Considering a trade

[AirDog01]

I have an unsigned wakizashi. It is in excellent shape. No chips old polish. Ready for full restoration. A friend is willing to trade  for a wakizashi that is signed but in lesser shape. I’m inclined to pass but I’m curious about the signature. It was reported to have been a war souvenir. Amy thoughts on the signature?

[rematron]

Hi Mark,

Two things that stand out IMO:

1) The area of the mei seems to have a different (lesser) amount of corrosion than the rest of the nakago, being a symptom that it might have been done at a later time after the original forging and polishing.

2) The mei itself is sloppily done.  A true mei done with expertise by the smith would typically look a lot smoother and without sign of hesitation, ie strokes changing direction slightly where they should be fluid.