Like? Dont like?

[Stephen]

https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/d424155101/detail

[vajo]

Looks painted to me.

[Brian]

I like. Looks like custom order possibly.

[Stephen]

Saya paint yes fittings have been patinated.

[vajo]

Hmm, there some black rubed color near the ashi on the saya. So i thought the fittings are painted. If you look on the damage parts on the fittings the color is thick on that parts.

 

 

Same is full with black particles too. I think it is thin sprayed with black color.

[16k]

Yes, I like it, but as Chris says, I don’t trust this to be original since the original paint shows underneath.

[Stephen]

To me its been worn thur ..guess we wont know for sure. I do like the look.

[Bruce Pennington]

Another one of those "Could go either way" items.  On some of the parts, like the inside of the seppa, the paint looks old; but then on the outside is looks new.

 

For me the telling item is the sayajiri was worn to the point that the detailing was ground off, yet the black paint is there.  So it's either a re-paint during the war, or a post-war paint job.

[Stephen]

Omura has them as black dying.

 

[vajo]

Stephen i have also a black dying koshirae (silver). 

The one in the buyee link look not patinated but paint.

 

[Ganko]

I have seen a few special ordered original type 98s which had mon menuki and appear to have had all the fittings silver plated. The fittings had all turned black due to the action of sulfides over the years. The item in question does not seem to have been done the same way.

[IJASWORDS]

To my eyes, recently painted. If you look at Omura's examples, and the examples in my collection, seppas are not Usually blackened.  

[16k]

I’m always amazed at your swords, Neil, just out of curiosity, how ,any do you have and how long did it take you to gather it? If you think I’m being too curious, please say so and I’ll apologize in advance.

[IJASWORDS]

JP, a long time.

[lonely panet]

To my eyes, recently painted. If you look at Omura's examples, and the examples in my collection, seppas are not Usually blackened.

 

Im in agreement with Neil,

 

It appears to be either a attempted copy of a imperial gift sword, but with out the habaki this is debatable, or a full blown restoration or just made from scratch.

 

The paint taces left after reassemble is a good clue. I would say the saya is new, and the seppa have been closed up in the locking clip to reduce sloppy latching. Also the ishizuke is not evan matching imho and warn, but then painted, or oxidized. Same can be said for the ashi

 

Still a nice piece, i would like to see the blade it was made to house, to justify the effort

[PNSSHOGUN]

Yes modern repaint, it does look quite nice though if you can get it cheap.

[Bruce Pennington]

To answer your original question, though Hamish - yes, it's gorgeous!

[Kai-Gunto]

The same under the sarute in the kabutogane is polished and on top its not. Strange. Itomaki looks new.

[PNSSHOGUN]

The other times I have seen something like this done to nicer Gunto Koshirae they have made it into a Tachi style mounting with two Ashi & the elaborate Saya-Ito.

[dwmc]

My guess would be a WWll era faux paint patination with a bit of post war touch up. Possibly all post war as John mentioned. Either way, I do like the look for some reason...

 

Dave M.