What is this katana?

[johnb]

i pickedthis katana up when I first got into Nihonto. It is really nicely mounted, which udoubtably swayed me at the time. The blade however, is a little sad which is why I haven't really looked at it for some time.

I am confused. Showa, i'm pretty sure of, but the hada almost looks like a chinese acid etched job but is clearly not the case. Any ideas what I have here?

 

John B

[Mark]

is it signed? looks like the work of the Showa smith Amahide

[mike yeon]

Looks real to me.

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

The same as Mike. If it's a chinese fake is the best I've ever seen...

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Hi John,

 

I concur with the other guys. Not all prominent hada is fake... I've seen a couple of blades by the Showa period smith Mano Masayasu that exhibit just as much flowing masame as your example. Also, the yasurime seem far too good for a Chinese fakeaway. Lastly, you mention your mounts are "really nice" (photos please!)........when did you ever see a Chinese copy mounted in anything that looked halfway decent?

 

All the best,

Simon

[johnb]

Thanks guys, much appreciated... I didn't actually think it was a chinese copy, just that the hada was so obvious. I will post pics of the mounts later today.

[Mark]

one of the pictures seems to show a signature. can you post a close up of the tang?

[Mike]

Mybe the polisher had used some acid as part of the finish part of the process. Mike

[johnb]

No sighn of a signature, and no acid from what I can teel.

[johnb]

God! My dyslexia is getting the better of me! I mean "no sign" and "Tell". :lol:

[mike yeon]

John, can you give us dimensions? Is there ubu-ha? Can you see the boshi?

 

mike

[raaay]

HI johnb

 

PIC N0 4 ?? WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT LOOK'S LIKE THE SWORD HAS " FUMBARI " [ DO NOT THINK THE CHINESE HAVE GOT THAT MASTERED YET ? ] BUT AS YOU !! AND MANY OTHERS LATELY HAVE SEEN THEY ARE GETTING GOOD AT FAKE BLADES AND GUNTO MOUNTS .

 

REGARDS

RAY.

[Bungo]

many years ago, I had a katana in gunto mount with exactly the same hamon ( vines like, some call it Satsuma style ). Had it Polished and a " blister developed " so i sold it................

 

It is NOT a Chinese/Pakistani/Indonesian repro.

 

milt the ronin