Post #4251995

So... another post of "buying a genuine Nihon-to katana"... A swordsmith born late in one century could not have made a Sword 100 years earlier. A blade attributed to a legendary swordsmith that costs a fraction of other blades from the same smith is a warning sign. It is simply too cheap to be real. A seller going to lengths to try to convince you that the swords "Mei" (signature under the handle) is real sounds desperate. It may be a good deal - it may be a scam. I try to go towards the latter. An "antique" Katana that costs less than €2000 is in no way antique. Unless the seller has some serious brain damage or is a Japanese history filantrophist, it is extremely unlikely to be real. WW2 blades are not antique. They are shit, mass produced in poor quality using lesser quality metals, and are not part of the Japanese heritage. These blades were made for ceremonies. Genuine Katanas made in Edo and earlier periods did make it to WW2, but they were extremely rare. Most genuine blades were kept at home during WW2, then buried when it became illegal to own one during the post WW2 disarmament of Japan. Today many such real family weapons with "pedigree" are kept in private homes and some are stolen every year. They are unregistered and can't be reclaimed if stolen, but they do end up on the black market and maybe even eBay with false documentation. Only way to get a real Nihon-to katana with genuine papers is probably to go to Japan and visit a real dealer that can sell you one. ...which is probably what i have to do because i can't trust anyone on eBay anymore after learning all this stuff. #meh #katana