Need help in determining the authenticity, age and information about the smith (Ishida Yuichi) of this Nihonto

[Rinomn]

Hi everyone! I am new to Nihonto and to this forum.
I would like to ask for your help in determining the authenticity of my first Nihonto and possibly getting some information about the smith and the age of the blade.

I have tried to search for information on my own, but this has only confused me more, so I decided it would be more effective to ask knowledgeable people. At this point, I am leaning towards the sword being genuine (but again, I would like to hear other people's opinions to confirm or refute this). A search for the master’s name has yielded nothing. Regarding the age, I’m leaning towards the late 19th century, which is also the opinion of a friend of mine who used to own a couple of katanas. He's not an expert, so he advised me to ask others.

I will attach pictures and a bit of information about the sword along with my personal opinion below. Please let me know if you need clearer pictures of any part. I'll try to work something out with the quality of the pictures and lighting. Also, correct me if any of my statements are incorrect.
 

About the sword:
Master's name: 石田友一 (Ishida Yuichi) - there are other possible readings, but my Japanese acquaintance agreed that this is the most likely one.
- There is also a number "19" on the Nakago-jiri on the Ura side. Does anyone know what it could mean?
Measurements: Total length 102 cm, blade length 74 cm, Sori ~2,3 cm

Other details:
- It appears that the Mekugi has been replaced. I was told that the sword has had many previous owners, and probably not all of them knew that the Mekugi-ana is cone-shaped, causing the pin to be removed incorrectly.
- The Tsuka-ito concerns me a bit as well - I suspect it may have been replaced.
- The previous owner had cleaned the rust off the Nakago with machine oil, not knowing he shouldn't be doing that. But I hope that didn't have too much effect.
- It seems that the blade was tried to be sharpened, but they failed. Right now it only cuts paper. I would like to polish it and get it in good condition, but I'm afraid I can't find a good master where I live.
 

Thank you, and I look forward to your responses.

[Nobody]

I am sorry to say that it is a clear Chinese fake.

 

[ZH1980]

It would be most helpful to me (and perhaps others) if you could expand on this comment a bit. What are the obvious signs that this blade is a Chinese knock off? It's obviously in very bad condition, but any additional information on why the blade appears fake would be appreciated. Thank you.

[AlexiG]

The koshirae may be legit navy gunto with poorly re-wrapped tsuka. Example. The one I have is identical to the example.

 

There are flags with the sword and unfortunately Nobody is likely correct. There are more knowledgeable folks here that can chime in but my 2c are below:

The steel of the sword looks "wrong" for lack of a better word. It is very gaudy and atypical for nihonto but commonly observed in Chinese swords. There are Japanese sword makers that make flashy jigane (Nakayama Yoshimitchi, for example) but it still does not look like the sword above. The file marks on the nakago are slopy and inconsistent. the signature is not well executed. 

 

I cannot find a reference for Ishida Yoshiichi (石田由一) swordsmith. Sesko lists 由 as "Yoshi" and there is no "由一" that I can find in Volume III of "Swordsmiths of Japan". Google search for "石田由一 刀工"  also does not give me any credible hits, let alone papered swords to compare your sword to. All of these observations lead to increasing suspicions that the work may not be Japanese.

 

I hope this helps,

Alexi

Edited March 16 by AlexiG
typo

[Rinomn]

20 minutes ago, AlexiG said:

The koshirae may be legit navy gunto with poorly re-wrapped tsuka. Example. The one I have is identical to the example.

 

There are flags with the sword and unfortunately Nobody is likely correct. There are more knowledgeable folks here that can chime in but my 2c are below:

The steel of the sword looks "wrong" for lack of a better word. It is very gaudy and atypical for nihonto but commonly observed in Chinese swords. There are Japanese sword makers that make flashy jigane (Nakayama Yoshimitchi, for example) but it still does not look like the sword above. The file marks on the nakago are slopy and inconsistent. the signature is not well executed. 

 

I cannot find a reference for Ishida Yoshiichi (石田由一) swordsmith. Sesko lists 由 as "Yoshi" and there is no "由一" that I can find in Volume III of "Swordsmiths of Japan". Google search for "石田由一 刀工"  also does not give me any credible hits, let alone papered swords to compare your sword to. All of these observations lead to increasing suspicions that the work may not be Japanese.

 

I hope this helps,

Alexi

Yes, it definitely helped me and gave me additional information. Thank you.
As for the name, I made a mistake in the post because typing on the Japanese layout produced the wrong kanji. It actually says ‘石田友一’, but that still doesn't change anything.
I certainly noticed the rather poor condition of the blade, but figured it was just carelessly stored, however, apparently this is an indicator that the blade is Chinese.
Anyway, it was more important to me to find out the truth than anything else, so thanks to everyone who is helping. I paid very little money for this sword, and I have no regrets.

[AlexiG]

4 minutes ago, Rinomn said:

Yes, it definitely helped me and gave me additional information. Thank you.
As for the name, I made a mistake in the post because typing on the Japanese layout produced the wrong kanji. It actually says ‘石田友一’, but that still doesn't change anything.
I certainly noticed the rather poor condition of the blade, but figured it was just carelessly stored, however, apparently this is an indicator that the blade is Chinese.
Anyway, it was more important to me to find out the truth than anything else, so thanks to everyone who is helping. I paid very little money for this sword, and I have no regrets.

Hi Kim,

 

I have had similar learning opportunities   Make the best of it.  I should have noticed the kanji in the signature was "友"

 

Best,

Alexi

[Brian]

The reading of the mei is unfortunately irrelevant. As Moriyama san said, this is a clear Chinese fake. I suspect the whole thing including the koshirae.
I'll leave it to others to point out why, but there are numerous things, including the way the kanji are cut.

[Geraint]

Dear Kim.

 

Welcome to NMB!

 

Your approach to this sword is very good and will stand you in good stead in the future.  To give some more detail, first picture shows a poorly shaped tsuba with a suspect hole in it, perhaps the copyist was trying to mimic a kozuka ana.  The blade has a weak overall shape and the area around the kissaki/point has poor geometry.  The nakago is again badly shaped and the signature is cut, metal has been chiseled out of the blade whereas Japanese swords are signed by chasing where a punch dents the metal, none is removed, and the repetitive strokes are clearly visible.  The grain of the steel is crude and very obvious, hada/grain on Japanese swords can vary between almost invisible and quite clear but on this sword it seems almost to have a texture to it.  

The tsuka/hilt does not align well with the overall shape of the mounts, compare to the example that Alexi linked to, and is itself poorly shaped, it seems to wiggle.  The fittings are close copies but not the right shapes, especially the menuki and the hangers on the saya/scabbard.  The tsuka ito/binding is badly done, skinny and not laced or knotted correctly.

 

You say you did not pay very much for this sword so in the long run this might be a fairly cheap learning experience.  I am sure that we all wish you a much more interesting sword next time around.

 

All the best.

[2devnul]

On 3/16/2025 at 4:28 AM, ZH1980 said:

It would be most helpful to me (and perhaps others) if you could expand on this comment a bit. What are the obvious signs that this blade is a Chinese knock off? It's obviously in very bad condition, but any additional information on why the blade appears fake would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

Made in China looks of: Hada, Mei, Nakago, Tsuka-ito, Tsuba, Kissaki. Reminds me of mine first "Nihonto" I bought  

Check forum section dedicated to Chinese fakes/copies, for better understanding. For folks that have experience with Nihonto (and saw Chinese 'art-work') sword speaks for himself. Not a chance for this to 'could be' Nihonto. Sorry. 

 

[ZH1980]

On 3/16/2025 at 10:02 PM, Geraint said:

Dear Kim.

 

Welcome to NMB!

 

Your approach to this sword is very good and will stand you in good stead in the future.  To give some more detail, first picture shows a poorly shaped tsuba with a suspect hole in it, perhaps the copyist was trying to mimic a kozuka ana.  The blade has a weak overall shape and the area around the kissaki/point has poor geometry.  The nakago is again badly shaped and the signature is cut, metal has been chiseled out of the blade whereas Japanese swords are signed by chasing where a punch dents the metal, none is removed, and the repetitive strokes are clearly visible.  The grain of the steel is crude and very obvious, hada/grain on Japanese swords can vary between almost invisible and quite clear but on this sword it seems almost to have a texture to it.  

The tsuka/hilt does not align well with the overall shape of the mounts, compare to the example that Alexi linked to, and is itself poorly shaped, it seems to wiggle.  The fittings are close copies but not the right shapes, especially the menuki and the hangers on the saya/scabbard.  The tsuka ito/binding is badly done, skinny and not laced or knotted correctly.

 

You say you did not pay very much for this sword so in the long run this might be a fairly cheap learning experience.  I am sure that we all wish you a much more interesting sword next time around.

 

All the best.

Thank you for this detailed response! Very helpful. 

[ROKUJURO]

The "signature" would probably read TOMOKAZU, but that is irrelevant.

[Lewis B]

Anyone living the EU should make the effort to visit the annual Japan Art Expo in June in Utrecht. Its one of the best venues available to us to study high quality swords and fittings from most eras, in hand. The education is invaluable.

[Tohagi]

Could you post definitive dates and place?

 

Thank you, 

Eric

[Athanasios Koumantos]

https://www.japanartfair.com/

[Lewis B]

The venue is excellent. Plenty of space and not too overcrowded that you feel rushed. The vendors will invite you behind the display tables to have a better, less impeded in hand examination of the blade. Lighting is good enough to get see the finer details in the swords. I really enjoyed the 3 days I spent at the show last June.