japanese sword ( genuine or fake ??? )

[jwkiernan]

All,

I have been lurking around the forum for some time and thought this would be a good oppertunity to post. Whereas I am no expert in Nihonto, I do have a bit of experience with them.

I will agree with just about everything posted herein and add a few other comments. In my own humble opionion, I too agree that it is an old sword, allbiet mistreated somewhere in its life, but old. The nakago (tang) has good, old blackening rust. The largest mekugiana (tsuka or handle pin hole) in the nakago appears to have been punched (older technique) and also exibits the same color rust as the surface of the nakago (another good indication of age). The smaller , newer mekugiana are drilled via a drill (who'd thought that <G>). It is not uncommon to see two mekugiana drilled in older blades that were later outfitted in gunto or military fillings (very common). The nakagojiri, the very end of the nakago, is also very square, usually the result of shortening (very common).

The lines on the blade are not crisp, but this can be attributed to the abuse it has suffered over the years. If you pull the habaki back and look at the hamachi (notch were the nakago turns into the blade), you can normally tell, roughly how many times a blade has been sharpened (the less of a notch, the more times it has been sharpened....usually.

So, the long and the short of it, in my opionion, for what it is worth, you have an old, authentic blade. Can it be, or better yet, should it be brought back to life...that's up to you (and your wallet!!<G>). Looking at the photos, I didn't see any openings in the blade, loose laminations or cracks....that is good thing, on the downside, it is very pitted, especially in the kissaki area (tip). There are several reputable polishers (togi) here in the USA that have studied in Japan under master togi's. Polishing a Japanese sword should be left up to someone who knows what they are doing, remember, polishing a blade is an irreversable, destructive process. Sending to Japan is a risky, and a very expensive affair. Having someone do a window polish as someone suggested is a good idea. It will help determine if the blade is worth the investment of a full polish or not (and your blade definetly needs a full polish), show the hamon (temper line) as well as the hada (forging pattern). However, once again, make sure it is someone who is qualified to do the work!! You can make a blade worthless if an untrained person tries to polish it!!

I have definetly rattled on long enough. I hope it has helped. Take care .

My best reguards to all,

John