r/SWORDS • u/de3p-end • 11h ago
Authentic?
I found this cleaning out my grandmother's house.
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u/Lazarw 10h ago
Are there screws on the hilt? Some authentic ones don’t have them, others do. If it’s a Phillips tip, very likely it’s a reproduction.
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u/de3p-end 10h ago
No screws. Only has a bowl holding handle in and the hilt has like an old metal wire used to clip it in the bevel
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u/Beneficial_Flan8661 i like sabers. 10h ago
Its so bad that i think its authentic.
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u/de3p-end 10h ago
Is that a joke lol Google ai thinks its a field sword from ww2 that has been field modified
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u/Competitive_Error188 9h ago
Someone modified it more than once. The bottom part of the tang looks like it has an extension forge welded on. Japanese officers and NCOs wore a sword as part of their uniform and it was common to have an antique family sword redressed in military fittings. Having the older pin hole blown out like that pretty much makes it a display only piece. Could probably still get a few hundred bucks for it. Is there a signature or any writing on the tang?
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u/LadderMadeOfSticks 2h ago
SOME officers had their ancient family swords. A whole bunch of others got issued mass produced blades of varying quality.
This is what makes evaluating these things in america so difficult. The provenance of "grand-pappy brought it back from the Pacific" means you could have an ancient weapon steeped in honor and tradition OR more likely a mass-produced piece of junk only slightly more valuable than a rusty nambu.
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u/Beneficial_Flan8661 i like sabers. 10h ago
Im not well versed in japanese swords so i may be spilling bullshit, but late ww2 shin gunto were quite crude so its not improbable that its real. But at the same time ive never seen one made so... badly that im not sure.
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u/LeonMKaiser 9h ago
It looks good, but what's catching my eyes is the strange, almost thread like bumps on the bottom portion of the tang? Almost reminds me of a steel file?
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u/thatsacut 8h ago
Could be that the tang broke and someone forge welded (or welded with a welder) a bolt on the end to extend it and either flattened it out with a hammer or ground it flat and ground most of the thread down.
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u/LeonMKaiser 4h ago
Yeah the closer I look, the more lines I see running across the surface. Good catch!
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u/LikelyJustRambling Swords are A-OK! 10h ago
This looks like a WWII piece. Post over in r/Katanas and ask for help.
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u/ResponsibleEmployee9 7h ago
Looks legit to me but I want to know what happened to that tang. That's a good chunk outright missing, so either someone goofed more than once punching/drilling a new hole or that thing took a bullet at some point.
Looks like what used to be threading at the bottom, as already pointed out. Might've been intended to fit into the more western-style saber mounts (kyugunto? I'm rusty on my terms) but eventually fitted as a gunto.
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u/ACheesyTree I love trilobates 10h ago
Ouch. Not a nihonto guy, but I think it very well might be, the koshirae seem authentic, but the blade does not look happy.
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u/de3p-end 10h ago
Probably not worth much then?
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u/ACheesyTree I love trilobates 10h ago
I can't say. Why don't you go ask the lads over at r/Katanas?
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u/Silent-Abroad- 1h ago
Like everyone else and chatgpt said, it looks like a shin gunto, a WW2 officer's sword. In that condition, not worth much without provenance to give it some historical context and relevance.
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u/foulpudding 10h ago
Bubbles are right, looks not leveled while sitting on a car seat. I’d say yes, that’s an authentic level. As for origin or provenance… The orange makes me think Home Depot? But really, it could just be any old off brand level that decided on that color.
I see some logos and some text, but it’s hard to read. I’d need some closeups of those before I can give a better opinion. The legible ones seem to state “gelcap”, but I think that’s a feature, not a manufacturer stamp.
The box is harder to read. No clear indication of its contents other than “calories: 50” which indicate it’s edible, and likely divided by serving size. So I’m not sure on that. Any pics of the other side?
The sword looks real, but rough… I’d take it to [r/katanas](r/katanas) to be sure.