acoyauh

Thanks, guys. I've identified the thing; it's a vintage Taiwanese piece. On top of it, the bevel on the edge, which is the detail that suggested Toledo to me, is not in the originals. Somebody probably bought a sort of Taiwanese iaito or wall-hanger and 'sharpened' it with the bevel at a later time.

Hello, forumers. I'd like your comments on this piece, please. I'm pretty sure it's not Nihonto, it looks like some Spanish-made pieces I've seen around. Please share any info you're able to. Thank you!

Mounts are fine and complete, has tan-paint metal saya. It could use a light polish, but has no defects or nicks on the blade. Can add pics tomorrow once I put it back together, if you like

Thank you so much, Reeder!

Thank you, Ray!

Hello, This is a wakizashi blade I bought as junk. The blade will recover nicely with no flaws, but the Mei maybe difficult to read. I'll really appreciate it if you can give it a try, though.

Mune & blade

Hello, Although I don't see any armory seal, my impression is that this is a Manchurian steel showato. A curious detail are the Kanji on the nakago's mune, I never saw this before... I will appreciate your help with the Mei on this piece, that should help me research it better. Thank you!

Thank you so much, Uwe! Geraint, thanks for the advice: yes, the name gives me the chance to research more. I'm well aware of all the spurious swords out there, so I'll take it with a grain of salt, especially with a big name like this. It IS a very well made blade, though, so let's see =) Thank you!

Hello, forumers I have this sword in my shop, it came dressed as gunto, but I don't see any armory marks on this one. Hamon is bright and straight, and has a nice even hada. Very different from two seki blades that accompanied it. So I'm curious if this is a redressed older blade. I'll appreciate it if you can help me identify the mei. Thank you!

Nope. Just the shirasaya and box as shown above.

You're right, it's a tanto.

Hello, forumers This is a big ask, I guess, but any bit of information shared will be appreciated greatly. I am not a big fan of non-Nihonto swords, but this one seems historically interesting. This is a Navy School commemorative wakizashi made, as I understand it, from the steel of a 12" cannon of the Mikasa battleship, used during the Sino-Russian war (1897?) under Admiral Heihachiro Togo. Made by Suishinshi Minamoto No Hideaki? 2 of them were made? I would like your opinion regarding authenticity (looks kosher to me) and maybe even possible value. Validate if I read correctly author, date, etc. Thank you!

Gentlemen, I really appreaciate your input, this was very useful Thank you!

I appreciate your opinions, thank you! Yes, they do seem well made, which is why I'm considering them, even knowing they're most likely not nihonto - I can practice with a clear conscience Still, I'd like to know if that mei means anything. Most of his blades do have known modern tosho mei... spurious or else...

Yes, I've bought from Komonjo before, too, koshirae mostly, with no problems. But their constant supply of gendaito blades seems odd to me, as do some of the blades themselves. I look for a low cost blade for actual use, but don't want to end up with some China junk. This one does not look as suspiciously new as most of the others, so I thought I'd try to check the mei, at least. Any idea on the author here?

I do have blade pics, it actually looks nice, which is why I'm trying to have a sort of review on the mei.

Hello. I got this tsuba along with a project blade I bought. I know finding the maker may be a long shot, but would like to try it. Hopefully someone can read it and help me transliterate? thank you!

Hello, I saw this sword on sale, and I'm not sure of the seller's trustiness. If possible, can anyone identify this mei? Thank you! (sorry, this is the only mei ing I have, I hope it is good enough)

Thank you, Ray & Steve! It's not me then =P I considered the possibility, not just from the mei. The tachi is nicely built, but the hada is suspicious, very much like the 'damascus' swords sold in China, the grain too bold to be Japanese... Thank you for your time and knowledge, guys!

Hello, forumers I got this tachi in my shop for cleanup, and I am very curious about the mei - with my very limited Japanese capabilities, this does not seem like a name. Maybe a 'revival' sword from the 1700's? Please your thoughts on this. The mei is difficult to read from any photos I took, so I copied the kanji for you as best as I could. My best guess would be 元文正土へ立 which either I don't understand, or is not a normal mei - seems odd...

Thank you, Peter! Masatsune Amaike, sometimes recorded as Amachi, is a Seki tosho alright, although later moved to work on gendaito, this particular one is Seki sealed, so probably an earlier work. I appreciate the help, once I get a 'readable' name my research is much easier.

Hello, forumers Again seeking your assistance to help me read a sword signature. This one bears a Seki armory seal, so it's most likely a 'showato', but its manufacture is really beautiful. I'm sorry for the diagonal pic, at this point it's the only one I can provide, since the sword itself has not arrived yet. I'll appreciate your help with the transliteration and pronunciation of the mei. Thank you!

Godd point, Steve, thank you. Did not look closely enough. Will keep searching then.

Aha. ALWAYS count on Markus Sesko to know: Shigehiro, Showa (1926-1989), Gifu. Civilian name Ido Yusaku, born October 16, 1916, worked as a gunto smith. A showato it is, then. Thank you all for your great help!