bad quality of the fittings. The wobbly lines on the blade so I would say everything is wrong with it.

 

Regards

Daniel

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Hi Wouter,

Since the title of your thread is "Purchase advice needed" let me give you some.  Before you spend a penny on a sword, you need to learn a whole lot more about Nihonto than you now do.  The fact that you weren't sure about the train wreck of a fake above tells us that you are exactly where each of us was back when we started.  If you spend time and money on study (here at NMB, at sword shows, with good books, other sites online, visiting collections, etc.) you will be much better prepared to buy something you'll be proud to own.

You wouldn't expect to walk into a flea market as a rube and come away with an old master oil painting; works the same with Japanese swords.  Buy books first; swords later.

Grey

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Hi Wouter,

Since the title of your thread is "Purchase advice needed" let me give you some.  Before you spend a penny on a sword, you need to learn a whole lot more about Nihonto than you now do.  The fact that you weren't sure about the train wreck of a fake above tells us that you are exactly where each of us was back when we started.  If you spend time and money on study (here at NMB, at sword shows, with good books, other sites online, visiting collections, etc.) you will be much better prepared to buy something you'll be proud to own.

You wouldn't expect to walk into a flea market as a rube and come away with an old master oil painting; works the same with Japanese swords.  Buy books first; swords later.

Grey

 

Poor is the pupil who does not surpass it's master. (Da Vinci)

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To be more constructive than on my first message, be very careful when contemplating the purchase of a gunto, especially a shin gunto, because the market is flooded with Chinese fakes. Sadly, the same is beginning with the kyu gunto.

 

If you want the purchase a gunto, buy it from a well respected seller. If you want to collect gunto, buy books on the subject and study them. The Dawson book (Military swords of imperial Japan 1868-1945) is the most lavishly illustrated and the Fuller book (Military and civilian swords and dirks of Japan 1848-1945) is the most useful for advice on fakes. Both books are expensive, the Dawson is very heavy therefore costly on postage and the Fuller & Gregory is OOP so scarcity makes the price. Roughly speaking, buying both books amounts to a $250 to $300 investment in total.

 

So if it a one-time project, check the "For Sale" column of the NMB or buy online from a specialist on Japanese swords or militaria. Otherwise, buy the two above-mentioned books and study them.

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Thank you all for the very useful information.

I have to apologize for the very poorly chosen title, since I never had the intention of buying this 'eye soar'.

Even my untrained eyes had detected the very doubtful quality.

I did see an opportunity to learn and I have.

All your advice is taken to heart and yes, my main investment now is books.

Next purchase will be P-P-P.

Unless something falls from the sky.

Being a hopeless romantic, I never stop dreaming.

 

Wouter

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