samouraï sword, what do you think ?

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by francantolin

Have somebody ever seen a real katana blade with this drawings ?
Thank you

Francantolin, many Japanese swords have carvings on the blade (horimono).

[francantolin]

Hello everybody,
these carvings sure are really nice ! and we can see it's really good quality !!
I'll post more pictures just for show it.

Thank you !!!

[stekemest]

Definitely a chinese fake, sorry. Very poor quality overall, bad shape, unaesthetic proportions, blurred and uneven shinogi... and even the worst meiji era horimono look better than these chinese ones.

[asomotif]

Francantolin,

Congratulations.
Your "sword like object" is approx 30 years old.
I have exactly the same and got it for my 15th birthday in 1984 :-)

I recall that in those days, they where sold an authentic reproduction and where claimed to be made in Spain.

The rayskin is absolutely plastic. There is no actual mekugi (bamboo peg), and under the buttcap you will find a hex nut keeping the hilt and blade together.

The wrapping of the hilt can be better. It became like this because somebody probably has been swinging the sword around.

Mine is still in a corner in the attic for sentimentasl reasons.
If you have no sentimental reasons to keep it, I would suggest not to keep it.

Best regards,
Willem

[Battara]

This looks very like a Paul Chen reproduction. That Chinese company makes these as reproductions, not trying to defraud the consumer. The dealer that sells these as authentic on the other hand.........

[harrywagner]

Originally Posted by Battara

This looks very like a Paul Chen reproduction. That Chinese company makes these as reproductions, not trying to defraud the consumer. The dealer that sells these as authentic on the other hand.........

I could not agree more. Both of mine were distressed to make them appear old, and for that reason I consider them both fakes. I don't feel bad about it though. I expected they would be at the price I paid. Not to mention how difficult (impossible?) and expensive it is to find a real one. They are probably as close as I will ever get to the real thing, and they make good office decor.

[RobertGuy]

Originally Posted by Battara

This looks very like a Paul Chen reproduction. That Chinese company makes these as reproductions, not trying to defraud the consumer. The dealer that sells these as authentic on the other hand.........

Just a quick reply to defend Paul Chen. Hanwei, Paul Chen's company make some of the best mass produced Chinese katana swords. They range from basic swords designed for use in competitions to high end pieces for the Bugei company. They also do reasonable medieval and renaissance blades. There is no way that Franantolin's sword was made by Paul Chen. They still do not compare with a genuine Nihonto produced by a Japanese smith but they are not poor quality rubbish either.

[Henk]

These swords where made in Spain, Toledo. I wouldn't say tourist but decoration.