John C

I might be reading too much into the design, however is the blade supposed to be the dragon's tongue? John C.

I think that was in Gladiator . John C.

It looks a bit like hoken (insurance). But that would be odd for an ax. John C.

Victor: I would add to figure out what your goals/interests are e.g., militaria, samurai, craftsmanship of the steel, Japanese art, etc. This may point you in a direction for further study. In addition, figure out a budget. This is not a cheap hobby, depending what your goals are. John C.

Another red flag is the obvious "damascus" pattern in the steel. This was an uncommon method of folding in Japanese swords. John C.

Victor: Here is the term for this type of flaw. Note that it is a fatal flaw, meaning the blade cannot be relied upon to function properly. John C.

Hmmm.. Could just be the lighting, however it looks as if there is some casting flash still present. And to be fair, "modern" repro could mean any time in the 20th century. Not saying the baby is ugly, just that it could have some "recent" parts.

If it doesn't have any fatal flaws (look for vertical hairline cracks in the edge) then you did fine. You may need to invest in some mounts to keep it secure. John C.

Not just you. While I have posted some individual parts of swords for interpretation or translation, I haven't posted any just for fun. I learned my lesson when I posted my first one and it was labeled a "turd". On a fixed income, I don't have the means to purchase and post an "acceptable" sword. But I do try to learn everyday. John C.

I assume you mean the kozuka (the actual blade is called the kogatana). Since most of the value is in the main blade, not much. You may choose to pay a little more for a complete and matching package, however. I've taken the liberty of orientating the mei for you, though I can't verify the signature. John C.

It's interesting how the word "art" has evolved. Compiled from several sources: "Art originally meant skill or craft (from old French) adding around 1300 an aptitude for scholarship and learning (from the German)" So in terms of sword smithing, any well made blade could be considered "art" regardless of aesthetic value. Recently, however, subjectivity has replaced objectivity in defining what art is. Like a lot of things in modern culture, how something looks has become more important than how something functions. John C.

They certainly have been around long enough to have sold this! John C.

Interesting. I'll have to do some more research with this new information. I think the yatate is probably Taisho or early Showa. Could be late Meiji, though I really don't know enough about the styles to be sure. Thank you for the information. John C.

Hello: My reference books do not list this mei. Any help would be appreciated. (best I could zoom in - sorry) John C.

HB: I think bonji are fairly common, so maybe not much of an identifier, though I suppose some artists favored certain ones over others. John C. *chart curtesy of Ray Singer

I'm coming up with Kanemoto. John C.

Thank you, Steve. I'm grateful. John C.

Hello: The closest match I could find based on what I can see is Ryu bun do. These are the two best shots I could get. Thank you for your help. John C.

John: Not sure if you have this. If so, maybe others could use it. The top two lines are the older, formal style of numbering. John C.

Phil: In the pics, it looks as if the nakago has been painted. Has it? If so, it could be obscuring a mark. Another possibility is that the blade is a family blade and not made by the military. Does it look like it is rust-free steel? John C.

Yes. I was referring to the symbol on the kashira. John C.

I see a dharmachakra buddhist symbol. John C.

Not so strange if you look carefully at the pictures. He generally sells real Japanese swords (excluding the anything labeled as gendaito), however there usually will be something wrong (out of polish, kizu, or whatever). He leaves it up to the buyer to figure it out. Compare that with other sellers like our favorite "warrior simian" or "1947" and you'll see some really shady stuff. Just my two cents. John C.

A couple of theories: * The books and examples they are working from have those mistakes; * Making it perfect would take as much effort as a real one, which impacts the bottom line; * Their assumption is that buyers, mainly in the US, won't know the difference anyway; * In some cases, a type of "marking" to differentiate which factory it came from; * And just like everyone else, they simply don't know every detail of what a real one looks like. John C.

The "mei" looks like it was attempted with a small punch rather than a chisel. John C.