fake or real?

[Grey Doffin]

A seller on ebay has listed a sword and has asked me to post a message on the Board, asking you if you think it's real or fake. He doesn't want to sell it as real if it is in fact a fake. So please take a minute to look at the sale and post your opinion here.

Grey

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200181482332&ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123

[huntershooter]

I can say with certainty; the mekugi is genuine.

[Joseph P.]

This is a tricky one..

 

It almost looks as if it were a modern reproduction, but some things lead it to be real. Indeed, the mekugi is genuine as previously stated. The nakago (tang) seems a bit suspicious. The fittings seem to be real, but they look kind of new, as if seen on a wall-hanger. The same on the tsuka looks real.

As for the blade itself, I am not sure, looks a little weird, more on the bad side. I cannot tell whether it is real or not, that I am clueless about.

 

I recommend you get more experienced opinions on this.

[remzy]

What is the point about the mekugi... lol

 

Well to me this look like an old repro, or a machine made gunto blade, at best. Feel free to correct me if i am wrong.

 

Remy

[Brian]

Grey,

 

This is one I can't really decide on. I would hate to make a confident decision on it. The fittings are not standard army, but do have some Meiji-style features, mixed with some Shin-gunto patterns. The kani are not done perfectly, but do appear Japanese and correct. The nakago is not too bad, but as a whole it does appear a bit odd.

Really not sure. My guess would be a late war Showato in mixed mounts but I could be off and it could be a fake.

What do the kanji translate to?

 

Brian

[sencho]

Looks like KABOTA HISA SHU......?????????????? :?

 

久保田久蕉

 

Nakano looks too good to be a chinese fake... doesn't have the greeey/yellowy finish and dremel mei,...... I would immediately believe gunto (machine made)....

[Nobody]

Looks like KABOTA HISA SHU...... :?

 

久保田久蕉

sencho san,

 

The last kanji may be kane (兼).

[sencho]

Ahhh yes... thanks Moriyama san.....

 

HISAKANE?

 

....and why the diesel engine manufacturer.... KUBOTA?

[Nobody]

....and why the diesel engine manufacturer.... KUBOTA?

Kubota is a common family name.

[Grey Doffin]

Take a look at the kissaki. Doesn't it look wrong? If not a fake then maybe a broken kissaki badly reshaped? Isn't the mei located too far down the nakago? Did any Japanese sword of any period, even late war, ever have a tsuka significantly larger than the fuchi? Doesn't the fuchi scream fake?

Grey

[sencho]

I haver seen a kai gunto locally that had no defined kissaki to speak of.... machine made.... similar cut mei

 

I haven't ever seen a fake gunto or gendaito that has a mei cut like this.... as I say usually it looks like it was made by a dremel!.... looks to me like a stainless steel machine made blade.....

 

No idea on the fittings...... but often Chinese fakes are a lot more ropey than this.... right??

[remzy]

...to me this look like an old repro, or a machine made gunto blade, at best...

 

I still stand by my initial post, again feel free to correct me if i am wrong.

This isnt over confidence... the blade just lack anything that someone would want to look for in a nihonto. Aside from the mei... nothing looks legit to me.

[Joseph P.]

Indeed, this blade remains quite mysterious.

 

As previously stated by a few, it seems a little of both fake and real. The blade is what pushes me off, but I have seen some kissaki like that on blades with no polish, or in rust.

 

That same is real, right? (It looks real.)

Notice the cracked saya.

There are small nicks on the habaki.

The tsuka wrap is torn and tied together.

The kissaki is strange, and there is no bo-hi. (Don't most, if not all machine made blades have bo-hi?)

The legit mei, though not sure if it is true.

Doesn't the saya opening look very wrong?

 

Yes, I noticed that too. The large tsuka and the small fuchi. Usually, that does scream fake, but some things here scream real, while others scream fake.

 

Maybe this blade was machine-made and polished, or is a fake.

If it is a fake, it is pretty well done.

[Stephen]

it looks like its been hacked together, new white same with old tsuka wrap added gunto tsuba which looks good, right sepa..some found saya...blade one cant tell from photos about the kissaki....with all the flags its a passer by call it a put together with posible gunto blade.