USMC-LCPL

My new pictures are crisper and clearer, no? Do they shed any light?

The papers are Yoshikawa (sp.) Scored a 72 at a New York Shinsa 2 years ago. Trying to get you a pic, but it's dark right now (bunkmate's asleep.) I'll get it in tomorrow.

Too late Stephen. This guy called down the thunder, and now he's got the boom. Actually I payed Bob Benson 350 USD to fix *deleted by Admin*

Better pictures are up. @ Samurai: They suggest Mino 1730.

If you don't have a shirasaya, I would recommend thus: 1. Oil the blade. Wrap in ceran-wrap. Cover the tip with a (small) piece of hard Styrofoam. Ensure that the foam is tightly wedged over the entire tip, and that the sword is not poking out the other end. 2. Cover in foam wrap, then in heavy construction paper. Tape. 3. Take a cardboard tube large enough to house the wrapped blade. Cut a piece of plywood in the size of the tube's lid. Super glue the wooden circle inside the lid. This will ensure that the blade will not penetrate the tube, while also ensuring (because plywood is relatively soft) that the blade will not bend it's tip inside the tube either. 4. Place the blade, tip end toward lid, inside the tube. Fill the gaps inside the tube with packing peanuts, if you want to be crazy safe. Cover the tube with the wood-lined lid. Tape. 5. Place inside rectangular box filled with packing peanuts. Ship.

Yes he did. He thought it was Mino, late 1500's. That's over 200 years off of the paper date though, and I was curious if anyone else agreed/disagreed. Yes it was a finish polish, but the pic blurriness is due to my inability to control photoshop. I'm trying to size down the photos right now, they look much clearer on my comp screen than they do when I post them. Give me a bit and I'll get you something sharper...

Sometimes, when photographing a perfectly good and in-polish blade, bright lighting makes it impossible to capture the details. However, if you angle the lighting (45 Degrees works for me,) then the Hamon and Grain of the steel become much more visible. However, if the blade has had a polishing agent or electric buffer taken to it, it will shine like a mirror even if the lighting is perfect. I'm just not sure if it's the lighting or the polish. Can you see a hamon if you hold the blade at an angel?

Perhaps you just need to accept the fact that you have a set of beautiful and authentic Koshirae, a quality nihonto and that the two are not meant to be together. Why do you feel the need to fill that set of Koshirae with a blade? Why not display them, and put your sword in Shirasaya instead?

Hello NMB, I have in my possession a papered Wakizashi that I recently had polished. The Polisher, Bob Benson, seemed to feel that the papers were somewhat off. Now that the grain is fully visible, and the hamon has been brought out, could it be that another Shinsa is in order? What school and period do you all think this Wakizashi is? I have the papers here, but I'd rather not bias your conclusions. EDIT: New pics are UP! Thanks for the help everyone!

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Pictures please?

You need to dim and angle the lighting a little bit. I'm straining my eyes like hell trying to make out a hamon... Do you know if this sword was properly cared for by it's previous owner? Mirror finish polishes always mean bad things...

Excuse my lack of experience, but I'm assuming that you made that observation based upon the fact that the thicker portion of the short stroke is on the left side, correct? I didn't know that this was an indicator of the motion of the stroke until now, but it makes perfect sense. And, with comparison to the example provided by Brian, you appear to be absolutely correct. Look at the bottom of Brian's Mei: Clearly Right to Left short strokes.

Regarding the Cost of polishing a blade, I would recommend you ask around a little. I got one quote of 800 dollars for a wakizashi polish from one Polisher, and another (much better) polisher did the job for only 350. It's all in who you talk to. As to the investment it's self, 2000 might be more than the sword is worth. It could also be much much less. Find out more about it, the temper line and grain of the steel will help answer that question.

Weight reduction? Perhaps it was a certain smith's clever but outwardly discrete way of indicating that he forged a mumei sword?