Need Advice RE, Japanese swords.

[Bolt_Overide]

I'm not sure if this is the right place, if it isn't feel free to move it mods.

I fell into what appears to be a real deal Japanese sword. I did some basic checking with info I found online and everything I see says its real. I need to get an idea of what its worth, any experts on here? I will post some pics in an hour or two, I'm hoping a buddy whose good at pictures can come over and take better ones than I can get with my Iphone.

[HKGuns]

PM SteyrAug he is the resident expert.

[El Cid]

If memory serves, some authentic swords can only be determined by experts in Japan and then may not be allowed to leave Japan after that. Or is that the one sword from a museum turned in by accident during our forced collections after their surrender?

[Slippers]

Yeah, don't send it to Japan to have it inspected. If it's authentic, Japan will keep it.

[HCrum87hc]

I'm very intrigued by this. I just finished up a book that speaks a lot about Japanese swords, so this piqued my interest.

[Adrenaline_6]

If it is a true Japanese Tamahagane steel sword, it will be worth a pretty penny. It will be hard to tell unless an expert takes a look at it. Are their flakes or veins in the metal when looking at the steel close up? This is not a guaranteed identifier, but is a pretty good one.
Attachment 40359

The far left is a fake photo of Damascus Tamahagane.

[Bolt_Overide]

it looks mostly like the middle one. There is a definite damascas grain there, but its extremely subtle.

[SteyrAUG]

I'll get into the kanji later.

First impressions lead me to believe it is a Chinese counterfeit. Lack if significant file marks on tang. Looks very machine made. Hamon is way to pronounced to be a 1937 era Japanese military blade and almost nothing suggests an actual "pre Meiji" sword.

Japan will not steal your blade, but you don't send it to them anyway. You send a rubbing of the tang and you don't need to send it to Japan. There are plenty of credible people in the US who can authenticate and certify a pre Meiji sword.

Currently the market is flooded with fakes from China. Knowing how it came into the original owners possession would help rule some things out. Really need better pics of the grain of the steel itself (hard to do). Need pics of any and all furniture, may not be original to the blade but can still help making certain determinations.

Also need a single long shot of the blade from tip to bottom of tang.

[JC5188]

All right, OP...lets get the man his pics so we can learn something please!

Blades fascinate me, but I admittedly know nothing about them. I'd love to have a decent legit Samurai sword, but I know I'd get burned.

Thanks for the quick assessment Steyr.




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[Bolt_Overide]

I was able to get it authenticated already, it was apparently made around 1860. I don't recall all the details at the moment, but it has already found a new home.