Type 95, Real or fake?

**26Intrepid** · 10-25-2020, 01:52 PM

Hello all,

A friend sent me pics of a sword he’s contemplating to buy. He wants to know if it’s real or fake before spending the money.

I’m assuming this type 95 is a fake. I’ve never seen one of these swords with the serial number starting with a zero. Also, with that low of a serial number, I would expect this to be an early brass handle model. There also appears to be a screw the handle, which isn’t correct if it’s an early model. Lastly, the scabbard is incorrect... it should have the brass foot and not the drag if original early model.

I told him to pass... hopefully, I gave him the correct advice.

Thoughts? Sorry for the crappy pics... that’s all I have

**Bruce Pennington** · 10-25-2020, 03:22 PM

You're correct, a fake. Other telltale signs - the numbers on the habaki, angled kissaki, bo-hi running under habaki. Enlarging the image for the fuchi stamps, looks like they tried putting a star on the left and cannon-balls on right. The star was the Tokyo 1st arsenal, and would have been on the right. The "TO" stamp on the blade is getting closer to actual, but still wrong.

**Long Shot** · 10-25-2020, 03:37 PM

Bruce, the numbers on the habaki look like they were done with a sharpie - could even be the price. If this is a fake its frightening well done. What do you think about the blade tip style?

**26Intrepid** · 10-25-2020, 05:41 PM

Thanks Bruce for the confirmation... I saw the arsenal stampings and proof marks. They really tried to make it look like the real thing, even looks aged.

And I agree with long shot... Scary to think what you’re buying nowadays... real or repo.

**Bruce Pennington** · 10-25-2020, 08:52 PM

by Long Shot

Bruce. What do you think about the blade tip style?

It’s hard to tell from the angle of the photo, but it seems to have that flat angle look like the fakes usually have. Plus the end of the bohi is wrong for a Tokyo Arsenal blade.

**Bruce Pennington** · 10-25-2020, 09:04 PM

by 26Intrepid

Thanks Bruce for the confirmation... I saw the arsenal stampings and proof marks. They really tried to make it look like the real thing, even looks aged.

And I agree with long shot... Scary to think what you’re buying nowadays... real or repo.

A long ongoing discussion of the fakes here: Fake Type 95 Nco Swords - Military Swords of Japan - Nihonto Message Board

Still looking for the thread where a collector has a friend in China that sent pics of a current faker forge. The quality was shockingly close. I’ll add a link if I find it.

**DaveR** · 10-26-2020, 01:45 PM

..... and the tsuka is brass!

**26Intrepid** · 10-26-2020, 05:53 PM

Hard to tell if the tsuka is brass or colored to look like brass. If it is brass... then I suppose somebody spent a good chunk of change to make this look as real as possible.

**DaveR** · 10-26-2020, 09:21 PM

Not really, the originals NEVER had brass tsuka. They were patinated copper or painted aluminium. Sometimes the aluminium ones were finished with a yellow/goldish type anodised finish, but never made of brass.