Nihonto Club

I'm sorry to tell you that your blade is a fake, made in China.
The 'signature' says Teramoto Mitsuyama, but it's a made-up name.
See here, where someone bought one with the same signature:
http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2645
Hopefully you didn't pay much for it, or you can get your money back...

Pete

I suppose I should tell you why it looks like a Chinese fake:
- The signature is not a series of small chisel strokes like it should be, rather it appears to have been "stamped", either one character at a time, or perhaps the entire signature in one stroke.
- The tang is not properly shaped, does not have authentic-looking rust for 65 years, and no decent file marks.
- The "hi" (groove in the blade) looks like it was done with a power tool.
- The shape of the kissaki (tip) is bad - done with a power grinder, probably.
- The 'obvious' grain in the steel doesn't fit.
- The short blade is mounted in a full-length tsuka (handle). Not impossible, but very unlikely.
- Etc.

Pete

The tsuba is a giveaway for me. The bubbles are apparent that this was poured and not carved.

Thanks all, and damn I feel dumb.

T_Cunning wrote:
The tsuba is a giveaway for me. The bubbles are apparent that this was poured and not carved.

In the WWII time frame, that style of tsuba was made of cast brass. It was a "standard" design, along with the other metal fittings that we see on this blade. The style is copied from a very old tachi (a tachi is a long sword worn edge-down, and it hangs from the belt, rather than being thrust into the belt). The majority of gunto have this same style of fittings, including the cast-brass tsuba. However, some are found with simple iron tsuba, or with the standard style but a much higher quality - I think this was an "upgrade" that a soldier could buy.

Pete

So is it worth nothing? I did not pay much, hopefully I can make my money back!!

Gunto fittings were cast, but this is absolutely a Chinese fake so it's a moot point.