Is this Katano correct? please help

[Phoef]

Hi, I am totally new in the Katano world but want to buy this one. Is it correct? I appreciate all your help.

[Phoef]

[Phoef]

[Ray Singer]

A real Japanese sword by Seki Yoshiaki. 

[Phoef]

[Phoef]

6 minutes ago, Ray Singer said:

A real Japanese sword by Seki Yoshiaki. 

Thanks for your ultrafast reply. I understand it is safe for me to buy this one? It is a bit expensive but I really like the looks.

[Ray Singer]

It is a showato arsenal blade, not a traditionally made Japanese sword. If it is expensive then maybe you would be better off waiting for a traditionally made example. 

[Phoef]

14 minutes ago, Ray Singer said:

It is a showato arsenal blade, not a traditionally made Japanese sword. If it is expensive then maybe you would be better off waiting for a traditionally made example. 

Thanks again Ray. For me I want a WW2 used Japanese sword which I really like the looks of. This one I like very much. Is a price of around €2000 reasonable you think? But, of course, it has to be a military used WW2 example.

[Ray Singer]

I wouid suggest studying the difference between showato and gendaito (which is most often substantial). There is nothing wrong with collecting showato, but study the gap in quality between the two. 

[PNSSHOGUN]

Hi Paul, the sword looks all original and in nice condition. The price is rather high for an arsenal blade, though I'm not too familiar with the european market for these swords.

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Paul,

You can get just as nice or better for significantly less money. You need to do some research/study before you buy; the more you know the happier you'll be with with you get.

Grey

[John C]

4 hours ago, Phoef said:

It is a bit expensive

Paul:

I agree with those above. That's a lot of money for a showato. You could probably get a Gendaito (traditionally made blades) for that. Be patient and look around some more. Showato, even nice examples, should be in the 1200 to 1800 dollar (900 to 1300 euro) range. 

But as noted above, you may be in a tight market.

 

John C.

[Bruce Pennington]

Make them an offer.  Many times a seller will bargain on price.

[Phoef]

Thanks to you all, you have been of great help :-)

I’ll try to learn more about the Katano swords.

Paul

[PNSSHOGUN]

Paul, to add to the lesson it is spelled "Katana"

[ROKUJURO]

Paul,

to reduce your romanticism a bit: Many of these military swords have never been used in combat. They have been worn, but WWII was not predominatly a sword combat. There is no SAMURAI spirit around them.

But with little or no care (and very often treated badly as garden tools) in the years after the war, they may indeed look "used".

[vajo]

37 minutes ago, ROKUJURO said:

Paul,

to reduce your romanticism a bit: Many of these military swords have never been used in combat. They have been worn, but WWII was not predominatly a sword combat. There is no SAMURAI spirit around them.

 

That is not true Jean.

You could say the same about every Japanese sword. The less samurai die by sword. The most by arrowes and yari, later from bullets. 

WW2 was a sword war. The sword was mostly the last thing a Japanese nco or officer had in hand. And when you search for a samurai spirit search in the hand granades, kamikaze planes, manned torpedoes, lost ships and on wide battlefields where Japanese soldiers storm in front with there sword in hand.

[Bruce Pennington]

Jean does have a point about, likely, "most" WWII swords.  However there are plenty of gruesome stories out there of soldiers getting arms cut off in hand-to-hand combat, and let's remember what went on in Shanghai and China in general.  Lots of use there.

 

It's an interesting thought, though, as to exactly what the marks would look like on a sword that was used a few times on enemy soldiers.  My original sword, a Mantetsu was loaded with marks and scratches, which, at the time, I assumed meant combat use.  But after thinking about this, I wonder.  I bet weed-whacking would put lots more marks on a blade than whacking 2 or 3 people in war.

 

Yet, in the case of Dad's Mantetsu, I know he got it from another G.I. shortly after Korea, and it was never used for whacking of any kind.  If the marks were post-war, they would have had to have happened in the 8'ish years before he got it.