Wakizashi Acquisition Signed ChikaMura?

[harvg]

Hi All, recently took a flyer on this wakizashi.  Feels legit, and the closest I can come to translating the mei is ChikaMura.  The Tsuba is also signed.  Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

Harvey

[ROKUJURO]

Hi Harvey,

if you orient your NAKAGO (= tang) photos vertically (tip-upwards), the signature could be read easily. It looks like CHIKAMURA indeed. Have you looked up CHIKAMURA online? He was a swordsmith in the 12th century so not very likely to appear on the open market now.
The tang of the blade has wrong shape, the KOGATANA knife-blade is wrong, the SAYA seems to have been altered. The silk wrapping of the handle is made in a wrong technique.

What about the MACHI (= notches on the blade just above the NAKAGO)? Are they on the same level or is there a differnce? Better photos could tell if this might be an older damaged blade transformed to a WAKIZASHI.

[CSM101]

Chikamura.  Tachi from the 12th century.

 

 

[harvg]

[harvg]

1 hour ago, ROKUJURO said:

Hi Harvey,

if you orient your NAKAGO (= tang) photos vertically (tip-upwards), the signature could be read easily. It looks like CHIKAMURA indeed. Have you looked up CHIKAMURA online? He was a swordsmith in the 12th century so not very likely to appear on the open market now.
The tang of the blade has wrong shape, the KOGATANA knife-blade is wrong, the SAYA seems to have been altered. The silk wrapping of the handle is made in a wrong technique.

What about the MACHI (= notches on the blade just above the NAKAGO)? Are they on the same level or is there a differnce? Better photos could tell if this might be an older damaged blade transformed to a WAKIZASHI.

Thanks for the info.  I've reoriented the main photo, to give a more accurate perspective, which better shows the shape of the nakago.  The machi are not in alignment.

[ROKUJURO]

Harvey,
the TSUBA close-up photo is lying on the side, so reading is difficult. Oriented edge-upwards (with rare exceptions) would be better.
The blade is probably not Japanese, I am afraid.

[harvg]

2 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

Harvey,
the TSUBA close-up photo is lying on the side, so reading is difficult. Oriented edge-upwards (with rare exceptions) would be better.
The blade is probably not Japanese, I am afraid.

Jean, having the advantage of having this sword in hand, I have little doubt that it is a traditionally made Japanese sword.  I do not have much confidence in the mei though.  Cheers

[Tensho]

The Ha and Mune machi don't line up. Pretty typical on Chinese made swords. Along with the quality and "wrongness" of everything else as Jean pointed out this doesn't look genuine at all.