Sword tassel help please - genuine or reproduction?

[RussellM]

Hi everyone, can you please take a look at this tassel and let me know if it is a reproduction or genuine?

 

The tassel isn't mine but it is for sale at US$520.

 

Any help greatly appreciated!

 

Cheers

 

Russ

 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

John, @PNSSHOGUN, will enlighten us!

[PNSSHOGUN]

Low quality Chinese junk, nasty example made from rayon.

[moriarty]

250 for that? The depths of depravity.. 

[RussellM]

Thank you very much gents for your assessment, you have saved me from making a rather large mistake!

 

They don't want $250, they want $520!

 

Cheers from NZ

 

Russ

 

 

[PNSSHOGUN]

No worries Russ, originals won't have a shine to them even when they are old new stock. The crowns above the tassels should be tightly knit as well. 

 

[RussellM]

Thanks for the tips John, and the pic!  I know what to look for now, at least as a starting point.

 

Very much appreciated!

 

Cheers

[Kiipu]

Not to be overlooked is a rather obscure comment made by Akira Komiya.

額縁 Gakubuchi

Sword tassel - genuine or reproduction?

[PNSSHOGUN]

Early thin field grade tassel with the above mentioned bordered edges, really hard to find!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ontario_Archaeology]

If someone wants to link past tassel threads there is a lot of great information in them. I think one is about general tassels and another might be a more general thread. 

 

Really if we were to have one pinned thread so all the information can be easily found it could become a really good resource. As I've said before in other threads, good consistent lighting and photos of both old "new" stock and used tassels will make spotting fakes easier for everyone. 

[RussellM]

Thanks for the additional pic and comments, very much appreciated.

 

I like the idea proposed by Matt H.  I would certainly use it!
 

Cheers 

[Ontario_Archaeology]

6 hours ago, RussellM said:

Thanks for the additional pic and comments, very much appreciated.

 

I like the idea proposed by Matt H.  I would certainly use it!
 

Cheers 

Here is the thread I was talking about 

 

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/31619-generals-tassels/page/2/#comments

[George KN]

I didn't want to open a new thread since this one was fairly recent, but I've come across a similar-ish tassel myself in the wild, and just wanted a second opinion from people. (Apologies for the terrible picture, I'm trying to get another)

 

Does this look genuine at first glance? It's certainly rough around the edges, but it doesn't seem as shiny as the repro one discussed earlier in this thread... And do people think it looks more like a field or general grade tassel? I don't know much about them and information seems to be fairly sparse. Thanks!

 

[PNSSHOGUN]

Looks to be an early style field grade tassel, is the rest of the sword nice? 

[George KN]

Thanks @PNSSHOGUN!

 

To be honest, I don't know if the sword is good, bad, or a complete fake, since I only have one picture whilst I wait for more:

 

 

Apart from not knowing whether the blade is damaged, fake, showato, etc - the tassel, screw mekugi, and unusually plain chuso button (is it a replacement?) is giving me pause for thought about whether it is a genuine wartime sword. I also don't think I've seen such a generally brown and boring tsuka before... Does it seem in-keeping for an early gunto? I'm normally used to seeing a bit more gold or red, and a bit more of a hamon 

I was somewhat hoping you'd tell me the tassel was fake so I could rule out the rest as a put together package, but if it's not, I might have to reconsider... 

[PNSSHOGUN]

Looks promising to me. 

[Bruce Pennington]

I have seen a small number of officer gunto with a screw/bolt.  Seems like it would be a post-war addition to a sword missing the mekugi.  But no way to know.

[robinalexander]

5 hours ago, George KN said:

giving me pause for thought about whether it is a genuine wartime sword

George everything I can see in the bad pics suggests it is WW2 sword.  The tassel does look original and well used as does the Ito.  The chuso buttons are often replaced as they are easily broken by the uninitiated.  That replacement could be wartime or post.

 

Pierced tsuba and central chuso hole on fuchi are typical signs of Type 94 but Kabuto-gane maybe not...but that's nothing.

 

As for the blade ? .... need better pics, particularly of nakago and kissaki.

[dwmc]

Left handed gunto??? Chuso on opposite side? Am I seeing this correctly?

 

Dave M.

[George KN]

@dwmc great spot! But that one's on me, I actually mirrored the image to help me notice anything odd.

 

Thanks for all the thoughts everyone, much appreciated! I'm hoping I can buy this one 🤞

[George KN]

Looks like someone else ended up with this one! I'm trying *really* hard not to pick up more project blades, and it went for just a little too much for me. These were the extra pictures from the auctioneer:

 

 

Koshirae definitely looks decent, but the blade has had a rough time. 

 

Dodged a bullet? Missed a gem? I'm not sure either way, but definitely hard to walk away. I hope it finds its way onto this forum so I can find out what's on the nakago