WWII Katana

[SMW1974]

Hello folks

I have a WWII Katana that I know very little about. It is signed and has what looks to be a family crest on the tang. I've included some pictures with this message. Any insight you can offer about this sword would be swell. I love historical items, and hate not knowing anything about them lol.

Thanks

Stephen

[AndreasU]

*Deleted by Admin*

[Ken-Hawaii]

I got stuck with one of those recently, on eBay, of course. The seller had somehow made a hamon appear on what looked to be a fairly decent blade at a too-good-to-be-true price. The idiot quit eBay right after I started complaining, despite his 1,000-plus feedbacks....

[USMC-LCPL]

I'm sorry friend, but I started this hobby 1 short month ago, and even my rookie eyes can tell you that the sword you are holding is fake.

 

Just so that you don't get fooled in the future, let me tell you how everyone knows this...

 

First of all, do you see the swirly, wavy lines running along the blade starting just above the hamon (cutting edge)?

 

Those aren't supposed to be there. That is a technique used by frauds called "acid etching." It's supposed to make the grain of the steel look real, but anyone who knows what to look for could tell it was fake in less than a millisecond.

 

If you see greasy lines on the blade, STAY AWAY!

 

Second, see that beachball (for lack of a better word) on the tang? What you thought was a family crest? I can draw better than that. Even a mass produced showato, nontraditionaly made blade, (of which I own one) shows better workmanship than that. If a real Japanese smith had fudged on a design that badly, he would never have sold that sword.

 

If it doesn't look like a professional did it... it probably isn't professional.

 

Now turn your attention to the tsuba (hand guard).

 

Do you see how the main portion of your tsuba is gunmetal in color, but the cherry blossoms are golden? The Japanese government never made gunto (military) fittings like that. They were always uniform in coloration, as per this picture...

 

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... n%26sa%3DG

 

These photos also show what the rest of the fittings on a well maintained gunto blade should look like.

 

I feel for you bro... your situation makes me grateful that my gunto sword was kept in my family since WWII it's self, proving to me it's authenticity. I'm truely sorry that you were taken advantage of...

[Brian]

Stephen,

 

To summarize with a bit of tact (sadly lacking here occasionally) it is a Chinese fake.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. In the links page above, there are some excellent pages with info on how to spot these.

It happens far too often, but with a bit of research beforehand, hopefully others will be saved before laying out money for these modern copies.

I don't think there is any doubt at all on this one though.

 

Regards,

Brian

[SMW1974]

Aw bummer

Well folks I really appreciate the info. Sadly, I gave a dude a hundred clams for it at a garage sale a few weeks ago. Oh well, live and learn I guess.

On another note. Very nice message board! I'll need to school myself up a bit before investing in my first "real" sword, and this looks like the place to do it.

Does anybody have any recomendations for a novice's first buy?

Thanks again

Stephen

[Grey Doffin]

My recommendation for a novice's first buy is books.

Grey

[paulb]

Totally agree with Grey, It is well worth spending a few hundred dollars on basic reference books to start with. It will save you a fortune in bad buys later on.

Interested in others suggestions but if I were startnig a reference library now my first books would be:

John Yumoto The Samurai sword

Japanese swords by Sato

The craft of the Japanese sword by L Kapp

and

The Connoisseurs book of Japanese swords by Nagayama.

After that I would progress on to the volumes of Nihonto Koza.

I am sure others will have their own favorites

[Guest Nanshoku-Samurai]

This is one 100% pure CC .... Chinese Crapola. Use it for wood chopping.

[Guest Nanshoku-Samurai]

PS: Stepehen, I am sorry but you can't expect to find something decent at 100 smackers .... unless you also frequently win the lottery

 

Follow Grey's advice and buy books first or study the internet.

 

Max

[Stephen]

a hundred dollar leaning experience is not all that bad, we have had the same type of swords posted for a much worse experience. Paul's list is right on, most can be found on Amazon...I have the latter three that I can cut you a deal on if you buy all three. PM if your interested.

place to stay away from is Ebay when starting out. the NMB does have some for sale from time to time but the learning is in order. Have fun its both rewarding and frustrating hobby.

[Stephen]

C A II is quite exuberant in wanting to help one or two clarifications, 1 you will find true Nihonto with the wavy lines its call hada not deep as in you photos but once you do the book learning (something all Newbie's should do before tearing a sword down) you'll know the different hada's. 2 I have seen true WWII tsuba like yours not very often but there out there. The Net is a great place to learn the above links will give a lot of info without the books.

[Brian]

Indeed, as Stephen said..the tsuba is not far off. I have seen similar. It is the blade that gives it away. Although the grain will show on a genuine sword..it is not this obvious and looks less like damascus steel. This one is done with acid etching. The Japanese pride themselves on their workmanship, and sloppy engraving like this is a dead give-away.

I agree with the books mentioned. They are the best starter books.

 

A good source of genuine swords? That is a difficult one. It all depends on whether you are simply looking for a WW2 sword (falls under militaria) or a traditionally made one which this forum is concentrating on.

A genuine WW2 katana will go around $850 to $1500 IMHO, while a fair and antique wakizashi will start around $1000 upwards if you are lucky. Feel free to ask here about anything you are thinking of, and we will be glad to assist with an opinion.

 

Regards,

Brian

[USMC-LCPL]

C A II is quite exuberant in wanting to help one or two clarifications, 1 you will find true Nihonto with the wavy lines its call hada not deep as in you photos but once you do the book learning (something all Newbie's should do before tearing a sword down) you'll know the different hada's. 2 I have seen true WWII tsuba like yours not very often but there out there. The Net is a great place to learn the above links will give a lot of info without the books.

Thanks for the advice and clarification Stephen!