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It's older than you think and better quality, too.
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Thanks for the info, Zel. What period would you place it and what signs do you look for? Do you assume there's a separate gangya hidden or is it one of those rare 19th c. examples without one? BTW, can anyone identfy the wood used for the hilt?
The engraving does look decent (difficult to tell the depth of the engraving from pics) but the luks and, especially, ricikan details didn't strike me as similarly sophisticated. But this may be just a matter of taste (and missing experience on my part)...
I think nobody assumed this to be one of the flimsy tourist repros made by stock removal - it does look like a serviceable blade. But would this blade fit into Cato's ceremonial category with main emphasis placed on "show" rather than battle-value?
Regards,
Kai