sword help

[sorry charlie]

Hi, I have a Japanese sword that I am having a hard time identifying. If anyone has any idea of its value or know of any potential buyers, that would be great also. If you would follow this link, there are photos available for viewing.

http://www.cyberattic.com/stores/scottsurban/

Just go to the browse button.

Thanks for any help

[Mark Green]

Looks like a tourist piece. Or chinese fake.

[sencho]

Hi,

 

Respectfully, I don't agree with Mark as far as being a Chinese fake. I further don't think this is necessarily a tourist piece.

 

I believe this is a Japanese made sword, but whether it is Nihonto or a machine made Gunto is another question.

 

The value of the sword would obviously depend on an answer to this question.

 

Some better pictures of the blade and tang (posted on here) would be helpful... BTW your pictures of the tang are upside down

 

Cheers

[saipan59]

Looks like an authentic gunto to me.

One side of the tang is a date: 1944 (it's clearly not "pre 1700"). And the overall style and features are clearly WWII.

 

Your pictures are quite good, except that you didn't include any to show the details of the blade. And, as already mentioned, your picture of the tang is upside-down.

 

Meanwhile, what are the characteristics of a Chinese-made fake? I've heard that they exist, but I've never seen one...

 

Pete

[Stephen]

i was going to turn it right side up but you have a right click block, maybe Masahiro...cant get my head upside down for that long...a old goat i am. Pete has the date down, feel it true gunto not copy.

[Ted Tenold]

Not fake. It's real Japanese blade. Signature reads Yakumo Amatsu Masakiyo saku (meaning the maker's name is Masakiyo and he was from Yakumo village in Shimane prefecture), dated 1944. He's in John Slough's book, and maybe in the Gendai toko meikan (haven't looked there yet). Decent gendaito smith.

[ottou812]

The mei from this sword looks very different from the oshigata from JSSUS vol 31. p22 for Masakiyo.

[Mark Green]

Sorry Charlie!

From the not so good pics, it looked like the mei was cut last week.

Could be ok. Some good pics of the bare blade would help a lot!

Mark G