Nihonto with Showa Stamp - Hand made?

[Bruce Pennington]

Hi Bruce. See my post above for my thoughts on the blade based upon what I see to date. Tsuba looks good too but that saya is off in my view. Seki stamp is not well struck but I think it's OK as I've seen many that were not. As to patina on nakago, hard to tell but I give it a thumbs up for the moment. The yasurime and jiri leave something to be desired too but it's at best a common gunto so I'm not expecting anything more.

Regards,
Stu
PS: I always reserve the right to be wrong.

Thanks Stu! I mistook your original post. The Seki stamp looks larger than the normal inspector stamp, so when I mistook your thoughts, I started looking for whatever it was that put you off about it. Sorry Chris!!!

[Gunto]

Put together with fake parts.

[Stu W]

Put together with fake parts.

Hi Thomas,

I agree it's a parts piece, several of which are reproductions, but tend to think the blade and tsuba are from a salvaged gunto. Would you agree with that or do you feel they are reproductions too?

Regards,
Stu

[Gunto]

I agree with You. Saya parts and fuchi is fake.

[Stu W]

Chris,

Thomas has said what a number of us are thinking. If you can get your money back I suggest you do so. I'm going to add another comment but want you to know I mean no offence but hope to save you some money down the road. You started off referring to that sword as a fine nihonto. With respect, I think it falls well short of that level and while that term nihonto fits by way of definition it's usually reserved for traditionally made swords. If you are new to the study take some time to learn more and then seek out some of the seasoned collectors to assist you in acquiring items that fit into your collecting focus. Dr. Richard Stein's website is a good place to start the learning process.

THE JAPANESE SWORD GUIDE

Regards,
Stu

[ghp95134]

Hi Thomas,

I agree it's a parts piece, several of which are reproductions, but tend to think the blade and tsuba are from a salvaged gunto. Would you agree with that or do you feel they are reproductions too?

Regards,
Stu

The blade is an authentic gunto by Nishibe Kanechika; compare signatures:

source


--Guy

[Gunto]

Blade is real showa-to but the right word is a Frankenstein sword.

[christek]

Chris,

Thomas has said what a number of us are thinking. If you can get your money back I suggest you do so. I'm going to add another comment but want you to know I mean no offence but hope to save you some money down the road. You started off referring to that sword as a fine nihonto. With respect, I think it falls well short of that level and while that term nihonto fits by way of definition it's usually reserved for traditionally made swords. If you are new to the study take some time to learn more and then seek out some of the seasoned collectors to assist you in acquiring items that fit into your collecting focus. Dr. Richard Stein's website is a good place to start the learning process.

THE JAPANESE SWORD GUIDE

Regards,
Stu

Many thanks Stu - And no offence taken at all mate. I appreciate you taking the time to help me with my new sword and the definitions etc. I have got a lot to learn! In regards to a return, I will keep it for now. I didn't throw down a lot of money on this and I should be able to at least recover it back if desired in the future for the nice showa blade. I may even look to purchase an appropriate tsuka and saya in the future. They do not appear to be difficult to source, although a nice fit may be difficult ( I tried on two WWII tsuka from my other swords and they didn't fit!). Also, thanks for the link mate, its a fantastic source of info!

Many thanks to all for the assistance and comments!

[Gunto]

Chris, dont buy parts, buy a complete original one.