Can anyone shed some information about this sword?

[Frank Kruse]

I have a customer that brought this little jewel in and he is looking for any information anyone can give about it. It was his dad's sword who received it as a gift during WWII. Thank you for any info I can pass along.


Pictures are in the link
WW2 Katana pics



Austin Blades

 

[NihontoEd]

First things first. This would not be a katana. If mounted as a tachi as this one is, they are Tachi.

I am sure this is a reproduction. On the koshirae, all of the fittings are of bronze looking alloy, the menuki scream repro they are so poorly made. The blade is not signed but rather stamped with the same marks as the tsuba. These stamps mean nothing in Japanese or more specifically are not a smiths name. The tsuba is marked on the ground work not on the seppa dai, in fact there is no seppa dai. The hamon is etched.

Reproduction wall hanger. Hope you didn't buy it.

 

[Frank Kruse]

First off, thanks for the response. So are you saying that they made reproductions during WW2, because that is the time that my customer said that his father received this as a gift. If its a reproduction, what is it a reproduction of, or what period of a sword are they reproducing?

 

[NihontoEd]

They were making reproduction before WWII. As soon as Japan was opened for trade they were peddling junk made for tourists on the docks of Yokohama. There is a term for these as a whole which evades me at this moment.
Have you never seen the ones with the carved bone koshirae and the cheap non-traditional blades. These filler blades are referred to a tsunagi.

Like I said in your other post. To doubt what I am saying is fine as I am no expert. Want a better opinion? Spend a few hundred dollars, send it to shinsa and get their opinion.