Flea market find

[Mihail]

Just wanted to share a little find from the flea market in my country. Blagoy saw it a couple of days ago but was not able to take a closer look at that time. He told me to go look at it if I have the time, so I went I saw, and I bought it. I bought it for 300 euros. The pictures aren't great because my main camera has issues, but you will get the general idea. The nakago has been cleaned (polished).  For me, it is incredible that the blade has almost no rust. The polish on the tip is damaged and there are marks on the blade that indicate that it has been used at some point. The blade fits perfectly in the saya. The blade lenght is 250 mm, the cutting edge is 170 mm and the blade thickes is 4,5 mm.  I will upload better quality pictures once i have fixed my main camera. If you have any thoughts or doubts about this blade, please share it.

 

 

[Mihail]

[Surfson]

Hi Mihail, and welcome to the NMB.  It's a little hard to tell from the photos, but my guess is that this is a genuine Japanese sword that has recently been in the hands of an amateur restorer.  Rather than being polished, my sense is that a previous owner put the blade through abrasive cleaning (maybe sandpaper) and perhaps buffing.  This shinogi line is rounded, which is always a clear sign of this.  Is this your first sword?  If so, welcome to the hobby.  When you have learned all that you can from this sword, hopefully based on a lot of reading, you will hopefully be able to get most of your money back to apply to the next study piece.

[Mihail]

Hello and thank you for welcoming me, yes this is my first sword. It's nothing special, but it's wonderful for me. I have been collecting knives for the last 13 years and nihonto was something that interested me a lot. This is a great way for me to touch something authentic even in this state. Despite all the remarks that may be made about the blade for me, this steel makes pale everything that has passed through my hands so far as blades.

[raynor]

Who are these people with tools that hate nihonto so much? Amateur polisher is too mild a term, as is vandal though it is more in the ballpark. Hopefully the damage is not enough to permanently ruin it.

[Brian]

You don't post a pic of the whole blade. But looking at the saya, looks like it is a tanto? If so, and with that shape and style, it would at best be the front end of a broken katana. Shinogi zukuri and tanto do not go well together.
Still, not a huge amount spent, so if you like it...and make sure your next one is a big step up.

[Surfson]

Mihail.  I am glad to hear that you like it and are thrilled.  If you continue your interest in nihonto, you will get even greater thrills as you pursue it!

[Franco D]

4 hours ago, Mihail said:

This is a great way for me to touch something authentic even in this state.

 

 

Hello Mihail,

 

At the risk of being blunt, I do not see anything suggesting that this blade is an authentic nihonto of any kind. In that light I leave you to read the following ... http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/gdsword.htm   

 

 

[Rich S]

I agree with Brian - likely the front of a katana that has been "cleaned" by someone with no knowledge of Nihonto. It shows some Hamon, forging flaws and a badly sanded(?) nakago(tang). IMHO, it is/was part of a genuine sword.

 

Mihail - Welcome to the forum. You did better than my first buy. Nihonto takes a lot of study and seeing good swords to really appreciate Nihonto. I know that you may not have much opportunity to see good swords in Bulgaria. I suggest looking at the dealer and collectors sites in the links section. Would be a good starting point. Again welcome. You have begun a long, interesting and at times difficult study. Good to have you aboard.

[NewB]

I also don't think this an authentic Japanese blade although the nakago hints at that. Just my opinion.

 

J.

[ROKUJURO]

I am with Brian about this TANTO. The NAKAGO has not been polished in my opinion, it is a new part of the blade.

Illegal (= non registered) blades are getting destroyed in Japan, and the police cuts them in pieces no longer than about 150 mm as this length is allowed for knives. You can buy these pieces on YAHOO for little money, and some people make knives out of them  - or (new) TANTO. This is very probably one of them.

So you have got authentic old material in a new shape.   

[Brian]

To add: The saya is a home-made amateur job. And the tsuka likely home made from the remnants of an old one. Looks like many home-made jobs I've seen using scrap blades or parts thereof. I think if this were a copy or replica, it would have been better made, and not have that naive feel to it. Just my opinion why I think it is made from a real blade.

[Mihail]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. For me, this is just the beginning. I hope to boast of something better soon.