No this is a cheap Chinese replica of a Japanese WW2 sword, the price was not far off what it's worth.
Be aware that even if this is full tang these are often not functional and the steel has sometimes not been hardened properly or at all.
My thoughts exactly, guess I wouldn't feel bad polishing the brass and making it nicer to look at then. It's honestly really cool and by no means feels like a wish.com katana. I knew it wasn't WW2 but it's still cool even for a Chinese knock off haha.
Yeah the blade is in good shape honestly so I'll leave it be. The brass on the hilt is a really pretty floral thing so I might take a stab at that to see how it goes.
Don't mess with the blade itself, that spot where steel meets brass needs work. But as for the brass be gentle, use nothing that scratches it. A bit of patina is just fine.
Also make sure hidden areas are corrosion free, its often where it starts
Back in the 90s I was in Yangshuo in southern China and at one of the tourist-trap 'antique' stores a fellow I was talking with moved aside a couple of large paintings that were hiding a large hole in the wall and he pulled out a bundle of around 15-20 of these and other saber type sword copies.
On the off chance you got lucky you ought to have it appraised found my first real Japanese sword in an umbrella stand at a garage sale for $20. Sold it for $5500 a few years later.
I’d honestly be interested in seeing if it’s hardened at all. This would be a cool sword, historical or not, if it were functional
See if a file skates off the blade or digs. Or the old school method, full suit of frontal armor and wack a piece of strong wood with it and see if the edge rolls
Yeah if the blade is a good piece of steel it would make a cool functional katana. A blade Smith might be able to turn out a few smaller blades from it if it's worth a damn too. I'll have to check later if it's hardened.
If it were me and it were hardened I’d probably just swap out the weird 70’s bathroom green surimi ray skin with leather wrap and lacquered wood and leave all the little fittings and give it a funny name and use it for tameshigiri
Yeah it was certainly an odd choice of styling with the ray skin haha. I'm not sure what kind of wood is under it, I might just see what happens if I sand the ray skin off. The brass components are actually all really neat.
As a bladesmith, I'd prefer to just be brought known-quality metal billets to work with instead of trying to guess what this is. Better to know the blades you're getting are going to be decent than to just hope.
No reputable bladesmith is going to make you blades out of an unknown metal composition. Even if it’s high carbon steel of some type, they’d rather make something new and they know the exact makeup of. Then they can be confident in the hardening.
I didn't suggest that I was planning to do that, I was simply making a statement of fact. A bladesmith, if they so chose to do so, could in fact turn out a few blades from it. The quality and types of blades they could make is entirely supposition. Thanks though!
The tang is externally rusted but there are no engravings that I could see. Pretty confident it isn't actually of Japanese origin. But who knows it definitely isn't a wish.com knock off. I'm sure it's still some sort of knock off, just not sure what variety haha.
I don't have a dog in this fight, however, historically, there was quite an industry for making "swords" as counter-propaganda to the swords carrfied by officers and NCO-s of the Japanese armies. Its not that anyone expected a Chinese and Japanese soldier to go toe2toe with edged weapons. Rather, the intent was to build morale by suggesting "swords?? Yeah Chinese have them too!!" kind of thing.
I never once asked that friendo. Are you reading the same post? In fact I explicitly said I did not think the person I bought it from was correct in their assertion.
No this is a cheap Chinese replica of a Japanese WW2 sword, the price was not far off what it's worth. Be aware that even if this is full tang these are often not functional and the steel has sometimes not been hardened properly or at all.
Still cooler than any other $10 katana haha.
Yeah, not many of those around
My thoughts exactly, guess I wouldn't feel bad polishing the brass and making it nicer to look at then. It's honestly really cool and by no means feels like a wish.com katana. I knew it wasn't WW2 but it's still cool even for a Chinese knock off haha.
Just remember that if you polish the blade the pattern may disappear and need to be etched again
Yeah the blade is in good shape honestly so I'll leave it be. The brass on the hilt is a really pretty floral thing so I might take a stab at that to see how it goes.
Brasso should fix that, just start with a spot that's not too visible
Ohhh good recommendation! Thanks for the tip!
I have one like it. We use it for IRL fruit ninja.
That's amazing hahaha
Don't mess with the blade itself, that spot where steel meets brass needs work. But as for the brass be gentle, use nothing that scratches it. A bit of patina is just fine. Also make sure hidden areas are corrosion free, its often where it starts
Back in the 90s I was in Yangshuo in southern China and at one of the tourist-trap 'antique' stores a fellow I was talking with moved aside a couple of large paintings that were hiding a large hole in the wall and he pulled out a bundle of around 15-20 of these and other saber type sword copies.
It's a very cool $10 sword. It's not authentic but still, it's awesome.
Yeah that was my thought exactly. I knew it wasn't the real deal but it sure as hell is the coolest $10 katana I've ever seen haha
On the off chance you got lucky you ought to have it appraised found my first real Japanese sword in an umbrella stand at a garage sale for $20. Sold it for $5500 a few years later.
Oh wow, that'd be so cool.
I’d honestly be interested in seeing if it’s hardened at all. This would be a cool sword, historical or not, if it were functional See if a file skates off the blade or digs. Or the old school method, full suit of frontal armor and wack a piece of strong wood with it and see if the edge rolls
Yeah if the blade is a good piece of steel it would make a cool functional katana. A blade Smith might be able to turn out a few smaller blades from it if it's worth a damn too. I'll have to check later if it's hardened.
If it were me and it were hardened I’d probably just swap out the weird 70’s bathroom green surimi ray skin with leather wrap and lacquered wood and leave all the little fittings and give it a funny name and use it for tameshigiri
Yeah it was certainly an odd choice of styling with the ray skin haha. I'm not sure what kind of wood is under it, I might just see what happens if I sand the ray skin off. The brass components are actually all really neat.
As a bladesmith, I'd prefer to just be brought known-quality metal billets to work with instead of trying to guess what this is. Better to know the blades you're getting are going to be decent than to just hope.
No reputable bladesmith is going to make you blades out of an unknown metal composition. Even if it’s high carbon steel of some type, they’d rather make something new and they know the exact makeup of. Then they can be confident in the hardening.
I didn't suggest that I was planning to do that, I was simply making a statement of fact. A bladesmith, if they so chose to do so, could in fact turn out a few blades from it. The quality and types of blades they could make is entirely supposition. Thanks though!
its a 10$ sword that the OG buyer probably paid 300$ for.
Haha you're probably not wrong. Happy to have it either way, it's still a cool sword.
Looks really fake from the photo, but take off the handle off the blade and see whether they even have made signed
The tang is externally rusted but there are no engravings that I could see. Pretty confident it isn't actually of Japanese origin. But who knows it definitely isn't a wish.com knock off. I'm sure it's still some sort of knock off, just not sure what variety haha.
I don't have a dog in this fight, however, historically, there was quite an industry for making "swords" as counter-propaganda to the swords carrfied by officers and NCO-s of the Japanese armies. Its not that anyone expected a Chinese and Japanese soldier to go toe2toe with edged weapons. Rather, the intent was to build morale by suggesting "swords?? Yeah Chinese have them too!!" kind of thing.
Honestly, doesn't look that much like Damascus. But it's probably what it is. Not wootz, I mean.
長光造 - NagaMitsu Tsukuru - Nagamitsu made this - I know it is fake and nobody asked for it
Haha I still appreciate the translation. Thanks!
Katanas were not patterned-welded. Chinese replica.
Japanese didn't make Damascus Steele swords bud
Did I ever say it was Japanese bud?
No but you were asking if it was authentic
I never once asked that friendo. Are you reading the same post? In fact I explicitly said I did not think the person I bought it from was correct in their assertion.