Intentionally Fraudulent Mei

[Bruce Pennington]

An interesting dicussion over on Warrelics about a mei where the faker switched a couple of kanji on purpose, likely to avoid fraud charges:

 

From Nick Komiya: "The Mei is a complete fabrication meant as a joke to anyone capable of understanding what it says. It uses characters commonly used in real Mei, but reverses people and place names to avoid fraud charges. It's like writing "George New York of Barnes" instead of what should have been "George Barnes of New York". Normally it should have been 肥前住人杉山清次 (Seiji Sugiyama, resident of Bizen Province), but word order was altered to say Seiji Bizen, resident of Sugiyama Province (there was no such Province)."

 

It's in legit WWII Type 98 fittings, and I feel the blade is legit but was mumei originally, before the faker got ahold of it. Others say the blade is likely fake too. The mei has that thin, dremmel look, that right away yells "Fake!"

 

Found here: http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/ww2-katana-767122/

[Bugyotsuji]

Nothing to do with the price of fish, and changes nothing, but 肥前 is of course Hizen in Kyushu.

[Dave R]

I found this one odd as well. The blade if a Showato or  fake would be illegal in Japan anyway, so a deliberately "joke" Mei would be redundant, and if a Nihonto the fake Mei would be a silly disfigurement, so I think it was not done in Japan.

 

 I think that the blade is way better than China-quality, and the copper habaki is a clue to it being kosher, most China fakes have cast brass habaki.

 

 I think a non Japanese vendor has slapped the "Mei" on, copying a signature without any clue as to what it meant, and spoiled a decent Shin Gunto.

 

 The price it went for reflects the issues that buyers had with it, pretty much the price that a good Koshirae goes for with a Hon-Tsunagi.

 

 Google translate gave me this

 

 

[NathanLM]

Very Interesting that discussion on war relics. It sold for $500 they say, yet here she has on eBay.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/193468561294

[Dave R]

Very Interesting that discussion on war relics. It sold for $500 they say, yet here she has on eBay.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/193468561294

 

  Is it the same seller though? If so, then something very odd indeed is going on. Bid withdrawn, or seller ending the auction.... But it is the same sword,  with different photo's.