Thanks to everyone for their comments. I did not think this item would cause so much discussion.
I have owned it for a while now but know nothing of it's history as I bought it from a West Country dealer who claimed it came from a house clearance.
I can't get to grips with the " Quote " parts of the replies but to answer some of your questions:-
Katana, I'm not at home at the moment and did not bring the dimensions with me but the blade is approximately 14" long. As to it being functional, I have feeler gauges that are probably thicker !!!
As I said, I have only owned 3 of these. I have seen a few more but never one that I would have considered a practical sword. Has anyone else ?
Atlantia - Sorry but there are no markings on the blade.
Jim - So, if you do not call it a Kastane, what should it be called ?
I agree with you that it has some age but I would not like to say how much. The general appearance and "feel" of the item suggest older than 1970's as Vandoo suggests but I cannot varify this.
The comments that both yourself and Vandoo make about " Presentation " " Parade ", "Ceremonial " and " High-end Souvenir" all have a ring of truth about them.
I suppose one of the mistakes we must all try and avoid is NOT to get disappointed ( or even annoyed ) when someone suggests that one of our favourite items could possible be - dare I use the word ? A Souvenir.
I am sure that a lot of collected weapons were picked up years ago and bought home as souvenirs.
( By the way Vandoo - I really like the prefix "High-end" it sounds very diplomatic
)
The hilt is solid cast brass. I had not really thought about the relative positions of the quillons so thanks for that Jim.
As to the man in the moon. I think this is the most fascinating part of the sword. It's the main reason that I bought it.
It certainly looks to me to be a copy of the blade marks in other weapons. Perhaps whoever made the blank for casting just liked the look of it ?
Again, thanks to everyone who replied.
Regards
Royston