Bruce Pennington Posted July 16 Report Posted July 16 Mark, it would help to have shots of the full tsuka (handle), blade, blade tip, and bare nakago (tang). Oh, I see you are still adding photos! 1 Quote
robinalexander Posted July 16 Report Posted July 16 Mark, as Bruce said...... it would help to have shots of the full tsuka (handle), blade, blade tip, and bare nakago (tang I find this interesting, the 'patina' and condition of the ito looks period or very well 'aged' .....and the leather combat over has either shrunk over time (which is normal) or its been cut to look that way. Not military mounts but with a leather saya cover, i5 could have been pressed into action ....or .... just made to look like it has. Looking fwd to further pics. Quote
Markdd Posted July 17 Author Report Posted July 17 Hi here are some better photos I hope it’s not the best condition but was cheap from a local house clearance, sword had never been apart in my opinion until recently no Mei so it had no interest, habika had never been off the blade took some doing. nagasa 643mm nakago jiri to Fukua 863mm munemachi to Nakagojiri 226mm sori 20mm leather has obviously drunk not been cut to look like it appears to be a shirasaya beneath the combat cover blade is a bit ruff but does appear to have a grain Quote
Rawa Posted July 17 Report Posted July 17 Random assembly? Tsuba have room for chuso. Fuchi have kinda chuso release button. But rest? Some kind of gunzoku/island sword made quick? Quote
When Necessary Posted July 17 Report Posted July 17 It's Chinese - look at the one way twisted tsukaito. Quote
George KN Posted July 17 Report Posted July 17 As others have noted, the fittings seem incorrect for a standard wartime blade. The shininess of the copper parts concerns me, as does the odd coating of white mould/powder? in places you wouldn't normally expect. It is odd it seems to have ray skin on the tsuka though, which is unusual for fakes, and the leather on the saya seems to have shrunk as you would expect of a period piece too. The blade is more interesting, because the rust suggests a bit more age, it has what looks to be a hamon-like pattern, as well as a yokote. However the hamachi and munemachi don't line up as expected, and the end of the nakago seems too angular. The ana also looks to be rather small? So on balance I'd agree with others and say this wasn't made in a traditional manner. However, I wouldn't like to guess its age. Currently thinking its a 50/50 chance of it being a period island sword vs a more recent fake. (I'm not an expert though, so take everything I say with a pinch of salt) 1 Quote
Rawa Posted July 18 Report Posted July 18 Mekugi is bamboo? Looks kinda red. If it is african rosewood then its wood used in chinese imitations. Quote
When Necessary Posted July 18 Report Posted July 18 @Brian I'm surprised you haven't weighed in on this one yet Brian. You normally out the Chinese fakes very quickly. Quote
robinalexander Posted July 18 Report Posted July 18 2 hours ago, Rawa said: Mekugi is bamboo? Looks kinda red. If it is african rosewood then its wood used in chinese imitations Mekugi peg is a disposable item. .like other members I have made a few out of chop sticks and then coloured/waxed them. The redness means nothing imo. Quote
charlesf Posted July 18 Report Posted July 18 While it appears to have some age the fittings are of poor quality so perhaps made as a souvenir and traded off to some unsuspecting member of the military.The white residue appears to be the dried out remnants of 'Brasso' or similar brass polish whether to genuinely clean or add 'patina' is anybody's guess. charles 1 Quote
Scogg Posted July 18 Report Posted July 18 10 hours ago, When Necessary said: @Brian I'm surprised you haven't weighed in on this one yet Brian. You normally out the Chinese fakes very quickly. He's a busy guy lately, but he'll chime in if he's got the time. I'd also be curious to hear @Bruce Pennington 's thoughts, as i've seen him comment on these potential "island swords" before. I agree with everyones skepticism above; but to me the question remains: Is this an item meant to deceive? Or something put together in Japanese occupied territory during wartime? -Sam 1 Quote
EdWolf Posted July 18 Report Posted July 18 This sword is highly suspect in my opinion. All the details mentioned by others are strange, and what also strikes me is the extremely shrunken leather sheath, while it fits very loosely around the scabbard. If leather shrinks, it's very odd that it only shrinks lengthwise while the circumference has actually increased. 1 Quote
Conway S Posted July 18 Report Posted July 18 These gray area swords are tricky and personally I would avoid them entirely if you are looking for a genuine WW2 Japanese sword. If you want an “occupation made” or “island sword” for your collection, then go ahead and roll the dice. 1 1 Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted July 18 Report Posted July 18 Evaluating these has become a real muddle, these days. In the old days, the immediate response would have been "Chinese Fake!". We've since learned that there were various locations in occupied China and Southeast Asia that were making swords for their own forces as well as for the Japanese. So, anyone buying something like this would have to do it going in with the knowledge that it's, at best, 50/50 a fake or an island sword. The nakago on this is considerably better made than the obvious fakes we see. The ana is smaller than Japanese work, so if wartime legit, it is likely made over in China. They had a good swordsmith, but a lousy fittings craftsman. ..... or it's a fake. 1 1 Quote
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