Help identifying tang markings

I

iqu

Joined
Dec 29, 2018
Messages
4
I bought this sword about 20 years ago and just got brave enough to remove the handle. I was surprised that it had markings on the tang and I’m having trouble interpreting them. The tang is rusty and I only rubbed it gently to remove surface rust. A photo is posted here:

https://ibb.co/BBnRv7S
 
Replying to myself to provide more back story. I bought this sword on ebay and had it shipped from China. The seller did not remove the handle and had no info about a signature. The sword was set in what looked like WWII Japanese Army Officer fittings and scabbard. Here’s a Photo.

https://ibb.co/nLCpKXh

Winning the auction for less than $100 with shipping in 2003, I felt pretty confident it would be a fake, and kept assuming that until I took the handle off. The push button to remove from the scabbard works well. The wrapping appears to be glued at the edges. Here's a better picture:

https://ibb.co/HDy4QVd
 
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Someone will be along to help you out shortly I am sure. As a cautionary do not assume that a signature guarantees authenticity.
 
Your initial assumption of a Chinese reproduction or fake Japanese sword was correct.
 
Thank you for the help. I find myself curious what the kanji says. Is it readable? Most of the blades I see that are genuine have a signature that looks more like it was made with an electric engraver. Also, it’s almost always off to one side. These cuts are deep and more centered. Is this what made this obviously fake?
 
In my experience I can say the tang shape and finish work are not correct, not refined enough and the filing marks aren't consistent, the kanji are too far apart, every example I've seen they are much closer together and if it were military there would be military marks.
The handle wrap makes no sense being leather and the fittings are poorly made and would have matching military numbers on them. Typically if this were a refitted vintage blade the tang would have a second hole where the blade is fitted to existing modern military handle because they almost never lined up.
Just a few clues.
 
What makes yours fake? Literally everything! Everything about it is wrong and screams Chinese repro.

Many times the signature or mei on these repros are gibberish. I won't go as far as to say it has no meaning as it may be readable in Chinese. The only recognizable kanji is the bottom one which is saku or "made by", and it is poorly cut. Problem is, once it is identified as a chinese fake, no one will spend any time trying to research it as it is not worthwhile.

You need to study, study genuine Japanese swords and soon these fakes will be apparent at a glance. Though they are getting better and and better at their deception, I have seen a few of late that were very difficult to distinguish.

Try looking at legitimate websites with legitimate swords and compare them to yours.
You can start here, scroll down and there are several examples of military koshirae and many swords to study: http://yakiba.com/Newlisting.htm
 
Unfortunately fakers sometimes frequent message boards for clues on how to make their fakes better.
 
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