Tadayoshi potential purchase

[Utopianarian]

I am looking at a Tadayoshi wakizashi but not sure as there are many generations. Many gimei out there of the famous Tadayoshi as well. Here is pic. By looking at mei is it possible to identify which smith or if Gimei

[Utopianarian]

[Utopianarian]

Hizen no kuni mutsu No kami Tadayoshi but don’t know which Gen

[Ray Singer]

Mutsu no kami Tadayoshi is only a mei used by the third generation. There are many fakes of his work (the majority you see are gimei). 

[Ray Singer]

 

[Utopianarian]

Thank you Ray. The seller is asking $1225 I don’t know if good deal or not for wak from this time period from 3rd gen Tadayoshi 

[Utopianarian]

Thank you Ray for your knowledge and time

[Bazza]

Agree with ray. Definitely NOT a shoshin 3rd generation.  However, for a grand it might be a halfway decent sword!!

 

BaZZa.

[Surfson]

If it's gimei, I would recommend that you avoid it at that price.  I haven't studied the mei, but did have a shoshin blade by him, and the mei looks unlikely to be shoshin to me.  

[Utopianarian]

My brother saw it on a WW2 Wehrmacht forum posting for sale and was asking about it. I let him know that on this forum members know a lot more than me but suspected that it was Gimei which Ray confirmed that. The seller still represented that he knew very little about the blade but stated it was an important sword on the WW2 forum. I told my brother to pass on it.

[omidaijo]

100% Gimei

[Ken-Hawaii]

George, if you only pick up one thing from this forum, it should be to "Buy the blade, not the mei."

 

The Internet gives you lots of ways to determine whether a blade compares physically to one you're interested in buying. Is the sugata the same as a TH or juyo example? How about the hamon & jigane? If all of those match, THEN start checking out the mei, not before.

 

Let your brother know, too.