Type 98 gunto, is it a (good) fake?

[Simp4Hood]

Hello,

I am new to this board, although I've been lurking for a while—haha. So please forgive me if I use some of the terminology incorrectly, and feel free to correct me.

 

I was recently able to purchase a Type 98 Guntō at an auction.
Although I am not completely sure if it's genuine, I still like it. I do think it's quite old, but I have my doubts about its authenticity. I noticed that the tsuka-ito is wrapped a bit irregularly, and a screw was used instead of a mekugi.

 

Furthermore, there are no markings, stamps, or mei on the tang. And the Tang appears to have been shortened, but it does not look like the tang of an old blade. I had a very difficult time removing the tsuba, and I have found it to be impossible to remove the haba haha. But the sword is magnetic (as is the saya), and I think I can see the hada, though it's difficult to say for sure due to the oil used by the previous owner, which has turned the entire blade a copper color.

 

Because of this, I also cannot really see the hamon at all.

I wish to clean the blade of the previous oil and apply machine oil with a little bit of clove oil. However, I wanted to ask if cleaning it with isopropyl alcohol is the best way.

 

I can take more pictures if needed or wanted. I'll take additional pictures regardless once I've cleaned the blade.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Kind regards,

D. Knol

 

[Navy]

I'm sorry, but this sword has all the features of a Chinese repro.

[Simp4Hood]

Yeah, I thought it was a repro too. Though I still like it and it doesn't look like it's purposely aged. 

[Simp4Hood]

They aren't really visible in the pictures so I'll quickly post them here, but it's also a major signal that it's probably a repro, but aditionally the tang is obviously too short for the tsuba and there is cardboard or something inside to stuff it.

[John C]

Dion:

It appears the blade has been coated with cosmoline. You could remove some, possibly under the habaki, with denatured alcohol or acetone (nail polish remover). It may take some rubbing, however if it comes off you might be able to see if there is any hamon. 

 

John C.

[PNSSHOGUN]

It's a clear and poor fake. The only 'good' it possesses is educational value.

 

https://www.jssus.org/nkp/fake_japanese_swords.html

[Bruce Pennington]

They got really close with a lot of the details, yet all of the details are off.  Yet cosmoline on a fake?  I don't know the history of the Chinese faker industry, but this would imply they got started right away after the war when cosmoline was still used by G.I.s bringing stuff home.  I hate trying to evaluate swords like this that look fake (reproduction) yet have clear age commensurate with the WWII era.