Found a Nihonto - is it fake or real

[grapppa]

This nihonto is being offered for sale privately and would like members opinions on its authenticity - or suggestions on what to check in addition to what I;ve already observed. I inadventantly did not take photos of the blade - for some reason - other than the nakago which I posted for translation athttp://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=6584&p=51766#p51766. The blade is katana shaped; but is about 2" shorter than a standard military shin gunto. It retains a very sharp edge and the blade is very clean; with only a very slight area of corrosion which appears "grained". There is indistinguishable hamon or "grain" in the blade. There is very little definition in the area of the transition from the monouchi to kissaki. The fuchi/kashira are iron with oxidation. The habaki is copper. The tsuba has been seemingy identified as Masafusa, from the Bushu Ito school. The saya is wooden, finished in black lacquer with no ornamentation. The sageo (not pictured) is missing and the saya is damaged at the end. Thank you for your learned analysis. Regards, Paul

 

http://www.plgcollectibles.com/images/public/nihonto%20SD%2001-01-2010/004.jpg

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http://www.plgcollectibles.com/images/public/nihonto%20SD%2001-01-2010/013.jpg

[Mark]

Paul

 

not sure exactly what you need. from what i see the parts of the sword are "genuine" but not high quality. So from what i see it is "real and genuine". To say more with out a close examination of the blade is foolish. If it is a few hundered dollars it is probably fine, if the seller wants several hundred or 1k+ you will need clear pictures of the blade and you still run the risk of a hagire if it is not examined in hand

 

best i can do, hope it helps

[Henry Wilson]

For what it is worth, I would be inclined to not bother buying it as it doesn't look / sound very good and is sort of thing that you might want to sell later and have difficulties doing so. Save your money and buy something of a better quality is what I think.

[drbvac]

I agree - even the seppa are mismatched in that the one with the rectangular opneing is from a gunto - its for the latching mechanism. Its almost as if he put all the parts together from stuff lying on his workbench and then put it up for sale.

[grapppa]

Full length picture of the nihonto and saya. The discoloration on the blade is an optical illusion; sorry, this is the best I have so far...but may be instructive nevertheless. Paul

 

http://www.plgcollectibles.com/images/public/nihonto%20SD%2001-01-2010/021.jpg

[drbvac]

It is real but it isn't worth the trouble to get it home, unless it is priced next to nothing. I am not even sure you could use it to learn very much.

[AndreasU]

Also, even that the picture is quite bad, the Kissaki does not look as it was made that shape!

I would stay away of it except it is cheaper than a hot meal......

[Grey Doffin]

I think the kissaki might be partially hidden behind the foam of the gun case.

Grey

[David Flynn]

I agree with the rest, only if it's extremely cheap.