I have an old Japanese sword!!?

I have 2 old japanese swords that my family has had for a long time.. One I'm focused on more than the other, since I found a certain signature on it. It reads in japanese characters:


O


Gasa


Wara


Naga


Mune


Sake





So apparently it is a name, and I found only one name online that matched; a person called Ogasawara Nagamune(Sake just indicates the maker) who lived from 1492-1549.


Now, the fact that it has a belt buckle which was common at this time(Mouromachi period 1465-1555) and has a Koto sword period(900-1530) style with a blade from 60-65cm leaves me thinking that it might actually be 500 years old perhaps. The tang of the blade (both blades actually) reveal a rusty untouched brown patina, which is a sign that it is old.. So it's all good news so far. For some reason however, the sheath, tsuba, and fittings all carry the Tokugawa shogunate crest, the 3 leaf hollyhock.. Any sword experts out there who can help me find this swords origins??? jedimasterham@yahoo.com

I have an old Japanese sword!!?
try going to a museum and ask... maybe the archeologist will do a carbon test, but it might not work if you had been polishing it, unless you want them to poke a hole in it.
Reply:Bad luck to have in the home if real.





Take them to an insurance appraiser to see if its a fine quality knock off.
Reply:Wielded by Hideyoshi Toyotomi himself!





I'm JK man. It could be a replica. Leave a sword out in the rain and it'll look like a relic in no time.
Reply:I'm no sword expert, but from what I do understand is that the blade has always been infinitely more important than the fittings, so fittings were often replaced for various reasons. The blades themselves could survive several generations of use before needing to be replaced, but I cannot say the same for the fittings. I hope I have been of help to you.