Friends,
A couple of weeks back, I got my knuckles rapped for being short in my assessment of a blade that seemed to have a "Japanese" inscription. It was so obviously NOT authentic that I thought irony would not be wasted. My mistake. Sorry.
But the larger point is that recognizing recent Chinese blades masquerading as Japanese sword should be easy to anyone interested in antique swords. They really are different. If you want to be able to tell the difference between real and - well - "fake" Japanese swords, this website will be worth your time.
http://jssus.org/nkp/fake_japanese_swords.html
All the best.
Peter Bleed
JSSUS Chair 1980-1983