bubba-san

Agree ... one quick way to distinguish between a Japanese sword and cheap Chinese is check the position of the HA Machi and the Mune machi if there is more than 1/8 or more difference its probably Chinese. After making so many swords in China it would seem they would learn. The reason they do it that way is because it much easier to jam a caste Habaki on the blade tang , rather than forge one on the blade..... James

Funny that's the first thing I thought of ......

Kronos , there seems to be a pretty good crack dead center of 1st picture . I do not see well and could be mistaken or maybe some debris on blade ha. James

Outstanding craftsmanship , just simply beautiful ...... James

Very sweet blade , much prettier than my girl friend ... Just kidding . It is very nice . James

Very nice score ...... ! James

Mark how about the 3 dragons . let me know what you want ..... James

Mark I would be interested in the 2 poor dragons ? in second pic . drop me a pm and let me know what you need to get .... James

Not difficult at all to find .... Here are some sources depending where you live... http://www.industrynet.com/search.asp?headers=LU0260,+LU0280,+LU0325,+LU0350,+LU0355,+LU0266,+LU0267,+LU0268,+LU0270,+LU0320,+LU0323,+LU0327,+LU0333,+LU0336,+LU0340,+LU0351,+LU0353,+LU0354,+LU0365,+PA0671

Brian, sorry I did not get back sooner . If you are interested in starting a collection maybe I can help ? I really don't sell much of my collection . I am one of those guys " if I did not find it , Its not important to me because of so many outright fakes and some reproductions that can be very convincing , somewhat like the Japanese sword industry . I would be willing to trade something . Knives , fittings or whatever you may want to trade ? Every blade I have was found or excavated by Myself. I even have provenance of where each blade was found and its age and typology . Some large stone knives can be quite pricey , depending on quality of stone and workmanship i.e. and length of blade, I also have some that are very reasonable . Also similar to sword collecting. Please drop me an email and we can talk a little .... Regards James

Nice blade . The menuki fits right in ... I love using W-2 water Quenching steel mostly. It does produce a great hamon. It is usually low in Manganese as is some 1075 . I also make blades (modern) using antique parts menuki, tsuba, and occasionally a saya that fits. here are a couple with old hardware and new blade.... James

I have a source for southern magnolia . He sells boards that are 1" x 4" x 4 FT long I buy 2 boards at a time . I will look for the email address . They are near Atlanta Used to buy it from a fellow in texas Ben Chrysler not sure if last name is spelled correctly .But , he passed away last year. Although some folks do not realize it but, shibuichi metallurgical speaking it is a type of Brass . Hard to work but I love it . I can make some in 1"x 4" strips from 1/8" to 1/4" thick . I n order to work it you have to anneal anneal anneal each time you make a bend or it will crack . Brass is very durable much more than copper although it doesn;t look as good in my opinion. I n fact they make machine bearings from brass. Habaki making is not an easy proposition , it took me about 2 years before I could make a decent one ........ Good luck James

A few volts is all it takes when you are speaking about hundreds of years. As Far as cutting a shirasaya , you will never learn unless you try , heck you might be really good at it with practice .(Koketsu ni irazunba koji wo ezu) Literally: If you do not enter the tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub. good luck on your work. James

If you can find some, try southern magnolia which is a close relative to Japanese honika wood . As far as copper against steel ... There is a chemical reaction between 2 dissimilar metals , its called galvanic action. It occurs when 2 metals that are different that come in contact with each other . If a small amount of heat is applied it creates an electrical charge that can corrode metal. It's basically is a thermocouple and you know what happens to them on your furnace from time to time . It can happen if a sword is left in sunshine or near some heat source .Its one of the 7 different ways to produce electricity. I don't know how many habaki I have seen that are practically welded on the sword . Moisture can have a chemical effect also . Its what makes some automobiles rust at the weld lines when different metals are used for the weld , called an incompatible weld. Crude thermocouple Rainbowing of Habaki can also be caused by heat. I heat treat copper and brass shibu silver . Even heating steel will cause metal trace elements to change color . very similar to heat treating precious stones and even rocks. Maybe the sword was exposed to heat ?? In that case it may spell doom for the Hamon ?? The previous poster mentioned a 400 year old sword normally does not have 400 year old habaki correct, they wear out. James

Peter I guarantee that I care . I think if someone wants to truly understand the Japanese culture , you must study all of it, not just a small period . The first Question I want to ask you , do you want to sell one of those ?? Here are some pieces from my collection . I studied Archeology ( archaic) Titerinton focus with Dr Carl Chapman . He is passed now . But I learned a lot from him . We excavated sites in 3 different countries . One item that should be of interest to most members . At the turn of the Century several human effigy pipes and stone carvings were discovered in southern Illinois just south of Cahokia mounds ,And Spiro mounds that contained several effigies that most Archeologists Agreed that it looked very Japanese including the hairdo . I will post it . There is another one that I haven't been able to locate picture yet that looks even more Japanese ... He is carrying a sword that looks like straight Japanese blade ???? Here are some pics Enjoy........ James Ps there are several Japanese points in collection , see if you can pick them out . Who ever gets it right first gets a free excavated American Indian Projectile!

In the US we do not have true flint , We have chert which is a cryptocrystalline substance about 7 on Moh scale . Some of the Jamon period stemmed projectiles look very similar to the waubusa point from about 500 bc to 500 ad. found in central us . Most cultures all had their stone age , bronze copper and iron ages , they just happened at different times in history. You can look at stone projectiles from all over the world and see real similarities between the chipping styles. I believe that certain styles were universal , because they worked and the maker s went through many trials and errors. I have seen some side notched points from Japan but only a few . It makes me wonder how much contact was made between Japan island chain and the American indian . I would suspect more than one would think . As archeology is an evolving science not an exact science but, non the less science, albeit theoretical in nature.as, I think it falls in the category of theoretical chemistry as does metallurgy. I would like to see some pics of some Japanese stone projectile points if any one has some . I have a large collection of stone lithic points but, only 2 Japanese points. James

Thanks for the tip , very good reading . I have a few stone points from Japans jamon period I believe spelling is right . They are stemmed points and are nearly identical to points the waubesa point from USA from about 500 BC to 500 AD. Thak you very much James

May be even a book on the subject would be nice ?

I was wondering ? Does any member collect or have any stone Japanese points . I have an intense interest about the subject . I have seen Japanese arrowheads made from stone, used as menuki in some very nice swords . I want to know more about why when ? Does anyone know if this is some sort of trait for a particular clan , or is it just something that some some tsukaito decided to use ? Also does any one have such a sword or blade outfitted so ? James

It does look like it was handled by someone who had oily hands . The wood itself does not look like honika wood , it has a grain like oak .? There also could be a problem with the type of oil that was used .. It may have been some sort of machine oil , possibly a penetrating oil . I would try and clean it with denatured alcohol , it leaves no residue . Will remove most oil residue. You can also use a 3 m pad fine grit to clean as it leaves nothing to scratch sword . Just a few idea ..... James

The blade looks fine to me ? I really don't see hagiri . I think its a piece of lint ? For the price its not a bad deal . I wish all my blades were in that good shape ... James

Very good reading , Ron . Thanks for the Valuable information ........... James

Site looks good ... easy to navigate . Better looking pictures.... James

Outstanding work . surprised by the quality and beauty. I make a few hand forged tsuba but, nothing to compare with your work. Thanks for the opportunity to see and enjoy your work . James

Ron , That is a beautiful piece , have never seen one that small ! the" fake one" with the threaded barrel looks like a bronze hose bib . Thanks for the post James Thanks Ron I copied and pasted that info/links etc. in my Documents for later reference......