Japanese sword, mumei, civilian mounts, WWII adaptation?

[Nafta]

Greetings to you all,

 

I have recently acquired a Japanese swords and I would appreciate informed opinions on its construction, mounts and period. 
My experience is limited, I am hoping to learn from members with greater expertise and welcome any observations or corrections. 
 

 

Blade: Mumei and no arsenal stamps observerd. light scratches and small dark spots.
Mounts: Civilian koshirae, wooden lacquered saya with horn koiguchi/kojiri, metal reinforcement

band at the koiguchi.
Suspension: Loose, sliding ashi, leather field saya cover.

Tsuka: Samegawa, iron fuchi/kashira, iron tsuba.

The tassel was added by me. It wasn’t originally present with the sword.

Fit: All components tight, blade sits firmly in the saya.
Overall length is approx. 100 cm (including saya).

 

Questions:

1. Do the mounts appear to be a wartime remount/adaptation, or a later assembly using mixed parts?

2. Based on visible characteristics, is the blade more likely traditionally made or non-traditional?

3. Are there features on the nakago or in the koshirae that might help date the sword more precisely?
4. I am not asking for a valuation, but would appreciate guidance on overall

quality, study potential and whether it is worth of further investment. 
 

Thank you for any insight you may be willing to share. 
-Naf-

[Nafta]

And a few more pictures. 

[Bruce Pennington]

Hi Naf!

If the leather cover fits nicely, I'd say this was done during the war to "suit up" a civilian sword for the war.  You said you added the tassel, but did it already have the sarute and barrel screw?  If so, this adds to the fact that it was a wartime refit.

 

I cannot help with the age of blade and fittings.  Other guys can, and will soon, though.

[Tensho]

Do you have clearer photos of the tsuka? Looks like there "may be" an extra hole or its been plugged but might just be the photos. 

 

Also, 4 seppa is concerning unless this had a leather seppa with button snap at one time. 

 

Another thing to add, brass habaki really aren't all that common on older swords, but is the norm on showato.

 

Was this purchased on ebay by chance?

Edited February 7 by Tensho

[Nafta]

Hi Bruce,

Thank you for your response. 
Yes everything was there, I only added the “fabric”. Imo, with tassel attached looks a bit more complete. 

The leather cover has a good fitting, neither overly tight nor loose.
And snap fasteners can be closed without excessive force. 

[Nafta]

Hi Tensho, 

 

I haven’t bought to from eBay. The guy I bought is from is a collector of Dutch swords, sabres and cutlass. A Japanese didn’t fit in so he wanted to part with it. 
So 4 seppa is not normal and reason to concern?

I have added an extra pic of the tsuka. Maybe this is a bit more clear.

 

[Tensho]

Yes, thank you. I saw the "hole" by the mekugi ana and thought it may be a patch or another hole drilled. But having seen it, it looks just like damage or a missing samegawa node. 

 

The 4 seppa don't match. It really should only have 2.  Perhaps this had a different tsuba at one time or thicker seppa that were removed/lost at one point? I don't see a snap button on your saya, so I doubt it had a leather seppa.

 

If everything fits well I see no reason to belive it is all or mostly original.

Edited February 7 by Tensho

[Rivkin]

With such low resolution I can't really see much.

[Lewis B]

Red flag? Not familiar enough with WW2 mounts to know if mods were made. 

 

[Nafta]

My apologies Rivkin. There’s a max on MB I can upload. That’s why I chose the smallest files possible. Ive uploaded pics in a higher resolution for better viewing. 
 

https://postimg.cc/gallery/D4whdHh 

 

Edited February 7 by Nafta

[Geraint]

Dear Naftali.

 

As Lewis has pointed out the ha machi and mune machi, the shoulders where the habaki sits, are not level and this is a characteristic of Chinese fake swords.  However in this case I suspect that someone not familiar with Japanese swords has made a new habaki and modified the blade to 'make it fit'.  A proper habaki should have a notch in the back that slips over the blade and fits against the mune machi, the step at the back, while the edge side should have a slot that fits closely around the edge of the blade.  If you look closely at the shoulder next to the edge can you see if the blade has been recently modified there?  If this is the case then an amateur habaki might also account for the extra set of seppa.

 

All the best.

[Tensho]

The ha and mune machi is the first thing I noticed,  but if you look at the second picture it appears fine? Perhaps a trick with the lighting and angle of the blade it was photographed? 

 

 

Edit: I just looked at your other photos, I am now suspicious like everyone else.

 

Can you take a close up of the nakago with the blade pointing up with habaki removed? 

Edited February 7 by Tensho

[Nafta]

Hello Geraint,

 

I took a closer look and it looks like both sides had some work done. 
Also I measured the space between the two mekugi ana and it measures 14mm. Coincidentally the edge where it looks like work has been done also measures 14mm. 
 

I’ve been told it was a civilian blade repurposed for WW2. But I can’t proof any of it. 

Edited February 7 by Nafta