Authentic Japanese Katana
Authentic Japanese Katana
Japanese Sword question: Is there any way to grade and see the authenticity of a Katana?
I got one a few years back, I’ve been trying to give it proper care but it still got some rust. Is there any way to see if this is an authentic Katana?
Edit: A friend gave it to me, don’t know where he got it.
It has some engravings across the blade and some kanji (I think) near the hilt.
Malcolm has a good answer but let me expand on that.
A great deal of swords, even those made by the most famous swordsmiths were not signed. Often the smith would make a dozen blades to get one that was superior and then only signed his best work. Your best bet is to contact a sword collector or collector group. If the sword is signed then you could send them a rubbing or photo of the signature on the tang. Many of the swords I have seen that are engraved on the blade itself are only replicas. Here are some contacts.
http://www.japaneseswordcollector.com/
http://www.japanese-swords.com/
http://www.japaneseswordsocietyofcanada.org/default.asp