Rinomn

Yes, it definitely helped me and gave me additional information. Thank you. As for the name, I made a mistake in the post because typing on the Japanese layout produced the wrong kanji. It actually says ‘石田友一’, but that still doesn't change anything. I certainly noticed the rather poor condition of the blade, but figured it was just carelessly stored, however, apparently this is an indicator that the blade is Chinese. Anyway, it was more important to me to find out the truth than anything else, so thanks to everyone who is helping. I paid very little money for this sword, and I have no regrets.

Hi everyone! I am new to Nihonto and to this forum. I would like to ask for your help in determining the authenticity of my first Nihonto and possibly getting some information about the smith and the age of the blade. I have tried to search for information on my own, but this has only confused me more, so I decided it would be more effective to ask knowledgeable people. At this point, I am leaning towards the sword being genuine (but again, I would like to hear other people's opinions to confirm or refute this). A search for the master’s name has yielded nothing. Regarding the age, I’m leaning towards the late 19th century, which is also the opinion of a friend of mine who used to own a couple of katanas. He's not an expert, so he advised me to ask others. I will attach pictures and a bit of information about the sword along with my personal opinion below. Please let me know if you need clearer pictures of any part. I'll try to work something out with the quality of the pictures and lighting. Also, correct me if any of my statements are incorrect. About the sword: Master's name: 石田友一 (Ishida Yuichi) - there are other possible readings, but my Japanese acquaintance agreed that this is the most likely one. - There is also a number "19" on the Nakago-jiri on the Ura side. Does anyone know what it could mean? Measurements: Total length 102 cm, blade length 74 cm, Sori ~2,3 cm Other details: - It appears that the Mekugi has been replaced. I was told that the sword has had many previous owners, and probably not all of them knew that the Mekugi-ana is cone-shaped, causing the pin to be removed incorrectly. - The Tsuka-ito concerns me a bit as well - I suspect it may have been replaced. - The previous owner had cleaned the rust off the Nakago with machine oil, not knowing he shouldn't be doing that. But I hope that didn't have too much effect. - It seems that the blade was tried to be sharpened, but they failed. Right now it only cuts paper. I would like to polish it and get it in good condition, but I'm afraid I can't find a good master where I live. Thank you, and I look forward to your responses.