KungFooey

No way is that Chinese! 🤣🤣🤣 I think sometimes the people who only study Juyo swords forget where we normal folks start out. You've got a real, old, genuine Japanese sword there. Okay, the fittings have been messed around with - so what? There are more Frankenstein's out there than unmessed-with swords - even in the Japanese market. As regards it being signed katana side, I would say the lower, punched hole is the original making it an uchigatana and the higher, drilled hole was added when the machi were moved up to shorten the blade length (maybe it was stuck in gunto mounts in World War II?) Enjoy it! All the best Dee

.... this little fella. Must have made some samurai look really kickass back in the day.

Honestly? I think the koshirae is absolutely exquisite, but the blade ...... meh. As long as you enjoy it, that's the main thing. Dee PS: Good luck fitting the new tsuba - it's 1mm thicker than the original.

Hi Dale!

Karasu-guchi - "crow's mouth". fatal crack at tip of kissaki.

Very tired blade (same one as above) showing core steel and laminations opening.o

Hamon runs off blade at kissaki - no boshi. Lower photo shows how hadori can create fake boshi.

Mukade-shinae or "centipede-wrinkles"

Hi everyone As some here know, I recently had a panic with my first ever blade as I thought it had a bad kizu. I discovered then that descriptions are all well and good but a real picture is worth a thousand words - so I thought it might be useful for non-experts like me to have a thread where they can see actual photos of flaws in blades all grouped together. (If this should be moved somewhere else please go ahead.) Dee Here are some to kick off.... please add any photos you think will help.

Well said! It's as much a piece of history as a 700 year old blade with a big cut in its back! Dee

Hi, With all respect, your question sounds a bit like "I've just passed my driving test - should I buy this 1906 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost with a huge, irreparable dent in the fender?" Why do you really want it? Will you be able to live with the dent after the honeymoon period? Can you look after it as it deserves, without inflicting any more damage? Just my thoughts as this is way out of my league! Dee

Jean, I KNOW that swords should always be displayed in a stand with the hilt to the left and they should be passed to others in the same manner to show passive intent. But respected dealers in Japan stand behind their swords with the hilt facing THEIR right. So It's ridiculous to expect the smith to do otherwise. Dee

@Jacques D. Tell that to Japanese sword dealers at the big shows. I would've thought they would know something about sword etiquette. 🤔

No, the position respects etiquette by presenting the tsuka on the left of the viewer - as represented by the cameraman.

Hi, Even nowadays you get iai people putting real old guards on their pot-metal swords. I guess it's just to feel a connection with the old samurai? Dee

Ikkansai Shigetsugu made a blade for Hitler - maybe this is the matching SS guard? 🤔 Dee

That is amazingly beautiful, Peter! I love it! 😊 Dee

It's the size of the katana kake, Jacques. If he put the tsuba outside the width of the stand (as is usual), the saya tip would fall off! Dee

Thanks Peter! I'll try hard to get this into next February' shinsa - after all, Wer rastet, der rostet! Dee

Hi Jake, I really appreciate the follow-up! I tracked down the original thread and can give due credit for that quote to @Ed. Thanks! Dee

Dear Jean, As always, you give me great encouragement. Thank you so much! Dee

I was just comparing it to this but I was too late!!! 😥

Hi Jacques! Can you post a better photo and I'll give it a try? You can't see the signature properly in this one - it's too blurry. Thanks! Dee

Gut feeling? It's been touched up at least. The messy gold paint is a giveaway (see below) and that might suggest the scabbard is also a respray. The kamon is a little larger than usual and something looks off to me with the tang's odd 'smoky black' patina. But hey, I'm no expert on anything! Good luck! Dee

You need to strip em off, Swords! That big old tsuba means one of them is packing much heavier junk. 😉