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Tanto


Fritz

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Don't like that one bit! What the devil has happened to the nakago? - the yasurime have been largely obliterated. Not keen on the ending of the hamon and there's something about the hamon itself I really, really don't like. Without good piccies of the blade I'm not sure what we're dealing with, but if I saw it on Ebay, I'd pass.

 

In my opinion, it's either been got at or its a copy. Just possibly the former - it may be a grinder special, looking at a) the remains of patination b) hamachi (one side is 'bitten in' in a manner that you'd get with a right amateur let loose with a grinding wheel, the other is 'eroded'), the position of the mekugi-ana (amateur o-suriage?) and some of what may be taken for the remains of yasurime may be grinding marks, cos the angle is different from other marks which may be the remains of yasurime.

 

I suspect that someone has ground the nakago to fit a tsuka they had, and then attacked it with a polishing wheel to 'finish' it, hence the blurring of lines. :-( In doing so they've really finished it. :-(

 

Yes, tanto are signed. Some of them. Just like some katana are signed. Some may even be gimei. :-)

 

Kevin

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Nothing has happened to this tanto; that's the way it was made. This dates to WWII, and quite a lot of this sort of thing were made then. Not sure what exactly their purpose/use was; side arm for officer or some other? Probably partially hand made out of tool steel with either an oil or water temper but no great art. You see them on ebay often, marketed as Japanese WWII suicide dagger.

Grey

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I'm with Grey on this one. Seen many like that, although have seen fakes also looking the same.

Usually you are lucky if it is at least oil quenched. In this case, it may even be acid etched hamon. In either case, it is not Nihonto and is not traditionally made.

 

Brian

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Ah, I stand corrected then. :-) Not had anything to do with 'suicide daggers' and the photos do rather look like ones I've seen that have been 'got at'. The photos of the hamon aren't good enough to know what's going on, though I did wonder whether it was acid etched.

 

Kevin

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Ah, I stand corrected then. :-) Not had anything to do with 'suicide daggers' ..

Kevin,

Consider yourself lucky...untainted eyes ;) They can be quite nasty. Usually show a shinogi line that looks out of place too (like this one)

I do have a bad feeling about the hamon though. It looks brushed on, like those wire-brushed fake hamon. Maybe it looks better in hand?

 

Brian

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