Gakusee

Yes, by the way, I have also checked the literal translation. We are however not talking about repairing broken plates or chipped kettle here. So, in this context of naginata / nagamaki, it means altered or modified. Anyway, this will be my last post in this thread as the topic has been exhausted. Numerous Koto examples with retained kaeri have been added of what the NBTHK calls naginata naoshi. Lastly, herein an example of a short naginata and I have illustrated how it can be modified further. Imagine a significantly longer Nanbokucho blade of eg 100cm and you can understand how they naoshi-ed it. It is den Fukuoka Ichimonji Naganori but shortened by one of the Sukesada.

Well, no, I disagree with this approach and therein lies the entire problem Jacques has with the examples we have added. He believes naoshi only applies to the kissaki modification. Actually, I concur with Franco that the modification can happen anywhere on the naginata blade. Naoshi simply means modified or altered. Therefore, all our Koto examples are valid naginata naoshi, as the NBTHK has aptly called them. They had been longer, some of them signed etc but had all been nagamaki or naginata (semantics difference due to koshirae usage as per the NBTHK standards, and not as some/many believe, due to shale or grooves or dimensions).

Another example is this old Kokuho Awataguchi naoshi….. So, these blades are also considered naginata even if they do not follow the typical flared and deeply curved formula we so closely associate with the typical naginata. So, please let us not argue. As we said earlier, in almost all cases of standard naginata, you are right about what you say. But for the slender, small-sori blades or blades which probably were nagamaki (but now the NBTHK simply calls them naginata naoshi), the kaeri can and has been retained.

Jacques, again, see below another example of a naginata naoshi by Chogi with full kaeri. It probably never was too flared or with very deep sori. Juyo Zufu translation below: Designation: December 2, Reiwa 4 (2022) 68th Juyō Tōken Designation Important Japanese Sword (Juyō Tōken) Unsigned (attributed to: Den Chōgi / 伝長義) Type: Katana (originally a naginata-naoshi), one piece Dimensions (法量 – Hōryō) • Nagasa (blade length): 68.2 cm • Sori (curvature): 0.6 cm • Motohaba (width at base): approx. 3.0 cm • Sakihaba (width at yokote/point): approx. 2.0 cm Shape (姿 – Sugata) A naginata-naoshi-zukuri blade that has been suriage (shortened). The blade has a broad mihaba (width), a thick kasane (thickness), shallow sori (curvature), and the blade tapers slightly toward the point. The kissaki (tip) is chūkissaki (medium length), with a slightly extended appearance. The jigane (steel surface) is well-forged, with clear and vibrant midare-utsuri (wavy temper shadow reflections). Forging (鍛 – Kitae) The hada (grain) is itame-hada (wood grain), well-layered with a prominent surface texture. The jigane is thick with ji-nie (fine crystalline particles), and chikei (dark, sinuous lines in the steel) are vividly present. Midare-utsuri is clearly visible. The overall steel color is slightly dark, and the blade exhibits an abundance of hataraki (activity) such as kinsuji (golden lines) and sunagashi (sweeping streaks of nie), with a variety of lively textures and movements. Temper Pattern (刃文 – Hamon) In the lower portion of the blade, the hamon is composed of gunome (undulating pattern) mixed with ko-gunome, chōji, and ko-chōji, forming a small, intricate pattern. The nioiguchi (temper line boundary) is soft and misty, with frequent ashi (legs) and yō (leaf-like shapes) appearing within the hamon. In the upper portion, the hamon shows more variation with wider gunome, open chōji, and angular elements mixed in. Yubashiri (cloud-like nie patches), kinsuji, and sunagashi are frequent and vibrant. The nioiguchi remains slightly subdued, but nie is strong and prominent. This area exhibits features most characteristic of the Sōshū-influenced Bizen (Sōden Bizen) style. Temper at the Kissaki (帽子 – Bōshi) Rounded komaru shape, with a deep and long kaeri (return of the temper line to the spine). Tang (茎 – Nakago) The tang is ō-suriage (greatly shortened), with a kurijiri (rounded end). File marks (yasurime) are shallow and in kattesagari (slanted downward toward the back). There is one mekugi-ana (peg hole). The blade is unsigned (mumei). Explanation (説明) Chōgi (長義) was an active swordsmith in the latter half of the 14th century, during the Nanbokuchō period. He is considered one of the foremost figures of the Sōden Bizen tradition—a fusion style combining elements of the Bizen and Sōshū schools. While his precise origins are not well documented, it is believed that he either trained under or was deeply influenced by Sōshū smiths, possibly through contact with the Kamakura school. His works are renowned for their bold nie-based activity, which often surpasses even other Sōden Bizen smiths like Kanemitsu or Tomonari in intensity. Some of his blades are so strongly Sōshū-influenced that they have historically been mistaken for works by Sōshū smiths like Sadamune. This blade is unsigned but has been attributed to Chōgi based on its workmanship, forging, and tempering style. The jigane is a well-forged itame-hada, with prominent ji-nie and chikei. The hamon combines elements such as gunome, chōji, and angular shapes, along with an active presence of yubashiri, sunagashi, and kinsuji. The upper portion of the hamon, in particular, exhibits vigorous nie and dynamic hataraki, characteristics closely associated with Chōgi’s later-period work. Overall, this is a powerful example of the Sōden Bizen aesthetic, clearly representative of Chōgi’s mature style. The combination of refined construction and dynamic surface activity makes it a highly valuable and culturally significant work, fully meriting its designation as an Important Sword (Juyō Tōken).

Well, Ray, I hope the community appreciates your gesture. Moreover, I sincerely hope at least some people will put the information to good use….Often here there is a lot of more general / political / banter-type talk, but this treasure trove goes to the heart of advanced information hand-delivered in English for straightforward consumption. Kudos

That is all very good. So, Jacques please explain why the naginata naoshi in the images above further up this thread, with the kaeri retained, are not naginata naoshi? The NBTHK has called them naginata naoshi, so they are such.

Brano, it is pointless. We have shown him around 7-8 Koto naginata naoshi (which were reworked as they were shortened, lost their mei etc) and have kaeri and he is still wondering how it is possible. All that needs to be said is that different naginata had different curvature and different flaring at the tip and that is why it is possible. P.S. I think Jacques is getting fixated on the very deeply curved naginata with large heads which flare out too much. These cannot be reworked without yakitsume. The more modestly curved ones with not much flaring-out clearly can and have been, in the past, reworked with the kaeri remaining.

Hmmm, a very contentious and risky subject all of a sudden. Let us just say that I am aware of various individuals and groups making various attempts at digitalising, translating, etc. The above statement is wrong. If the definition of profit is clear (total gain arising out of the the difference by which revenue exceeds production costs, distribution cost and other costs and expenses of bringing the item to the end user) then to everyone it will be very clear that exercise was very likely a massive loss-making endeavour. Strong word of caution please: be very mindful of who owns the copyright to the text and the translation.... It is not the one who has paid for the translation (even though it might be believed to be so) or has purchased the published variant of the underlying text (eg hard copy of the Nado Zufu or a digital scan of it). Furthermore, the copyright to the underlying text also is owned by the original publisher and in the case of the Zufu, that is the NBTHK. The copyright of the translation remains with the translator, or potentially the publisher of the translated text (who likely separately paid the translator and obtained the sub-copyright from the translator, so that the publisher can subsequently package and sell the overall translated underlying text.) Please be mindful of potentially breaching both sets of copyright and entering the zone of potential litigation... I shall stop here.

Nakamura san is still a young collector who is still learning. He has seen a lot of blades and owns a few great pieces but he has not seen everything or knows everything. The numerous appended examples by several of us above show suriage naginata naoshi which have retained their kaeri…. In general, it is dangerous to make statements including “always”, “invariably”, “definitely” or “definitively” when it comes to Nihonto. That much I have learnt in my modest time spent with the hobby.

You are right, Jacques, and that is why I qualified the second part of the book as intermediate and not advanced. To the advanced student / collector, this book could seem not detailed or thorough enough. But the breadth is extensive and the subjects covered also wide. Regarding hada, yes, it will be nearly impossible for hada to be only mokume. Very often there are degrees and gradations of which one predominates - mokume or itame. More often than not, it is a mix of both and one needs to focus on which one is dominant.

But then, it also has a wealth of information about specific schools characteristics, smith characteristics and a lot of detail which will lead to successful kantei, etc. The second half of the book goes into intermediate level knowledge, while the beginning is indeed more introductory and basic.

The above by MU is not jifu. Jifu is not free of hada. It is a type of utsuri and very simplistically speaking as such is a top layer treatment/ element of the underlying metal.

Kiril, one other source not too widely known or appreciated is Tanobe sensei’s Gokaden series. Now that Markus has started translating the entire series and several of the books are out or to be out, it should form an indispensable part of any student’s library. I have both the Japanese versions and some English translations and find them rather useful.

Almost always true (as the mune was usually shaved to reduce overall sori and fit the shortened blade within the standard katana architecture for Edo-period usage) but not in all cases. There are some rarities which have retained their kaeri with komaru or whatever non-yakitsume boshi. A couple of examples attached below. Normally, later (post Nanbokucho) blades, which emulated earlier naoshi, could be kantei-ed to be that, later blades. So you would know that a later blade is a not a true naoshi since those were mainly early blades (late Kamakura - Nabokucho) shortened for Muromachi or Edo usage. So if your workmanship shows a Muromachi / Shinto etc blade you know that most likely it was not what you are referring to as a “true” naoshi.

Well written. Even the sarcasm is good.