Fritz Posted May 15, 2009 Report Posted May 15, 2009 Hello all, found this today,in it's original storage sheath, not sure how old but the price was right. The tang is not signed but were these signed like katanas? Fritz Quote
Fritz Posted May 15, 2009 Author Report Posted May 15, 2009 Another pic of the tang. the tassle is just how it was found, not sure what it exactly is. Fritz Quote
Kevin Posted May 15, 2009 Report Posted May 15, 2009 Don't like that one bit! What the devil has happened to the nakago? - the yasurime have been largely obliterated. Not keen on the ending of the hamon and there's something about the hamon itself I really, really don't like. Without good piccies of the blade I'm not sure what we're dealing with, but if I saw it on Ebay, I'd pass. In my opinion, it's either been got at or its a copy. Just possibly the former - it may be a grinder special, looking at a) the remains of patination b) hamachi (one side is 'bitten in' in a manner that you'd get with a right amateur let loose with a grinding wheel, the other is 'eroded'), the position of the mekugi-ana (amateur o-suriage?) and some of what may be taken for the remains of yasurime may be grinding marks, cos the angle is different from other marks which may be the remains of yasurime. I suspect that someone has ground the nakago to fit a tsuka they had, and then attacked it with a polishing wheel to 'finish' it, hence the blurring of lines. In doing so they've really finished it. Yes, tanto are signed. Some of them. Just like some katana are signed. Some may even be gimei. :-) Kevin Quote
Grey Doffin Posted May 16, 2009 Report Posted May 16, 2009 Nothing has happened to this tanto; that's the way it was made. This dates to WWII, and quite a lot of this sort of thing were made then. Not sure what exactly their purpose/use was; side arm for officer or some other? Probably partially hand made out of tool steel with either an oil or water temper but no great art. You see them on ebay often, marketed as Japanese WWII suicide dagger. Grey Quote
Brian Posted May 16, 2009 Report Posted May 16, 2009 I'm with Grey on this one. Seen many like that, although have seen fakes also looking the same. Usually you are lucky if it is at least oil quenched. In this case, it may even be acid etched hamon. In either case, it is not Nihonto and is not traditionally made. Brian Quote
Kevin Posted May 16, 2009 Report Posted May 16, 2009 Ah, I stand corrected then. :-) Not had anything to do with 'suicide daggers' and the photos do rather look like ones I've seen that have been 'got at'. The photos of the hamon aren't good enough to know what's going on, though I did wonder whether it was acid etched. Kevin Quote
Brian Posted May 16, 2009 Report Posted May 16, 2009 Kevin said: Ah, I stand corrected then. :-) Not had anything to do with 'suicide daggers' .. Kevin, Consider yourself lucky...untainted eyes They can be quite nasty. Usually show a shinogi line that looks out of place too (like this one) I do have a bad feeling about the hamon though. It looks brushed on, like those wire-brushed fake hamon. Maybe it looks better in hand? Brian Quote
Hermes Posted May 16, 2009 Report Posted May 16, 2009 I agree, a WWII water quenched plain steel dagger, made in the untold 1000's during and after the war and IMO a nice clean one for sure. Quote
Fritz Posted May 17, 2009 Author Report Posted May 17, 2009 I'm glad i didn't give to much for it, I didn't think it was a old one but was looking for it to be at least WW2 vintage. Thanks for the comments guys. Fritz Quote
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