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Post by JH Lee on Apr 20, 2015 23:40:39 GMT
The geometry of the tang most definitely leads me to believe this is not a nihonto. If I'm not mistaken, the profile of the tang should mirror that of the blade. Yes, the geometry is very wrong. The kanji is also ridiculous. And 99% of production nakago I've seen have no clue as to what's going on in that very important part of the sword; almost zero attention paid to shaping, taper, balance, and what can only be very generously be called yasuri work....
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2015 23:58:03 GMT
Thanks guys, then it is settled that this sword is not made in Seki City. I didn't expect it to be when I bought it at the cheap price. Just that the "Seki City" stamp had me going for a while.
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Mikeeman
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Post by Mikeeman on Apr 21, 2015 0:16:50 GMT
The geometry of the tang most definitely leads me to believe this is not a nihonto. If I'm not mistaken, the profile of the tang should mirror that of the blade. Yes, the geometry is very wrong. The kanji is also ridiculous. And 99% of production nakago I've seen have no clue as to what's going on in that very important part of the sword; almost zero attention paid to shaping, taper, balance, and what can only be very generously be called yasuri work.... I second that. I'm actually reprofiling a well done (for what it is) katana and I'm going to reprofile the tang to what it is actually supposed to look like. Not like it is now where the shinogi of the tang gets wider as it goes down the tang. Then again, I have OCD when it comes to crisp geometry. If you can't cut yourself on the shinogi ji, it's not crisp enough for me.
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admin
Site Admin
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Post by admin on Apr 21, 2015 5:15:50 GMT
The Kanji on your nagako reads 平成十八 "Heisei 18". The Heisei period started in 1989 so Heisei 18 means it was forged in 2006. The Kanji on the other blade shows more detail, but only a month and day the sword was made and I think the name of the smith..
The certificate is definitely not authentic.. The Japanese is wrong in several places. When they refer to length they use the word "Nagai" when it would normally be "Nagasa", other Kanji are Chinese compounds and do not appear in Japanese but only Chinese.
The real certificates have zero English and look like this:
Added to the fact that it is illegal for Japan to produce a carbon steel Katana unless made by a handful of certified sword smiths in Japan whose work starts at $4,000 to $5,000 at the lowest end and the fact that I personally uncovered a different brand name with "Seki City Japan" on it while in Longquan (the people at the forge tried to stop me from seeing it but they were too late) and - yeah, its just cheesy that they stamp what is a blatant lie..
There are worse offenders out there - some charging $1000 for a Chinese fake that would normally retail for $200 at best..
So when it comes to Japanese swords that are claimed to be made in Japan - buyer beware!!
Thanks for sharing with us Nanyooko and for helping to expose this scam. I usually stay quiet, but sometimes feel the need to speak up.. ;)
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Post by Croccifixio on Apr 21, 2015 5:24:46 GMT
You should speak up more, especially on the Japanese sword forums. Your knowledge helps immensely!
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Post by chrisperoni on Apr 21, 2015 5:29:47 GMT
Looking at the characters and cross referencing to stuff I was able to find online fairly easily, I was pretty sure I was looking at chinese not japanese. Thanks for confirming this Paul.
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admin
Site Admin
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Post by admin on Apr 21, 2015 5:46:20 GMT
No problems guys. My Kanji knowledge is far from perfect, but I use it in day to day life texting Japanese friends, reading signs on the street, menus, etc so it's basically functional.
I will chime in more often from time to time. I generally prefer to stay back a bit and not interfere, but when I see something I will post my $0.02 sometimes when I get a chance. :)
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Post by Jussi Ekholm on Apr 21, 2015 9:34:58 GMT
Katsumoto is a Chinese company, like was established in previous posts. Some European retailers used to (might still) have it for sale: teraasekeskus.com/tuotteet.asp?osasto=katanat&pageOffset=30&ID=3688I'm also puzzled how people always say that real Japanese swords are very expensive. Look how much Japanese style swords by well known US smiths cost. If you look around you can find decent second hand Japanese swords for example in c. 300000 Yen range. That is about 2500$'s by current exchange rate.
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Post by JH Lee on Apr 22, 2015 0:14:48 GMT
I'm also puzzled how people always say that real Japanese swords are very expensive. Look how much Japanese style swords by well known US smiths cost. If you look around you can find decent second hand Japanese swords for example in c. 300000 Yen range. That is about 2500$'s by current exchange rate. Very true, Jussi. And buying used but "true" Japanese shinken is good for the overall economy of Japanese swords... and also encourages more education and awareness. All that said, I also love the Bugei Dragonfly I got from you, and it's my main training tool. :)
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