Mark

it looks like a standard Showa era civilian sword (people were interested in swords during the 1930's when Japan was trying to expand its empire), you could buy swords like this at larger "department" stores. many were later used by army officers. It is probably not totally traditionaly made but i have seen some decent swords with grain that have a Showa stamp so they are partly hand made

Paul not sure exactly what you need. from what i see the parts of the sword are "genuine" but not high quality. So from what i see it is "real and genuine". To say more with out a close examination of the blade is foolish. If it is a few hundered dollars it is probably fine, if the seller wants several hundred or 1k+ you will need clear pictures of the blade and you still run the risk of a hagire if it is not examined in hand best i can do, hope it helps

I agree with ED. The mei looks questionable to me, masanori signed with a fine (sharp thin) chisel, but in your example the kanji are very "chippy" not as smooth as other references. Some of the kanji seem a bit too "squat"...... If it has ben owned by collectors in the past and has no papers i would be conscerned. I think it best to buy it based on the value of the blade, assuming it is mumei, if a seller wants a premuim based on the mei it seems logical that it waould have been papered in the past to vailidate the mei and the associated Premium

sword is a Showa sword, maybe hand made. but no need to spend time looking everything up, if you want a quick answer --- DROP EVERYTHING AND GO IMMEDIATLY AND GET THE 10K !!!! Deliver the sword on hand and knee if needed, the buyer has made an ofer "that you can't refuse"

it looks like the NCO sword in the background is also a Chinese copy

i would second what Grey said. The sword has been here long before we were and will be here long after we are gone (if we care for them). So keep a light coat of oil on it. read books, go to shows and ask opinions from people who see it. Check the mei, maybe submit to a shinsa in the next few years. Then decide the polish the blade deserves (once you know what you have), and go from there. No need to make a quick decision

tang says it was made by Masahide

you have it right - good job. I have not seen the blade but it should be a good value for $100. Not sure what Kunihiro it is as he does not give much to go on, but if i have to guess i would say it is probably a gimei of Horikawa Kunihiro. The mei looks poorly written, it is stiff and "chippy". it may be another maker, or if it is a great blade you can remove the mei (after it is PROVED to be gimei if that is the case).

says No shu Ju Fujiwara Kanesada - meaning made by Kanesada of the Fujiwara clan who lived in Mino province

i do not know the blade length now,,,,, but i would think that if it is still a katana that the mei would have been folded over,,, no reason to cut it off and inset it ( i only see that with short - 2 kanji mei- that were from very long swords)............ seems strange

Thank you! I will look him up, maybe i will find something now i have the right name

i agree 2/1941 but maybe kanemichi?

i remember seeing this in hand at a few shows, as i recall it did not sell due to the price and what restoration would cost and what you would have when done. The temperline was "uninteresting" the shape was nothing special and maker is noone of note. Seems it was priced at around $1100 so with polish, papers, etc you would end up with maybe 3k (US$) in it and for that you can buy something already done, plus you have the worry of problems coming out when polished. I will bet the reserve is even higher than the price at the show so i doubt i would consider it a bargan but if it were $6-700 when i had seen it i think i would have bought it..... anyway just my opinion, i bet it sells for a lot more, the seller seems to get unbelivable prices for his swords

I have a katana that i am sure is Showa era, looks to be Gendai. These is no date and a mei of 2 kanji that are written in a cursive style. My best guess is Chikatada but i could be wrong. I tried looking for a smith by that name and did not find anything, that made me think i may have it wrong. Any help appreciated. Thanks!

It is almost impossible to be exact from pictures. I would want to hold the blade before trying to make a kantei opinion. I said Shitahara as i had an unsigned blade with noticable pools of mokume spaced along the blade just below the shinogi. the NBTHK judged it as Shitahara and gave it to an individual. that school worked in 14-1500's. After getting it back i found that was book descriptions matched the work in my sword, so i learned something. Your blade seemed to have similar traits, so that was a guess.

the 2 swords you linked are WWII navy swords, they seem in good condition but are not "new", they are genuine WWII era swords. Alf is knowlegable, if you ask questions before buying something you will get what he describes.

or suekoto Shitahara

maybe suekoto Shimada

this is difficult...... my first impression is that this may not be a Japanese sword made prior to 1946. There is the possibility that it is a modern Chinese copy. The inscription has no meaning. I will allow others to comment further.

i have a set of menuki that match the tsuba #2.... but if you passed on that tsuba i guess that does not matter

can we see a picture of the mei?

the yasuri seem too fine or light, it gives the impression that it was cleaned. Yasukuni swords i have seen have clear yasuri

it was inside the handle and i did nor remove it, but i think it was in 2 parts, no idea about fitting to the tang

i sold a handle for an NCO sword a few weeks ago. It was hollow with wood inside, so i guess the wood was carved to match the tang then the metal handle was slid on and secured with the screw

looks like you have solved the puzzle, good job! you can probably find some info on him.