Real or fake mei?

[Flak41]

Have been offered this sword, is this the real thing or just another copy?

 

Thanks in advance, Fabian

[loiner1965]

chinese copy.....just look at the folding in the tang which as been artificially rusted

[Flak41]

OK, thanks, just asking because some of the characters seem to match Japanese writing.

[Grey Doffin]

Fabian,

Some of the characters match Japanese writing because they are used in both the Japanese & Chinese languages. Kanji means "Chinese characters" in Japanese.

If you want to own a real Japanese sword and you didn't know if this sword is real or not, then you need to spend some time with books and at sword shows before you buy a sword. At your current level of knowledge you stand as good a chance of buying junk as you do of buying something worth owning. Study, Grasshopper.

Grey