ariel, I've looked at the wood expose under the handle and it looks old to me. The blade exposed just above the wood blocked by the handle has a dark rust patina, like you would find on the tang of an old Japanese sword. This is an area that could not be polished or cleaned over the years. Does this indicate an old, original blade? There are also some very interesting V-shaped nicks on the edged of the blade, perhaps battle scars? Westerners always assume there is some sort of clanging of blades during a battle. I watch too many sword fighting films probably.
stephen
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