This is only the second Japanese sword I have acquired. I bought it through an auction where it was presented as a: Japanese katana in shirasaya, shin-shinto (1765-1867), suguha hamon, ko-itame jimon, signed 'Suishinshi Masahide', original tang, iron tsuba with gilt inlay from Edo period; together with a silk katana bukuro (sword bag), total length: approx. 41", blade length: 28.25".
One of the reasons I bought this is because it appears "unfinished" and I wanted to add same,ito, mekugi, koiguchi, kojiri, etc.
Being a complete amateur in these matters, I also wanted to ask a question about the blade itself. It appears to me that the polisher still had one or two stones before it was finished. You can definitely see very light scratch marks on the entire blade running at about a 45 degree angle. All of these marks are identical and completely uniform.
Last question: Is this sword valuable enough that I should just leave it alone, or can I make it look nice as I originally planned.
Masahide
It clearly has a "Suishinshi Masahide" signature, but since that is a very famous name, someone with specific expertise would need to comment on whether it is a "gimei" (false signature) or not. See MAS102. The time period would be late 1700's.
Two things bother me:
1) The color and condition of the nakago look strange to me. I wonder if it's been in a fire. If it has, it's really bad, because the temper will be ruined. It's value drops drastically (an authentic Masahide in good condition is probably worth a 5-digit price tag).
2) Why does it have an unfinished polish? Who made a shirasaya for a blade that wasn't finished being polished? Two fears come to mind: The unfinished polish and shirasaya were done by an amateur; or; professional polish work was started, but the polisher found a serious problem (such as a loss of temper) and quit working on it, because the blade isn't worth anything.
I'm no expert on polishing, but my guess is that there is a lot more than "one or two stones" required to finish a proper polish on this blade.
Another fear: The 45-degree scratches could come from a power rotary wire brush. Perhaps study the scratches with a strong magnifier - do the scratches cross over the ridge line separating the JI from the SHINOGI-JI? If so, I think that would be a bad sign. Those two surfaces are critical, and any damage to the shinogi means removing a lot of metal to fix it, so a real polisher would not be working across the shinogi.
[Edit: It's not a "shirasaya", because someone was fitting it for the fuchi and kashira. It looks like someone was planning to fully mount the blade, which means that saya would be lacquered, and the tsuka would be wrapped, etc.]
How about close-up pictures of the tsuba, the tip (last 2-3 inches) of the blade, the habaki, and the area of the blade under the habaki?
Side note: I have a very old (14th century) Masaie blade that would be worth Big Money in good condition, but it was in a fire about 35 years ago. It's in very bad condition - the habaki started to melt onto the blade. I bought it from a knowledgeable collector (my Nihonto mentor) for 50 bucks. He said "it's just a signature now".
Sorry for all the negative-sounding remarks...
Pete
Masahide
Don't be sorry for the negative comments at all. It is what it is. it's just that I don't know what it is. I'll try to get a couple more pictures posted of those areas you wondered about. I bought it on line from a reputable auction house, but not one which regularly deals in these things. I'll give those things you mention a close look and see if I am able to respond. Thanks sincerely for your comments. I really appreciate them all.
Greg