How do I know if it's an Antique Samurai Sword?
It's very hard to find a "real" antique Samurai sword today. They do exist, and there are plenty of them, but they can be very expensive ($2000-$10,000+) and difficult to come by. Plus, an antique Samurai sword should never be used to cut anything. Use a functional sword, or practice sword for that.
If you really want to get your hands on an authentic Samurai sword, you need to really know what you're doing...plain and simple. You should talk to local dealers, attend sword shows, talk with or join a sword society and just do a lot of research. "But that's what I'm here for!" Ok, ok, here are some basics to consider when judging if a Japanese sword is antique:
- Is the sword made of steel or aluminum? Hold a magnet over the sword. Steel is magnetic, aluminum is not. If it's made of aluminum, you can be sure it's a modern reproduction.
- Is there visible grain (hada) in the steel of the blade? Most hand-made, antique swords will have visible grain marks created by the forging process. However, the presence of visible grain doesn't mean it's old. Many WWII Japanese swords were hand-made.
- Does the blade show a true temper line (hamon)? Examine the hamon with a magnifying glass. A real hamon will have tiny dots or specks along the border of the hamon. Modern machine-made swords have an etched hamon made to look like an antique Samurai sword. A fake, etched temper line will look smooth and cloudy with out any distinguishable dividing line.
- Does the blade have serial numbers stamped into it? If it does, it's most certainly a modern reproduction (they didn't have machine assembly lines in 15th century Japan!).
- Is there rust on the tang? The tang is the portion of the blade that is encased in the handle (tsuka). You can remove the pegs holding it in place and remove the tsuka. Modern, replica swords will have a grey, metallic tang perhaps with a little red rust. Older, antique Samurai swords will have more rusted tangs (raging from brown to deep black rust).
NEVER CLEAN THE TANG OF AN ANTIQUE SAMURAI SWORD IN ANY WAY IF YOU WANT TO RETAIN
ITS VALUE!
The value will be instantly reduced by at least 50%. Rust and file markings are things used to determine age. If you remove the rust, it becomes harder to determine if it's an authentic Japanese sword.
- Is the tang signed? Just because the sword may be signed, it doesn't mean it's been made by hand. Many WWII Japanese military swords were signed to give them an air of importance, but those swords were all machine made. Whether it is signed or not has little or nothing to do with determining the real age of the sword.