Passed on this one

[Brian]

Often when something is cheap enough, we want to Hoover up anything that looks like it may be a real Japanese sword. Lots of us end up with project blades that will never get polished or seen by experienced collectors, so I am trying to resist the urge to just buy anything that is cheap.
Especially when you live in a country where Nihonto is almost never available.
So...this one came up for sale on a local auction site. I racked my brain for a few days trying to decide if it was worth a low bid, but eventually Last night i decided to pass, and make it someone else's problem.
It ended at about $95, which is cheap enough to gamble for some folks. But since the seller wouldn't show the nakago (usual "I don't know enough, I don't know what I am doing etc etc") I decided to practice my ability to refuse stuff.

Here's my thought process:

• Does appear to at least be (part) of a real blade. Not so sure about the fittings. They look cast, maybe modern. But the blade looks like it may possibly be part of a longer sword
• Shape is ok for a cut down katana/wakizashi...but very awkward for a tanto. That old avoid shinogi-zukuri tanto thing is rarely wrong
• 2 Mekugi ana. Lower one may be the original...the upper one is off center and was likely drilled for this mount. The nakago would likely have a horrible off center hole
• Condition is bad. There will be some pitting that will never come out.
• If I looked at the one blade picture, the more I looked, the more I started to see a crack/hagire in one spot
• The hi. I like a well done hi, but when I followed the hi, the upper thickness of the ridge near the mune got wider and narrower. This put me off most of all. Hi tend to be well done and even. This one doesn't seem to be.
  
  So, bearing in mind this would have likely been a $100 gamble for someone, just wondering what the thought process of others here would have been. Little lesson in what we need to go through before throwing money at cheap stuff.
  I'm happy I left it. Curious what other think.
  Come at it not from the point of an advanced collector who buys polished and papered stuff...let's look at it from the pov of a novice who wants to spend peanuts, and buy a "Samurai sword" out of polish that has some age. Curious what others have to say.
  
  https://www.bobshop....ibly-ww2/p/626192023

 

[Matsunoki]

I’m sure it would fool many newbies but imo it’s a total faked up jobbie.

Adding to what you said Brian, the tsuka is not an original Japanese one. It is carved wrongly and looks like the wrong type of wood. You can indeed see casting seams in the tsuba and fuchi…..modern.  The seppa looks fake.

I’m not at all knowledgeable on Gunto but could it be the top section of an NCOs sword dressed up?

[Bruce Pennington]

Bohi is a tad too wide for a Nagoya 95.  I bet it's half of a cut blade, post war.

[Sansei]

I am just a tad above a "novice" and this blade would not have gotten any interest from me. Does not look like a genuine wakizashi all things considered. A person would have to be a total little-to-no knowledge beginner.

Spoiler

 

 

[Lewis B]

Smart move to walk. $100 is a $100 and this one doesn't seem to be worth that. Looks like something cobbled together for the unwary tourist.

[Yumso]

$95? Maybe I would try. I don't think $95 is too expensive for about 2 months of joy that I would get from participating the auction and waiting for it.
It's not like I won't spend my money at weird things even if I don't buy this one afterall..

But I do think hi near the habaki is too wide. Also, I would think the gamble as success if that is NOT a WW2 sword. Too short for it.

[Lewis B]

46 minutes ago, Matsunoki said:

  The seppa looks fake.

 

Seppa looks stamped.

[The Blacksmith]

I am pleased that I was not the only one that immediately thought of the top part of an NCO's blade. That said, the bohi seems to end a bit too far from the kissaki for that possibly?  (We know what the kissaki is, but it the actual pointed tip of the blade still called the kissaki??).

I do not think that the seppas is stamped, it seems a bit irregular for that IMHO. but it certainly doesn't look to have any age to it !

[Kantaro]

Come on Brian, wake up! The fact it was on your radar says enough. Its not a trap of 95 dollar! And the seller has a 100% feedback on more than 1000 items.

It could be fun, that is what its all about. We do not need any stuff we collect and we do not own it but only have it temporary.

You even wrote a topic about it, stop wasting your time and buy next time. I know you wanted to buy it and you feel a bit sorry now.

 

I do like to play the devil on your right schoulder...

 

[Brian]

Lol. Nah, I have enough better project blades. Everywhere I look at home I see another one. But most have actual potential. I live in fear that after I'm gone, someone is going to find one of these out of polish old blades is an Ichimonji or early Soshu or something
I wish there was a shinsa here at least once.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Smart move, would probably pay 95 dollars to NOT have it in the house....

[Mister Gunto]

For $95, it would only be worth it as a "Look at the weird things people do to Japanese swords" example for the collection.

 

Honestly, better to save the bucks to add onto a chance for a better buy later. There are ALWAYS other swords out there. 

[Brian]

Funny thing is...as one of the few "Japanese sword guys" in South Africa, and also a major player in the buying/selling knives and edged weapons online here in SA helping guys with values and info...there is an 85% chance that I'll get a message from someone in the middle of the night in a few days from someone asking "I bought this...how did I do?"