ROKUJURO

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!

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.

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.

There is some more recent information available mechanical-properties-of-samurai-swords-carbon-steel-made-using-atraditional-steelmaking-technology-tatara-2169-0022-1000162.pdf

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.

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.

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.

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!

ISHIKAWA NAOMASA ?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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'.

Only in case it is the original HABAKI: Yes, with a wooden mallet - carefully!

Nathaniel, but stylistically, it does not look like TENSHO, and it probably does not have the age, so there must be another point.

The KOSHIRAE is in very good condition, looking like 19th century, but perhaps it was indeed made in MOMOYAMA era. That would explain the high papers and the term TENSHO to me.

EMURA

In the meantime, I have fixed a date for my TSUBA FORGING WORKSHOP Please see below. TSUBA forging workshop 2025.pdf

This is not the right thread for a technical discussion, but what steel do you quench at "....light lemon yellow" ? Low alloy carbon steel for knives is quenched at cherry-red temperature (around 800°C)..

Forest, you cannot forge in the open without seeing the colour of the glowing steel properly. You need a shelter to keep daylight, wind and snow away!

Extreme HADORI! Looks a bit strange to me.

Stephen, to be honest, It will probably be fun but it will be hard work as well. What looks so easy when a trained smith is at it, might prove to be a much longer and harder challenge for a newbie. But usually, the results warrant the pain!

SUISHINSHI MASAHIDE (not Masahige) is a very famous name. A blade with this name (as TACHI MEI) without ORIGAMI is very unlikely to be authentic. But you have to look at the blade itself, perhaps it is not bad.

Deanna, you may be correct, it is not very clear. But on a TACHI MEI signed GUNTO, there could be a (SEKI - Brian is correct) stamp in this spot, and there are several - more or less competent - ways to try to erase it. So I should have correctly written "I believe I see". And then there are still my old eyes....