Help needed to identify a possible fake

[Pelleman]

Hi!

 

My first post here. I guess you guys get a million "is this sword genuine?" questions but I don't know where to turn. I have spent a whole day searching and reading about shin guntos as I have found one on a Swedish auction house. They claim it's an original but I know that even though they are a respected firm, even those make mistakes.

 

I am leaning towards it being a fake actually. I only have three pictures to go on and what raises my suspicion is the Tsuba. The wrapping is all wrong also but that culd have been messed up by anyone during the past 60+ years. Regarding the tsuba, I have compared it with pictures of genuine shin gunto tsubas from known collectors and if you look at details like the flowers it just doesen´t have the same finesse and detail. Or did they become less delicate in the production later in the war?

 

Pics are too big to post so you'll have to cut & paste the address

 

http://193.238.185.184/images/2182372?s ... al&index=1

http://193.238.185.184/images/2182372?s ... al&index=2

http://193.238.185.184/images/2182372?s ... al&index=3

[Pelleman]

If you look at a known genuine tsuba like this, the details like those on the flowers are more detailed and less "messy".

[kusunokimasahige]

Pelleman, who tried to sign your Gunto tsuba ? I never saw a "signature" on a Gunto tsuba.

 

The stamp intrigues me though !

 

KM

[Pelleman]

It's not my tsuba, it's just a picture I have for comparison. Found it on a collectors site. From what I gather, there were at least six different types of tsuba and two with an open design like that of the sword in question.

[moss]

Pelleman,

 

It looks fake to me,having said that I am only going off the tsuba.

The wrap does look strangely chinese and the colour of the saya????.......better pictures would be needed to definatively say fake or genuine.

 

It just has that soft chinese repro. feel

 

Moss

[Pelleman]

What would be the ideal photos to help figure this one out? More detail of the tsuba? Closeup of the blade?

[moss]

Pelleman,

 

Nakago pictures,overall blade photo,better shots of the fittings in general .

The castings all look "soft"

My opinion is not to spend too much time on this one as to my eye it looks a bit off.

Of course I may be wrong but without better pictures of the detail it is near on impossible to tell.

 

Cheers

moss

[Daniel]

It's a fake. The wrapping is wrong, the Sarute differs from all the types I've seen, the colour of the fittings and the saya is wrong and as mentioned before it has a chinese feel to it. I know it's hard to find swords in Sweden but have a look at the for sale section at this site. If you don't feel comfortable importing a sword there is a guy in Sweden who are selling genuine Japanese swords. I think you can get in contact with him via the swedish nihonto forum Sharpweaponcenter.com Best regards Daniel

[Bruno]

who tried to sign your Gunto tsuba ? I never saw a "signature" on a Gunto tsuba.

 

I did and can garantee everything was guenine, furthermore the signature had the same cheappy style.

[Stephen]

kusunokimasahige wrote:who tried to sign your Gunto tsuba ? I never saw a "signature" on a Gunto tsuba.

 

 

 

not really a mei but more of a stocking number

[johnb]

Don't even think about buying it. Fake,fake,fake.

 

Johnb

[BenoitD]

Stamp on tsuba is for the Suya Company of Tokyo who worked in 1934 through 1936 in conjunction with the Kokura arsenal in making swords and fittings. This company known as the Suya Sho Ten was used by the Suikosha, or Navy Supply Center. The company made gunto koshirae. The owner of the company was Mr. Shimada. This company started back in the Meiji era and had a long history of making koshirae, including those for members of the Imperial family and many high ranking officers and diplomats.

 

Benoit D