Fake? Acid Etched?

[Dogen]

Even though I'm a complete Nihonto neophyte, I can usually spot imitations and fakes. This one, however, has me a bit stumped.  Is this a complete fake or is it a real Nihonto that has been acid etched and given a keisho polish? Or is it just the photos that are giving it a "Damascus steel" look?

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Great-HITATSURA-KATANA-sword-w-White-sheath-EDO-39-4-x-27-6-1-43kg-/291687532580?hash=item43e9ee8824:g:AkMAAOSw4SlV77Yy

 

John

 

 

[John A Stuart]

Real, acid-etched and ugly. My opinion only of course. John

[Brian]

Can't be a fake, since it would be illegal in Japan, and no seller will sell a fake online. Plus it has torokusho, so is registered.
No, it is 100% real. I don't know what the hell they did to it though...those lines look to be showing mixed steel (maybe foreign steel or high nickel content) and the treatment has emphasized that.
Not sure how they are calling the hamon good....or hitatsura, as I cannot see ANY hamon. Just gaudy contrasting layers of steel that to me look ugly and awkward.

Ugh.

[SAS]

Seller says it is from Edo period, that is quite a broad range in age. it seems Shinshinto to me; we had a discussion about these types of swords several months ago, though i can't remember names of smiths who did this style. As for the polish, i am baffled, as the laminations within the hamon area are shiny while the overall area is frosty. I would not know how this was done; I am doubting that an acid process can result in this appearance, but i could be wrong. It has its own unique beauty for what it is, a very nontypical sword.

[Dogen]

Can't be a fake, since it would be illegal in Japan, and no seller will sell a fake online. Plus it has torokusho, so is registered.

No, it is 100% real. I don't know what the hell they did to it though...those lines look to be showing mixed steel (maybe foreign steel or high nickel content) and the treatment has emphasized that.

Not sure how they are calling the hamon good....or hitatsura, as I cannot see ANY hamon. Just gaudy contrasting layers of steel that to me look ugly and awkward.

Ugh.

 

Those where my thoughts as well.  Very, very bizarre sword.  I wonder what it looked like originally? How unfortunate. 

 

John

[SAS]

The sudare continues into the nakago; i do not believe this is a result of acid treatment. Some other type of steel has been mixed into the forging to get this appearance. It is too bad this sword has not been through shinsa, as the comments would be enlightening.  i am not in the position of bidding on this sword, but it would be worth owning in my opinion. Too bad the seller provides no information about the style or smith.

[Shamsy]

That's certainly interesting, I wonder if the seller would provide a shinsa guarantee? They also have some nice looking and affordable armor to. I'd love one of the Jingasa helmets but I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing with armor.

[ggil]

This seller specializes in armor.  There is a NMB thread about them.  I bought a showa (?to?) katana from them a while back which has a somewhat similarly strange hada, albeit with more foldings so not quite as odd.  I always thought the same as Steve above, that other than tamahagane was added to bring about contrast in the hada (probably never was a lick of tomahagane in it at all).  I also assumed an "acidic" additive was used during polish to add to the effect.  I am very curious as to the degree of differential hardening on my blade, given that oil quenching was so prevalent during showa (this based on the assumption that showa oil quenching doesn't approach the degree of hardness differentiation that water quenching typically does).

 

Speaking of the blade in question, look at a photo of the nakago (see attached pic of suriage looking nakago).  It seems like even through the patina and yasurime you can still see the hada sticking out and snaking its way down the tang.  Maybe an acid treatment is an incorrect assumption, since the hada is there in the nakago too???

 

I doubt either mine or this one would pass shinsa, but that is just my uneducated opinion. 

 

-Grant