sword that should not exist??

[Jacob Rudnicki]

Dear All, I would highly appreciate your help with deciphering the name of the man who made this sword.. I think my own translation could be wrong because ... well I say no more.

Many many thanks, Jacob

[Matsunoki]

Sorry to break bad news but this is a Chinese fake and the inscription is meaningless.

[Jacob Rudnicki]

Thanks for your opinion Colin, but no, it's not Chinese fake hah:) and the inscription means... something I translated myself but can not believe it can be it. That's why I kindly ask for help:)

[Matsunoki]

It doesn’t matter what the inscription says. This is not a Japanese sword. It is a modern Chinese fake. The calligraphy is not Japanese, the koshirae is not Japanese, the blade is not Japanese. It is quite common for the fakers to attempt a Mei (signature) on a sword but it is irrelevant. It is fake. I’m sorry….hope you haven’t paid much for it.

[Jacob Rudnicki]

ehhhh, ok Collin:) I respect your opinion but I have seen enough of Japanese swords to know which is fake:)

[The Blacksmith]

Unfortunately Jacob, Matsunoki is quite correct, this is a modern Chinese copy. If you have a look on ebay you will see many simliar swords. I am sorry, as this is obviously not what you wanted to hear, but unfortunately it is so.  And if you look further on this forum, you will see plenty of photos of how that nakago (the tang) should look, colour, file marks and signatures.

[Jacob Rudnicki]

how can it be modern, if it's in my family for 30 years... just don't get it..

[Matsunoki]

18 minutes ago, Jacob Rudnicki said:

but I have seen enough of Japanese swords to know which is fake:

Obviously not🙂

[GeorgeLuucas]

Fakes have been made for well over 100 years, so even a 30 year old fake is relatively modern. 30 years ago was only 1994

 

Unfortunately in this case, this sword has nearly every red flag in the book.

Sincerely,
-Sam

 

[Jacob Rudnicki]

Thank you guys:) but in my humble opinion it was made between 1940-1960.. so yes we can consider it modern... 

 

[ckaiserca]

44 minutes ago, Jacob Rudnicki said:

ehhhh, ok Collin:) I respect your opinion but I have seen enough of Japanese swords to know which is fake:)

Jacob,

 

The photos that you have provided show all of the hallmarks of a bad Chinese fake:

The tsukaito on the hilt does not alternate as it would on a real Japanese item.

The Seppa that is shown covers the kogiana of the Tsuba making it useless (Tachi do not have kogai or kozuka anyway)

The Kissaki of the blade is the wrong shape

The habaki would not have a serial number on it

The hamon appears to be acid etched

Overall, the craftmanship is poor. The kashira that you show is far too round. A tsuka would not be that shape.

The "Mei" is meaningless (and when you post pictures of a nakago, you should post them with the point of the blade upwards. your photos are upside down. If you know anything about Japanese swords, you would know this)

 

 

[Jacob Rudnicki]

should I make some chemical analisys  ? no, I know how it came to me and from where.:)

[Matsunoki]

10 minutes ago, Jacob Rudnicki said:

should I make some chemical analisys  ? no, I know how it came to me and from where.:)

And now you also know it’s a terrible Chinese fake.

[rematron]

Jacob, if you are confident of its origin and won't take any other opinions, why are you on this forum asking questions?  We've all seen this attitude before.  All the hallmarks of a troll.

[Jacob Rudnicki]

I do take ...no worries

[Jacob Rudnicki]

but ... maybe there will be a different one..

[Jacob Rudnicki]

[Jacob Rudnicki]

[Matsunoki]

Yep. Troll. 

[Jacob Rudnicki]

Guys, once again I do read, understand and respect:) and many thanks for your opinions now I know

[ckaiserca]

On 3/29/2024 at 1:21 PM, Jacob Rudnicki said:

The geometry of this blade is terrible. The rippled appearance is all wrong.

 

The shinogi-ji should be a precise line between the shinogi and the hira-ji.

 

[Brian]

There is absolutely nothing Japanese about it. I'll bet you $200.
It's about as bad as it gets. It has every single feature that we look for in a fake, and zero that we look for in a Japanese sword. Translating it is pointless, whatever it says is bogus.
Compared to regular fakes, this one is at the lowest end. It could be 50 years old, doesn't matter. Nothing....I repeat nothing....looks genuine. If you proved this was Japanese, I would close this forum.
This parrot is dead. It's an ex-polly. It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker. This is a late parrot! It's a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace!
Nothing personal. Hope you stick around, the next one will be better.

[vajo]

1 hour ago, Jacob Rudnicki said:

Dear All, I would highly appreciate your help with deciphering the name of the man who made this sword.. I think my own translation could be wrong because ... well I say no more.

Many many thanks, Jacob

 

Feng Chu Chan from Longquan made this sword in his first month as swordsmith at the "Traditional Japanese Sword Factory Longquan China, limited Co & Son".  They use T12 steel made from the river Tarim which is the same steel as Kublai Khan made his swords from. Btw the company has only made 75000 swords like this. Yours is the number 74916. A real treasure and i would say its worth a lot of money. Because of its unpayable worth you should bring it in a museum. So everyone could see it. Thrust your own thoughts. Everyone wants to steel it from your collection. 

[Jacob Rudnicki]

okok, thank you:)) I will just throw it..:)

[Jacob Rudnicki]

Jesus.... worth some money??

 

[The Blacksmith]

Jacob, I am sorry for your disappointment, truly I am. However, if you are really interested in Nihonto, do stay around and learn, there are many very knowledgable folks here, who all have a deep love of Nihonto, and will be very happy to help guide you in this fascinating hobby. I wish this forum was around when I started collecting forty odd years ago!

 

Regards,

 

Russ

[vajo]

1 hour ago, Jacob Rudnicki said:

Thanks for your opinion Colin, but no, it's not Chinese fake hah:) and the inscription means... something I translated myself but can not believe it can be it. That's why I kindly ask for help:)

You're on to something big. Don't let yourself be put off

[Jacob Rudnicki]

So many thanks to all of you and especially to Vajo:) anyway must know if I translated well the name....

[Matsunoki]

For those who like to see fake Mei the right way up…..

 

[Jacob Rudnicki]

thank u Collin:)