Gimei or real

[Kyle68]

was told it is was signed Dewa Daijo Fujiwara Kunimichi. Gimei or real?

[ROKUJURO]

Kyle,

there is nothing to see on the NAKAGO photo. Please take another close-up one with dark background and light from the side.

The HAMON looks weird and not like traditionally polished.

[Kyle68]

does this help? sorry these are the only pics I have from the seller

[Stephen]

[SteveM]

Yes, it says Dewa Daijō Fujiwara Kunimichi. 

 

As far as the signature goes, the execution of the signature looks good. 

As always, the quality of the blade will validate the signature - but it looks promising. 

 

Is there nothing inscribed on the opposite side? And, I'm guessing it came with no authentication papers? 

 

[aabderson]

These are the only pics they sent. The blade is in good condition tho. What do you think it’s worth? 

[SteveM]

Oh, my mistake. I thought it was a blade that was already in your possession. If you are considering purchasing an unpapered blade, you should know that there is a huge amount of risk that the blade is fake, or flawed. Its extremely difficult to judge the authenticity over the internet. You'd want macro images of the whole blade to make sure there aren't cracks or welding flaws that have been filled in or otherwise cosmetically altered. The hamon pictures look bright and clear, but as Jean says, sometimes acid is used to make this area "pop", which ultimately disfigures the hamon and requires professional restoration at some point - so you'd want to examine the hamon closely. You'd want to check out the area where the tang transitions to the cutting edge, to see if the blade has been shortened. There are a lot of pitfalls in the sword world. If the seller is a respected dealer in Japanese swords with some kind of history and reputation in the sword world, you might feel somewhat more confident in making the purchase, but if its some random dude trying to sell you a blade, I would be extremely cautious.