Japanese WWI or Chinese Copy?

[timborama2001]

Hi everyone I have this sword I got from a friend who asked me to find out more on it. To me it looks like a vintage sword possibly WWII. It looks like Damascus. The scabbard has a green military color & has crinkles through it like it has age. The tang is signed. Please help if you can as I am not an expert. Thanks in advance.

[Basho12]

I'm no expert, but there are aspects of this sword that make me suspicious. Do you have any good shots of the blade?

[Bruno]

It is a chinese copy.

[timborama2001]

here are some

[drdata]

Need better blade pics.

 

Tend to agree this does not seem right. Nakago (tang) seems very aged for WW II and the mei (sig) looks weak.

 

Regards

[Basho12]

I haven't studied enough blades yet to just recognize a fake at a glance (maybe one day), but I can tell you what worries me about this sword: the cracking in the saya appears to be a lacquer effect and not age or stress cracking, the fittings look a little rough, the mei isn't well cut (parts looks like they were done with a grinder), and the maki, while not the worst I've ever seen, isn't that good and doesn't show what I'd consider to be appropriate wear. Take it all together, and the sword just looks "off."

 

A clearer shot of the blade would help, but If I had to guess, fwiw I'd agree with Bruno.

[timborama2001]

here are some much better pics of the tang, blade, mark on tang & a mark I found on the guard now. Thanks guys all for the quick replies. The blade is magnetic too just in case that helps.

[Stephen]

right side up, not 100% sure its fake, blade shots please

[Bruno]

Well, maybe I was wrong. The acid etched aspect of the blade, the poor shaped kissaki and the style of the mei made me think of a chinese copy.

[Amon]

It's a fake!

[Basho12]

Hmmm. I have seen that sort of etching on a lot of fakes, but also on this board I've seen an example with a similar "dramatic" hada that I assumed was a fake but wasn't. I'm obviously not going to be much help but I'm curious as to what the consensus will be.

[Stephen]

new pix while i was posting, i agree its not true Nihonto

[estcrh]

Hmmm. I have seen that sort of etching on a lot of fakes, but also on this board I've seen an example with a similar "dramatic" hada that I assumed was a fake but wasn't. I'm obviously not going to be much help but I'm curious as to what the consensus will be.

When you see that damascus look in a blade that goes all the way to the cutting edge with no hamon it will always be a non Japanese blade of some type.

[Grey Doffin]

This is a fake; I'm 100% certain; not a doubt at all. Everything about this sword screams, "FAKE!"

Grey

[Basho12]

When you see that damascus look in a blade that goes all the way to the cutting edge with no hamon it will always be a non Japanese blade of some type.

 

That's actually what made me hesitate. From the angle of the photos it almost looked like there was a section of hamon untouched. Upon closer inspection, yes, the etching covers the entire blade. Once you see it you can't NOT see it.

[timborama2001]

Thanks everyone now I have to disapoint my friend.