diprivanman

Ok thanks. Thats what I wanted to know. I was able to find those things you describe, but didn't know what else was hidden there. Thanks!

Hi there. I've been trying to figure out the date of a sword from the Japanese registration document. I've attached the document.. I can see where it described the nagasa, and says its mumei, etc.. But I can't figure out the date the sword is from. Maybe its not on this document? help?

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Hi, heres a picture of a sword rack that we just made out of tiger wood. The picture doesn't do the wood justice, it is just beautiful. The katana is a Morihisa Kozori school, from 1432 with Hozon papers. The wakizashi is a Masakuni, from 1850 with Kanteisho papers. The tsuba is a Nara school tsuba, with 73 points NBTHK paper. Anyway, I'm pretty proud of it and I wanted to thank everyone for all the info. I have learned so much in such a short period of time. Mike S

I am no expert, but the paper he is displaying looks like a juyo token paper. I have seen a couple others, and that is what they look like. I don't know if that paper corresponds to that sword, or whether it is a fake paper.. just it does look real.

I have a pretty plain black laquered saya. It is split at the top, where the sword is inserted. It is split for about 3 inches. What should I do to repair it? Thanks Mike

Thanks Darcy! Yes the Kozori. Will be getting your book ASAP. Nihonto is so fascinating. The more you learn, the more you find there is to be learned. Take care Mike

Ok, this might be a silly question but I have been wondering about it for a while now. All these beautiful and very old Japanese swords. Most of the ones for sale are almost pristine, with no nicks or chips or anything in the blades. Now if these swords were used in battle over hundreds of years one would think they would have numerouse scars of battle.. But most of the swords don't have any scars. So does this mean 1) The swords that we are currently lucky enough to enjoy were fortunate enough to avoid most war and battle over the many centuries so they never got damaged 2) Polishing of the swords can remove almost all of the scars of battle or 3) These surviving swords were so well made that they did not suffer 'scars' despite being in many battles. I suppose it is probably a combination of all three, and a series of lucky events that have allowed the swords to survive. It would be interesting to be a passenger on the journey of a nihonto through history. Mike

Ok, I see what you mean there. Still it doesn't look that bad to me, and the sword is almost 600 years old. I got it at a pretty reasonable price considering it is in polish, and it has a Hozon paper. It is also a quite long tachi (76 cm) which seems a bit longer than most I have run across in my price range (63-68 cm) Thanks. Mike

Here is a link to the sword http://www.geocities.jp/kanetoyo2666/10sell.html Can you identify the masa ware? I have found out 'masa' ware is a flaw which goes with the grain in the hada (masame). It apparently is not usually too bad of a flaw, as long as it is relatively small. Thanks agian Mike

I assumed the problem wasn't too bad as it has a NBTHK Hozon paper. I will clarify with the seller about if it is a ware or a 'wale'. Thanks for help. Mike

I just won a sword in auction. It is signed Bishu Osafune Morihisa, Eikyo 4 nen 6 gatsu bi (1432) Does anyone know of this smith? The sword is quite long cutting edge (76 cm), which is what appealed to me. The seller said there were no flaws, but there is 'masa-wale' and 'sumi-kogori'. I have not been very successful figure out what this is. I don't know if this is good or bad! Thanks Mike

What happened to the blade? I can imagine what happened to your finger! :D

Ok, I think I understand a little better now. My wakizashi has a lot of niku (meat) on it (which is a good thing!). But I guess this also means because of the blade geometry it can not be polished as sharp "to the touch" as a hira-niku blade (which is more like a kitchen knife). It sounds like the cutting ability has many variables, not just sharpness. The blade geometry and the nature of what you are cutting (soft vs harder objects). Blades with niku are more stable and can cleave through denser objects, whereas those without are very effective at slicing soft objects (but may not be as resilient). Thanks Mike

So I just received my first nihonto. It is an edo era wakizashi, with NTHK kanteisho papers. It is in what looks like very nice polish, the hamon and everything is really nice. However it doesn't appear to be very sharp. I always assumed these swords would be razor sharp. But this sword is not even as sharp as one of my sharp kitchen knives. Would this be considered normal. I mean I certainly think that if I tried to cut something with it, that it would do some pretty good damage.. But I guess it just wasn't what I expected. Mike