Sword Box & Cloth tag Legitimacy Question

[Bruce Pennington]

Hoping someone might have an idea of the legitimacy of this box and cloth tag. It comes with a gunto that purports to be a Mantetsu Koa Isshin, but it has a poorly struck "Nan" and has a custom hamon. Oh, and no date on the other side, and no serial number. So, the legitimacy of the blade is already in question, but the cloth tag seems to have real age to me. Can't speak to the box, as I've never hardly seen more than 1 or 2 of these and haven't studied them at all.

Any help on this?

[ghp95134]

Cool!! I don't know the authenticity - but that is a typical sword box. Nakamura sensei's swords [made to his specifications] were boxed up like that to be sold.

Both cloth tags:
阿部文雄
浦和市本太 二、一三三
北部第三町会二六組

Abe Fumio
Urawa City, Motobuto 2-133
Kitabu No. 3 Machiai [Town Council], 26 Union [Team]
[Today it is Urawa Ward, located in Saitama 埼玉]

Box exterior:
日本刀 Nippontō
[一] 振 [probably 1 covered by cord?] Furi (furi is the counter for swords)
南満州鐵道株式会會社 Minami Manshū Tetsu-dō Kabushikigaisha
[Southern Manchurian Railway Company, Ltd.]

Box interior:
所有主 Shoyū-nush [Owner]
阿部文雄 Abe Fumio

-- Guy

[Nick Komiya]

Perhaps the tag is original, but I do not like the writing on the box.

[Bruce Pennington]

Perhaps the tag is original, but I do not like the writing on the box.

Thanks Guy. That much d as funds legit.

I was hoping to hear your thoughts on it. SMR employed many locals. Any chance the troubling issues could be due to that?

[ghp95134]

Thanks Guy. That much d as funds legit.

I was hoping to hear your thoughts on it. SMR employed many locals. Any chance the troubling issues could be due to that?

I don't understand "that much d as funds legit"

As you know, I'm neither a collector nor an historian, so I really have no thoughts on it. I think Nick is pointing to the infamous counterfeiter

千葉半島住近藤
Chiba-hantō jū Kondo
Kondo of Chiba Peninsula

Cheers,
-- Guy

[Bruce Pennington]

Dern voice recognition! I was trying to say that It seems the cloth item is legit.

[Bruce Pennington]

I don't understand "that much d as funds legit"

As you know, I'm neither a collector nor an historian, so I really have no thoughts on it. I think Nick is pointing to the infamous counterfeiter

千葉半島住近藤
Chiba-hantō jū Kondo
Kondo of Chiba Peninsula

Cheers,
-- Guy

I tried to google the guy, but no luck. Think he has a website?

[ghp95134]

I tried to google the guy, but no luck. Think he has a website?

I was just playing around. According to Nick, Kondo is from Chiba; so, I wrote the name like a swordsmith's mei: 千葉半島住近藤 [Chiba-hantō jū Kondo].

Dunno if he is from Chiba city or elsewhere on the Chiba peninsula [hantō - peninsula; literally "half-island" .... which is what peninsula literally means as well (well, actually "nearly-island")].

Kondo is too common a name to pen down to any particular area.

-- Guy