Ken-Hawaii

Micah, the sugata hold a lot of information, & you would do well to learn its secrets.

It's sad losing a friend, especially when he's been a sounding board, for so many years. RIP.

Jim, welcome aboard. Several members have talked about rust. Black rust is good, as it's the stable, non-spreading type. Red rust is bad, & needs to be immediately addressed, as it is unstable, & will grow quickly, if you're in a humid climate. Gun lube will work, but if it's low-viscosity, it might spreead easily. Choji oil is the standard. I disagree on using uchiko until you understand more about your blade's steel.

Sorry to get off-topic, Nicolas. There are quite a number of NMB members who study & train in martial arts that use Nihonto. Not that we use them to actually fight, but once you handle a Kamakura blade, it just doesn't feel like any other. But having one in hand to study, is the best way to decide for yourself why they are so superior. I have a few Kamakura & Nanbokucho blades that I have studied, in great detail, for several years. But just last night, I picked up my favorite, & noticed a major feature that I would have sworm wasn't there! I think Kirill put it best: "Best mid-Kamakura steel has a unique appearance. Its like a smoke, ever changing at every possible angle, very bright yet at the same time obscure. You don't really see it ever again at later times. No one can replicate this period's utsuri or even the hamon. Its just very different." My sword mentor has a large collection of blades, from early Kamakura to Azuchi-Momoyama. When we met a few months ago, he had me handle six bare blades, without being able to see them. He asked me to choose which of them I would bring to a battle, & the two I chose, sight unseen, were mid-Kamakura & Nanbokucho.

I really wish that everyone would remember that the periods we call Kamakura, Nanbokucho, Muromachi, etc., weren't called that, at the time! Dates are based on nengo, or who reigned as the Emperor, and the periods were named much later by historians, who were trying to simplify complex records. People living through those times might not realize that a different emperor was in power, for several years, because of the slow communications. So, it doesn't make sense to split hairs (or hares!) over whether someone was working in late Kamakura or Nanbokucho, if it was 1330 or 1333. They certainly didn't know, or care!

Where is a photo of the bare blade, ao sugata can be determined?? The mei is the last feature you look at.

The one thing I always look for is a solid, continuous nioiguchi. I've never found a good blade that doesn't have one. Of course, explaining to a seller how to take that photo is a major problem, in itself. Is your tanto a yoroi-doshi?

https://heictojpg.com/

Like Mark, I'm completely turned off by sellers who can't communicate in at least eighth-grade English. I'd also rather have a mumei blade, than one that is obviously gimei. Peter's post on "adventure" rings a bell with me. Delving into the details of a new acquisition brings me a lot of pleasure. Umegane are a turn-off; even when well-done, they keep catching my eye, & stop me from enjoying its other features. Nakago with ana that go through the mei is another no-no.

Very nice work, indeed!

Micah, you've posted the same photos twice, but nothing closeup that shows hada, hamon, & boshi. Can you add those, please?

A few years ago, I had the same question: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/20926-framing-oshigata/ That should get you started.

Ced, there were an estimated 4 million Japanese swords that were made, so expecting any given blade to have "some notable legend or anecdote about" it isn't very practical. As you study & learn, you should be able to at least identify the period of manufacturer. From the sugata, you can then tell that blades made during Shinto & later periods were never used in large-scale warfare (battles), because the Tokugawa brought unification & peace to the country. There's a much better chance that a Muromachi blade saw battle, although there's no way to be certain. As far as identifying Nihinto from fakes, the first thing I look for is a continuous nioiguchi. I have yet to see a fake with a smooth, continuous edge of the yakiba. Markus Sesko has a good writeup at https://markussesko.com/2015/05/29/kantei-3-hamon-boshi-1/.

If you buy this blade to study, your eye will keep coming back to these kizu. You can find better.

That would be an unusual shape for umegane. I think it's just carving that has been polished to near-flatness.

Ziyi, the mei is the LAST thing to examine. The sugata is the first, & it tells us that this blade was late Shinto or early Shinshinto. It's signed tachi-mei, which is unusual. Yakidashi show the blade is ubu, but the ana sren't as smoothly cut as are most blades in that era. Good advice to stay away from eBay until you have lots more experience.

Ah, yes, Donn Draeger. Deadly dude, believe me! Hoplology is an interesting study.

Yes, I've gotten several items shipped to me from Japan via EMS. Not as fast as it used to be, but I can live with 8-10 days.

Here's a good article to start this off: https://kogenbudo.org/can-study-groups-work-for-koryu/ Written by Ellis Amdur, one of my admins on e-budo.com, it's a closeup look at how ryūha weren't exactly popular, after the Meiji Restoration, & WWII, but have come back, at least partway, thanks to budoka like us. How far do you want to carry this, Tom? Like you, I've trained in several martial arts, two for more than 70 years. I have 30+ years in MJER (yondan), but are we limiting this thread to the use of Nihonto? Ken

Well said, Ian & Paul. I've had no response from any of the officers in my sword society, & I doubt it's because COVID killed them off. My sword mentor & I meet via Zoom whenever we find something worth sharing, & that satisfies 95% of my burning need for discussion.

Kirill, what you're selling could provide a member with all of the collection he/she will ever need! Should go quickly.

A Japanese katanadansu is made from kiri wood (AKA Paulownia) that doesn't mold. Rather than dessicant, which liquefies as it absorbs moisture, check out dri-rod dehumidifiers (https://smile.amazon.com/MAXSafes-Gun-Safe-Dehumidifier-Inch/dp/B09BF6XJY1/). Much safer for swords.

Until Tokugawa Iyeasu united Japan around 1600, swords were made to be used in battle. Blade made in Kamakura & Nanbokucho eras were often used in battles, day after day, & are considered to be the epitome of sword uality. Over the next few hundred years, most of the early superior construction techniques were lost because they were never written down, & hundreds of years of war resulted in many inferior swords. Look up kazu-uchimono. But I have a katana that was made in 1302, that looks brand-new, & it's certainly in better shape than I am! I've trained in use of the sword for almost 4 decades, & this is the blade I would use, if CQC (close-quarter combat) was necessary. I suggest taking the "Nihontos suck as swords" as the BS it obviously is.

Agree with Kirill. UPS isn't reliable these days.

We've never had a fire, thank goodness, but back in 2004, a gust of wind blew off our second-story roof, followed by 6.8 inches of rain. It took us 3 full years to get everything repaired/rebuilt/replaced, along with $335K of insurance money. It's a long & tedious job, & I don't envy you. Hope you have good insurance, & an agent who will work with you.