jeremy

The sword in question would be fine for iaido. Just make sure the fittings arent loose if/when you decide to purchase this sword. If you are planning on doing any cutting with this sword, please be very careful, as the bo-hi weakens the blade, and will be less forgiving on bad cuts than a blade without bo-hi. Also, email Tsuruta-san and ask him if this blade has any serious flaws. Other than what I have said, if the koshirae fits your taste, the length is suitable according to you and your instructor, there should be no reason why this sword wouldnt be appropriate for iaido. Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

Hey Jamie, No problem mate. How close to the edge is this hada-kizu, out of interest? Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

The shinsakuto I train with for my batto-do shizan cutting practise has a small hada-ware, about 1.5cm long in the nioi-guchi right in the mono-uchi part of the blade. I bought this sword with Ishikawa sensei and Tzuzuki sensei whilst in Japan in 2009 from a smith by the name of Ogawa Kanekuni in Seki. I have put this sword through at least 50 green bamboo poles and at least 100 wara, with no problem regarding the loose grain. Admittedly, my shinsakuto hasnt seen as much polishes as the antique tanto mentioned by the OP. So, not all hada ware are considered fatal by a users standpoint even if they are in the hamon. These things must be seen in hand to be able to make a clear judgement. Just my thoughts. :D Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

Hi Dave, Im far from being an expert on the subject on nihonto in general, but I can speak from experience. In our curriculum of Japanese Sword Arts (Nakamura Ryu), I am involved in cutting targets on a regular basis. I have cut with many nihonto and Japanese -style swords, and have bent quite a few in my time. I can say from what I have seen, most of the time the mukade shinae will end up being on the shinogi-ji and extend through to the hira-ji sometimes. Sometimes,but not all the time, you will see the shinae on both sides of the blade where the sword was bent. But I havent seen a blade that has been bent with mukade shinae only on the hira-ji, its always had it in the shinogi-ji. Hope this helps. If anyone wants to add anything to what I have said or correct me if I am wrong, please feel free to do so. Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

Thanks for the book advice. I'll see if I can pick one up soon. Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to help me out. This additional information might be more helpful to identify what sword I am talking about. Length: 28-30inches Sori: Torii-zori between 1.5 -2cm Hamon suguha Jihada Ko-itame, some masame Motokasane: 7.5mm-8mm sakikasane 5mm Motohaba 34mm sakihaba 24mm Low shinogi with scant niku Does this make it easier to tell me what I am looking at? Thanks again, Jeremy Hagop

I havent got a picture, if i did i would most certainly post it. I am only asking as a question to learn from you guys. Would Hizento fit my criteria I listed? Kind regards, Jeremy hagop

yes, i realise that, but I am wanting to know if there were any smiths from any tradition/school which forged the blades that way originally. For example, i have hear shinshinto blades mostly have scant niku, but were they made that way, or are they only a product of overpolishing? Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

Found on Kanbun Shinto swords and others period such early Kamakura late Nanbokucho and early Muromachi. Did the swords of these periods also have low shinogi with scant niku as well? Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

For rare exceptions, all schools And what about the rest of the criteria I listed, if you dont mind? "with funbari, low shinogi and scant niku?" Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

Sorry, maybe i used the wrong term with funbari, what i meant was where the sakihaba is narrower than the motohaba as opposed to the blade being the same width all the way to the tip. Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

Can anyone please give me a list of some of the different schools/swordsmiths of the koto, shinto and shinshinto eras that made swords with funbari, low shinogi and scant niku? Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop Reply With Quote

Hi Jon, Thanks for that good reading. Unfortunately though, I was only able to view the writing that was written in English, but could not see any photographs. I will try finding some pics of Sadamoris swords online anyway. Thanks, Jeremy

Thanks for the answers guys. Does anyone have any photos or any links they can share to show me pictures of some healthy blades which have hoso suguha hamon? Doesnt matter from which period really, koto, shinto or even shinshinto? Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

Were hoso-suguha originally created that way in the koto period, or is it a product of years of over polishing which has narrowed the hamon down? Such as in this picture: http://www.japaneseswordcollector.com/s ... /kane.html I guess what I am asking is that was this hamon once wider than it is now? And if so, is it possible to tell how much it has been narrowed down? Kind regards,. Jeremy Hagop

First of all, do you have an instructor to teach you how to swing the sword properly, and most of all, safely? If you don't have an instructor, you should seek one out. $4000 is a lot of money to fork out on a sword that you just want to swing around for fun. Also, length is another factor that comes into play when choosing a sword. This sword is 69.5cm which would probably be better suited to someone who is about 5 foot 2 to 5 foot 5 tall, for most mainstream iaido schools. I don't know how tall you are or your build, but i am 6 foot 2 and use a 80cm blade and study Toyama Ryu/ Nakamura-ha. Personally speaking, I would have saved thousands of $$$ if I had waited to listen to my senseis advice on picking out a suitable sword. It is at the end of the day, your money, you can do whatever you please with it, but as a study piece, this sword may not have much to offer, and if you want it as a practise sword, please re-read my above comments. Kind regards, Jeremy hagop

For those of you who are interested, I just got confirmation back from Rich Stein about silver habaki. Solid silver habaki were used, but were mainly used in the Shinto and Shinshinto eras. Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

Thanks for the clarification Keith on the hardness of the two metals, I was only going on the Moh's hardness scale which has both gold and silver at about 2.5-3. Ive also posted this question on other sword forums, to broaden my chance of receiving a clear answer. Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

Thanks for the reply Keith. If solid piece gold habaki were used, I dont see how silver would of been considered inappropriate for habaki, as both gold and silver have the same hardness. Maybe it was just unaffordable back in the day....??? I await other responses.... Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

Were solid one piece silver habaki used during the koto/shinto eras on swords that would see actual use? Ive tried looking for solid silver one piece antique habaki, not silver foiled, with no luck. Can anyone help? Kind regards, Jeremy hagop

I always had trouble using FedEx and DHL when trying to ship swords to the U.S. I have found only TNT and Australia Post seem to accept such items. Australia Post has a limit on the lengths they ship though, the package can not exceed 41 inches in length which is a hassle if trying to ship longer items. TNT will only ship swords overseas if it is being sent to a business address, and not a residential address. Just my experience. Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

Hi John, Thanks for the reply. Is that pronounced "chimeshou" and " hi chimeshou" ? And would you say " chimeshou kizu" and "hi chimeshou kizu"? Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

What are the words for "fatal flaw" and "non-fatal flaw" in Japanese? Ive tried searching google, but can not seem to find it. Any help would be great. Kind regards, Jeremy hagop

Hi Kristian, Looks like a nice blade for iai. What are the other specs of the blade such as mihaba(width), kasane (thickness) etc? Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop

What period of Japanese history was it when the law changed in regards to the length of the katana? And what was the maximum permitted length in the period and reason behind it? Kind regards, Jeremy Hagop