Help with fake sword

[avatar3]

I am 99% certain this is a fake, but still would like to have other opinions too. Please do not scold me more of this purchase. I should have never bought it without seeing it first in person, but the seller was a reputable finnish auction house so i believed their "information" to be correct. To be honest, they probably knew it was horses**t too, thats why they had such "bad" pictures of it.

I tried searching from the internet and found similar swords, but often they were fake.

Here is some pictures, and will take more if necessary. Also sorry for bad english, its not my first language

[avatar3]

1 picture missing from 1st post.

[christek]

Hello,

It is certainly 100% Chinese made junk.

Where to start? The 'kanji' and Japanese national flag marking on the blade is a huge red 'flag' and original Japanese swords were never marked as such. I can't read the markings but I would bet they are gibberish. The cross guard (Tsuba) style has been very poorly copied from a Type 98 Officers (shown in pic below). The handle (Tsuka) appears to have been again, poorly copied from a Type 95 NCO example.
No one will scold you. We all have to start somewhere and we have all made poor choices in our early days of collecting, but I hope you didn't pay too much for this as it's really too poor even for a fill in display. Chances are you didn't pay too much and this is another usual red flag - Genuine Japanese WWII swords are not cheap. For next time, research prior to purchase and always post items here before you pull the trigger. Auction houses want to move their items and don't always have the knowledge or perception we would expect.

[Type4]

Super Fake, ask for a refund of your money

[avatar3]

Thanks for the confirmation, should have known better..!

I will try and see what happens when i contact the auction house, but in their terms they state they take no responsibilty of items being fake .....

[Bruce Pennington]

This is a recurring style of fake, witht he kanji and serical number chemically etched onto the blade. They must be coming from a single source. I'm going to save your pictures and see if I can find the other 2 or 3 I have seen like this. Maybe we can track a source.

I can't read all the kanji, but the faker has accurately produced a date on one side - Showa 15, or 1940. Doesn't give it any legitimacy though.

Update: Found one on the first search on NMB, same serial number and kanji above it:

[avatar3]

Theres been a lot of them for sale, should have done my research before not after ... Some of them are "better" and other even worse

A Japanese World War II period shin gunto sword with 46127 blade, L. 9 – Lofty Marketplace

Vintage Japanese signed Samurai Sword #46127 | #24949712

Sword made by Sato Kotaro 17" Overall Length | Cady Auction & Appraisal

WW II Japanese Sword Katana | #248987979

[Shamsy]

Consider it a lesson and put your energy into learning ahead of buying. Everyone has to start somewhere.

[christek]

Thank you for those links avatar3,

I have uploaded the images to the forum in case those links disappear one day.

Good examples of a fake production sword for the future. Almost all of them, show fake, chemical aging as well.

As Bruce suggests these are most probably from the same source. At least now they are well documented as forgeries for future buyers.

[ghp95134]

All the kanji are correct Japanese so that can confuse beginners.

天皇
Tennou (Emperor)

昭和十五年
Shouwa 15 year

佐藤 小太郎
Satou Kotarou (surname, given name)

Akso on the scabbard are three kanji, but I can’t read the 3rd kanji due to unclearity:
久武*
Hisatake*

that last kanji looks like 長
— Guy