DGuertin

Generally you're just buying the blade in shirasaya, with no intention of mounting it; only appreciating it as-is. The one general exception to that rule is with WWII era blades, though some will also mount Shinshinto blades for martial arts use...

For what it's worth, I've been looking into this for over a decade, and have found no reference in any form of 'Coldy Bymore' in any possible spelling or misspelling in the 7th Cavalry's records...

YES! That was exactly it! Wrong end of the sword, but I remembered as best I could...

This has been an area of cosiderable debate for qute some time, the majority opinion for the longest time being it was meaningless. I did see a proper kao on a blade in Houston back in the 90's, though...

I've always been careful to keep the habaki well away from the blade when applying uchiko, and always oil under the habaki. That being said, I also double check the inside of the habaki, just in case...

I had a copy of the FTK newsletter years ago with a kantei and oshigata of a sword with a "Pike's Head" nakago. Haven't been able to find it since, can't remember the proper term, and haven't the foggiest notion of what sword it was. It was basically a longer version of Tanago-bara... Any help appreciated;m been bugging me for years, and it's a really obscure term... Thanks much!