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ROKUJURO

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Everything posted by ROKUJURO

  1. Ray, uneven surface of the NAKAGO without traces of YASURI-ME? We should see the rest of the blade!
  2. Gustavo, it should be possible to orient the photos correctly, and if you used a dark, non-reflecting background, the contrast would be much better. I believe this is not a Japanese sword; the characters are not chiseled by a Japanese sword-smith.
  3. Every owner decides for himself if he needs/would like certification papers. Auction houses do not own the items, and they sometimes do not care for the authenticity.
  4. Viktor, the signature is usually read SOHEISHI NYUDO SOTEN SEI. Authenticity is confirmed by a SHINSA. There is a saying that if you had 100 SOTEN TSUBA on a table, it is likely that all of them are fakes. So buying a SOTEN TSUBA without ORIGAMI is always a big risk.
  5. Didier, to be exact, the TSUBA I have shown was called a NAGAMAKI TSUBA by the collector. I have indeed seen most NAGINATA without TSUBA, but a few with one. I did not say all NAGINATA have one. I have seen NAGINATA-JUTSU on one occasion in Japan, but mainly in videos. When two opponents fight - one with NAGINATA, one with KATANA - the front part of the NAGINATA shaft is often aimed for by the KATANA fighter. There is a lot of contact all the time, so a TSUBA on the shaft may make sense sometimes.
  6. Iron making started with the Celts in Europe about 800 BC. As mentioned above, the Hittites (eastern Turkey) were the first in the Near East to produce iron about 1.500 BC (different sources give differing data). As far as I know, iron swords were imported into Japan from China until they started producing them in the 6th century by themselves.
  7. Thank you Dan! In my opinion, a NAGINATA TSUBA has the same protective function for the pole and the warrior as on any other Japanese blade. Mounted on a NAGINATA, it becomes clear that TSUBA are not mainly installed as hand-stops.
  8. Bongio, please sign all posts with you first name and an initial so we can address you politely. It is a rule here. The photos are out of focus so nothing can be seen clearly. The material seems indeed atypical for NETSUKE.
  9. These stories keep themselves alive and whoever read it somewhere continues spreading it. It is the same thing as in other fields, e.g. TEKKOTSU.
  10. Sometimes we see these modified TSUBA for BOKKEN/SHINAI, walking-sticks, YARI or (more likely) Western rapiers. Nothing wrong with that, it is the obviously last use they had. Or even keyhole covers!
  11. Paris, about like this one below, but otherwise not much different from other "normal" TSUBA. I found that they are often very simple with little or no decoration. The NAKAGO-ANA can be quite large with some.
  12. Dan, a good question which shows what the "general acceptance" is worth! What about AIKUCHI which are used in a thrusting motion? How many thrusting techniques are there with KATANA? Of course a NAGINATA TSUBA has the same protective function for the pole and the warrior as on any other Japanese blade.
  13. There is some more recent information available mechanical-properties-of-samurai-swords-carbon-steel-made-using-atraditional-steelmaking-technology-tatara-2169-0022-1000162.pdf
  14. George, you can make it easier for us to help with nicely focused photos, taken on a dark, non-reflecting background. The 3rd photo is better, KAZUNORI is correct.
  15. 4) This "method" would make no sense, and every smith would have known that. Even if you realized a proper homogenization of both materials, you would just lower the overall carbon content. Useless. 5) Pig iron is the lowest quality cast iron with many impurities and detrimental content. It cannot be forged because of its high carbon content and requires a lot of refining work to be usable. Iron sand is not iron but a form of iron ore! It has to go through a direct reduction process (like TATARA) to make iron out of it. The text does not sound very competent in parts.
  16. Enrique, the second KANJI might be SUKE, but with this photo I don't see the first KANJI correctly. Could you please post a better photo with dark background and without TSUBA, SEPPA, and HABAKI, directly from above (not at an angle) ? I looks like WW II, but I would probably buy it for the TSUBA.
  17. Robert, what do you mean by that ? You don't know the quality of my workshops! The most beautiful women from all over the world are inscribing!
  18. ISHIKAWA NAOMASA ?
  19. Mustafa, a lot of text but not all is correct: Japanese Tamahagane: Made from iron sand and charcoal in a tatara furnace, tamahagane is praised for its variable carbon content. This variability allows swordsmiths to forge a blade with a hard edge for sharpness and a softer core for flexibility and shock absorption—a process known as differential hardening. Quality Comparison: Both traditions produced excellent blades. Chinese swords were admired for their craftsmanship and often featured beautiful patterning or decoration. Japanese tamahagane, however, became legendary for its performance in combat, with the specific process of differential hardening setting it apart. The technique and some technical terms were obviously not understood by the author. A HARD EDGE has primarily nothing to do with sharpness. You can even sharpen a soft iron blade! A HARD EDGE has a better cutting edge retention; with other words, it will hold the sharpness longer under comparable conditions. Differential hardening means the (not only Japanese!) YAKIIRE process with a partial clay covering of the blade. In the quenching, different cooling rates in the blade result in different hardness zones. TAMAHAGANE is no miracle material. It is bloomery steel with different content of carbon. It is a raw material that has to be refined prior to its use. All iron producing cultures used basically similar processes for their respective metal making, but the Japanese, being very good craftsmen, found ways to make the best steel in their medieval period. The performance of Japanese blades is mostly related to the craft, not to the basic material.
  20. I agree that the SORI (it has in fact become MU-SORI) in the MONO-UCHI is strange, BUT a) if a blade is retempered the SORI usually becomes more pronounced because of the expansion of the martensite in the HA area. b) you cannot "partly" retemper a blade because the hardness and HAMON would be lost in most of the rest of the blade I believe that this odd shape is the result of 'cold deforming', i.e. a very heavy blow against a massive object like a tree stump. This cannot be repaired in my experience.
  21. Lewis, bloomery steel is not the same as Wootz: Mustafa, in addition to what Brian mentioned, there are more purchasing opportunities in Europe, e.g. https://www.gobec.de...w_item&itemindex=602 You could also use the German equivalent steel 1.1545 (= C 105) which has a similar composition but is much cheaper. All these high-carbon low alloy steels yield good properties only when forged and heat-treated competently. They don't like high or low temperatures when forged.
  22. Nyancide, this TSUBA looks to be signed BÛSHÛ no JÛ MASACHIKA SAKU (MASACHIKA of BÛSHÛ province made this). It seems to be a late (19th cent) but probably genuine TSUBA in neglected condition. However, carefully treated by competent hands, it might come out quite nice. Please no DIY! If you look around a bit, you might find other BÛSHÛ TSUBA in better shape even at a lower price, but you could also negotiate with the shop owner to get it a bit cheaper, in case you like it very much.
  23. In cutting tools, the fine "grain" structure is the key feature for cutting properties. With good work on the anvil and a fitting heat- treatment, you can improve a standard steel (provided it has enough carbon in it), while a perfect raw steel like SHIROGAMI will only perform well if treated competently. Overheating is 'deadly'.
  24. Only in case it is the original HABAKI: Yes, with a wooden mallet - carefully!
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