Help With Identifying A Sword Please?

[rfc99]

I am looking for someone to help me out with some information on these 2 swords? Age? Quality? Etc? Thank you in advance:)

[Teimei]

I am afraid that these blades are not nihonto. Typical junk from China .

 

Regards,

[Brian]

Not necessarility Chinese, could be touristy Japanese items....but not good either way.

See this thread: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/16519-ox-bone-shirasayabut-is-it-Japanese/

 

Brian

[Geraint]

While most of these are pretty bad there is a range of quality with the best being superbly carved.  These are not at that level but they are better than average.  Have a look at the blade of the second sword, surely a true Nihonto.

 

All the best.

[Johnny Barracuda]

One of my relatives owns some from the 19th century. Those were among the first tourist traps and were sold to naive gaijin during the Meiji Era.

 

However, most of these have both a very crappy blade and a degree of talent in the carving that depends on the original price.

 

I have seen quite a few of these, because they were very popular in France at the end of the 19th century. Most of the time, the blades are crappy steel bars ground into shape and rather often rusty. However, the carvings can be exquisite and I have even seen one made from actual ivory.

 

With those specimen, I would say possibly modern replicas of the Meiji tourist traps. The blades are actually better looking than on period pieces but the bone parts are awful and the mother of pearl parts scream "fake Chinese crap", but it is hard to tell with such small pictures.