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Post by Arnold on Feb 12, 2013 16:21:48 GMT
please help, which signatures on the blade? is this sword true stuff? Attachments:
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Post by OttoVonFaart on Feb 12, 2013 16:59:51 GMT
I've been doing a lot of due diligence research over the past year or so... in order to determine if your blade is the real deal you need to include more hi-def photos, including but not limited to the tsuka, the tsuba, the entire saya & the nakago w/ tsuka removed. Additionally you might want to direct your inquiry to the guys on the Nihonto Message Board ~ they are the true expects online. www.nihontomessageboard.com
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Post by kingrikoraru on Feb 12, 2013 18:41:41 GMT
I can tell you right now that from the picture of that sword and the red back ground, it seem to be one of those fake Chinese replica multiplying each day on ebay. As far as the signature go, in my experience, I have yet to see any nihonto with the signature on the blade, as most smith signs their name on the tang.
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Post by OttoVonFaart on Feb 12, 2013 23:28:19 GMT
That's not a mei, it's more of some sort of commemorative inscription... maybe something like "Sailor of the month" or "Imperial Battleship Tokugawa No. 1 Cook & Bottle Washer" Some of the boys at the Nihonto Message Board read Japanese and the inscription looks like Japanese kanji not Chinese.
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Post by kingrikoraru on Feb 12, 2013 23:54:34 GMT
www.ebay.com/itm/WWII-Imperial-J ... 3f21632c3f www.ebay.com/itm/Collectable-Rar ... 4170b54c6a I know it's not the mei but from my experience I've never heard of any inscription being signed there. Above are the fake chinese blades that look very similar to the one being shown. Also, the characters are definitely not hiragana or katakana. I took japanese and am still learning kanji but even then those characters are unlike anything I've ;earnt up to date
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Post by Springs on Feb 13, 2013 0:47:48 GMT
My first reaction: the writing on that is way, way too clean. Mechanical, not done by human hands. Definitely a fake, ones that are increasing on eBay as kingrikoraru said.
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Feb 13, 2013 1:10:34 GMT
Electric engraving tool of some sort, I can't read it, notice the hanger ring is not closed, they should be brazed shut.
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Post by Lee Bray on Feb 13, 2013 1:39:22 GMT
The kanji are the same for both countries, just read differently.
These kanji are etched into the blade. That the work has been done well makes me doubt my original thoughts that this sword is a Chinese copy but I get the feeling it is.
Can't really make a good call based on what we see so more pics, please, Arnold.
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Post by william m on Feb 13, 2013 9:12:37 GMT
This is a chinese fake. I am 100% certain of it. It also looks like as kingrikoraru quite rightly said an image taken from an ebay listing. There doesn't need to be much more discussion apart from the gentle prodding to look at the many other fakes that are abound on ebay and discussed on the forums. Here is another fake: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=14473
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Post by Arnold on Feb 13, 2013 13:20:02 GMT
ones more pictures. Attachments:
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Post by Lee Bray on Feb 13, 2013 13:49:38 GMT
Yes, low quality China copy.
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Post by ninjedi on Feb 13, 2013 14:12:16 GMT
definitely fake
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Post by Springs on Feb 13, 2013 14:13:27 GMT
3 Mekugi holes drilled in the wood core, but only 2 on the tang? Huh.
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Post by william m on Feb 13, 2013 14:25:55 GMT
Is this something you are looking at buying or something you have or maybe wanting to sell?
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Post by OttoVonFaart on Feb 13, 2013 15:37:33 GMT
Current eBay listing for A240 Vintage Japanese Signed Blade Navy Sword Samurai Katana Rare..The inscription on the nagasa may well mean something significant in Japanese but it should translate as, " Fake WW II Imperial Navy Katana Manufactured in China." After seeing the eBay listing I withdraw all previous comments regarding the so-called "rare" Navy Katana posted by OP.
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Post by william m on Feb 13, 2013 16:58:19 GMT
Well that's disappointing. I need to stop posting on threads about fake katana by people with 1 post history. The same advise is repeated again and again and nothing seems to be learnt.
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Post by kingrikoraru on Feb 13, 2013 18:15:41 GMT
Aww but we're the friendliest sword forum. We should help people!
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Post by Arnold on Feb 13, 2013 18:39:10 GMT
sorry for disturbing your attention, I bought this sword and would have your help. I will not trouble you
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Post by OttoVonFaart on Feb 13, 2013 18:53:07 GMT
Regarding your most recent post, William. I don't see that you made any error here. The OP's post was ambiguous at best since he posted only one photo. The followup photos were less than enlightening as they showed dismounted fittings, which looked like they could be fairly authentic... and the nagano which shows no file marks or arsenal acceptance mark. Additionally, the photos were all out of focus and as we all know, the devil is in the details. You called this as a fake before I committed to calling foul.
I think it's in our nature to hope, perhaps without any real foundation, that some noob buyer has not been ripped off yet again by some wily, Chinese fraudster. I consider myself fortunate that I spent an inordinate amount of time reading everything I could get my hands on about katana & cruising every web site & forum I could track down about them, before I purchased my first katana from a SBG recommended reputable seller ~ SwordNArmory, who I can't say enough good things about. Both SwordNArmory & Kult of Athena sell accurate replica gunto made by Hanwei & Musashi. (BTW, the replicas sold by KoA & SnA are about 100% better looking than the POS we're discussing.) But the odds of finding any real Japanese sword on eBay are slim and if the seller is Chinese then I would say you have a better chance of winning the lottery or being struck by lightening on a clear day.
Knowledgeable guys on the Nihonto Message Board have said that they have seen ONE authentic Japanese katana offered for sale out of China in the past 4 years! I bow to their expertise. Some of these guys spend upward of $100,000 (one hundred thousand dollars) on authentic nihonto, so I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they aren't blowin' smoke.
Of course I'd still like to know what the inscription on that blade says... "Made in China by Bullwinkle"? "Pure Mithral Manufactured by Elves" ? "Battleship Musashi Imperial Japanese Navy Petty Officer of the Month Club" ? "eBay Sucker of the Week" ?
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Post by Krelian on Feb 13, 2013 19:20:23 GMT
Arnold, you're not disturbing us at all! We're just unhappy that you're not the first (nor will you be the last) new member who came to us after being sold something that wasn't what you hoped. In these instances we only wish there was some way you could've known or found us to ask before making the purchase. Sadly this is just very common and we do genuinely want to help! EDIT: If you're interested in modern or antique Japanese-style swords don't run off, stick around and ask questions and also have a look through www.jssus.org/nkp/fake_japanese_swords.html and home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm
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