Chinese Origin?

[stephan_hiller]

I just came across this blade and my first thoughts were "Chinese Origin".

 

http://cgi.ebay.de/Japanese-Sword-by-O- ... n_Antiques

 

- Boshi looks strange

- No habaki

- No Shirasaya

 

This reminds me of the forged blades they are selling from China - always without a habaki and shirasaya. The seller currently has also some other swords for sale where I would say that they are definitely Japanese (the Kanesada is even quite nice).

 

Therefore I am not 100% sure about this blade. What do you think? China or Japan?

 

Stephan

[tagonagy]

The one thing about this blade that struck me is the fact that there is no date on the tang. I've never seen a shinsakuto without one before.

[David Flynn]

I've seen one without a signature and date. They are sent out of Japan to avoid the quota.

[cabowen]

I've seen one without a signature and date. They are sent out of Japan to avoid the quota.

 

Not legally and with severe consequences if caught....

[David Flynn]

Still done though.

[eternal_newbie]

My newbie two cents' worth - a couple of other things about this blade that seem a bit off to me:

 

* Mei seems a bit sloppily chiseled, alignment appears to be uneven and it's, well, a bit large compared to most others I've seen - it appears to take up a whole 3/4 or more of the nakago width

* Nakago appears to have no taper or so little as to be unnoticeable from the photos

 

Also, not exactly related to the blade itself, but the disparaging remarks about the seller's wife (can be found in the other listings too) are a little... off-putting :lol:

 

Being a relative newcomer to the nihonto scene, it's possible these attributes are found on Japanese shinsakuto that I just haven't seen yet. If so, don't hesitate to correct me - always better to learn through the wisdom of one's contemporaries than to learn through the folly of one's wallet!

 

- Rohan G

[Jamie]

I'm certainly not positive but thats a low low price-

Things that seem to good to be true-usually are.

[Surfson]

I'm guessing it's a genuine gendai, but isn't particularly appealing. I emailed him about the Kanesada and he said he bought it from a dealer in Japan and that neither he nor the dealer had sent it to shinsa. Hmmmmmm.... It is up to a price indicating that somebody likes it. I didn't study the mei of that one.