Andrew Ickeringill

Nothing unusual, the nakago has been completely re-shaped/filed down during the suriage/machi-okuri process. The line you see on the nakago is where the re-filing stops to preserve the mei, you’ll see this every now and then. Actually unusual is the migaki, or lack of migaki in the shinogi-ji… bizarre. https://eirakudo.shop/999434

For those of you who don't use facebook, this is something I posted there recently, thought it was worth sharing with the board... "Here we Go again… So I don’t really know what to say, to have polished one Go Yoshihiro was an amazing experience, and I thought it was a once in a lifetime deal… turns out, it wasn’t. This is a polish I’ve recently completed on a katana papered tokubetsu-hozon to ‘Den Go’. Having studied Go for many years, handled several of his blades in Japan, and now completing my second polish on his work, I feel I’m developing a good sense of his style. There is a paradox in his blades, they're both controlled to the highest degree, and yet completely wild, vivid, and natural. This is a very interesting example of his work, in some ways it’s quite different to the previous one I worked on, but they both share unmistakable similarities, particularly within the nioi-guchi and the finer areas of grain structure. There’s an incredible amount of depth to the hamon, with layers of contrasting nie blanketed across the entire yakiba. Along the boundary of the hamon the nie is larger and has a mottled appearance, almost like lava flow, but on the inside of the yakiba there is fine ko-nie and nioi hataraki, which floats its way along the blade like cloud formations. This isn’t the kind of hamon that jumps up and slaps you in the face, there’s a subtlety to the nie which takes some time to absorb, but once it sets in, it reveals a vast array of delicate hataraki. The jigane is quite diverse, with a variety of different textures and shades. Some areas show a uniform nashiji-like hada with evenly dispersed ji-nie and fine chikei, while other areas have a larger grain structure mixed with dark patches of steel containing more clustered ji-nie. There are many yubashiri, which appear in all different shapes and sizes, some emanating from the hamon like nebula, and others appearing from nowhere like floating orbs. The boshi isn’t ichimai (which isn't unusual), it’s more like a kaen-style, with streaks of hakikake running from the yokote through to a short kaeri. I wasn’t able to capture everything I wanted to in these pics, I tried my best, but in most places the nie extends from the hasaki all the way to the shinogi in one form or another, and it’s impossible to get it all in. Well anyway, have a look and enjoy!"

It's a scam, don't be fooled.

An incredible tribute Marcus, the kind of tribute that any teacher would be very proud to receive from a student. I only wish I had the words in me to express what you have, but I felt everything you wrote was very relatable, the long chats filled with laughter, the philosophies of being a craftsman, the encouragement and support, these are the things I think of when I think of my friend Ford. There are but a handful of people in this world, or less, who... well you understand. Thank you Marcus. R.I.P Ford.

Cheers Brian, and no worries, plagiarise away good sir!!

I’ve not studied rocket science, but if one can tell the difference between two atoms by looking at them under a microscope then it’s not **** kantei!!!!!!!!!!! Obviously, if you know what to look for then it makes it doable.

Tobiyaki.

Interesting sword... may I ask what kind of kanteisho it has?

And some jigane shots...

Here are some pics for those interested...

Incorrect.

Straightening the blade is a crucial step of the polishing process, it can also be very risky, so many things can go wrong. Why would anyone advocate a complete amateur to attempt this? No. And to answer the original questions of this thread... - Yes, even very slight bends can be corrected. - By my definition of a slight bend, one or two shouldn’t affect paper levels, I’ve seen them in many a juyo and higher-level blades.

Those are excellent Brano!! Here are some of my efforts…

I'm not sure of the exact technique used Bryce, but I've had a conversation about it with a smith who uses the same technique on his own "home-made" habaki. Because he's not trained in habaki making, he doesn't have the skills to foil, and said the wash technique was the only way he could apply gold, which was very dangerous... but in typical Japanese fashion, he didn't seem to care much, his health is secondary to his work. I thought it was common knowledge that Sadakatsu made these habaki. I've had discussions on this topic with former mukansa shiroganeshi Miyajima-sensei, as well as students of the Gassan line. I would consider that a definitive source, but others may only consider that hearsay, all depends on perspective.

I was referring to gold foil habaki vs solid silver/copper habaki, didn't think I'd have to clarify that, of course a solid gold habaki would be more expensive than a gold foil habaki. As for which is more desirable, I suppose that could be subjective to some.

And so these would've been made by someone else I believe. Foiled habaki are much more difficult to make than solid, and hence more desirable/expensive than solid. So I think it's safe to assume that if Sadakatsu was proficient at gold foiling, he wouldn't have been risking his life with the gold wash process.

From what I understand, Sadakatsu made his own habaki, which is why you see so many of his blades with this style of habaki. They’re solid silver, I don't think he did foiling, the gold habaki are solid silver with a gold wash (you'll see on most of them that the wash is fading towards the bottom, where the habaki makes the strongest contact with the koi-guchi) I believe it’s applied in liquid form and the application can be very hazardous to your health. So, if you have a Sadakatsu with this style of habaki and you’re having the blade polished, I recommend trying to re-use the habaki rather than having a new one made, it’s rare for a smith to make his own habaki, and they’re definitely worth keeping together.