Jason N

To be honest, the picture is more suggestive that the blade has hada than when held in hand, With the correct light, strong led, or sunlight, the blade does appear to have an extremely tight hada, but It's not pronounced enough for me to say with absolute certainty, due to my lack of handling many Nihonto. I have some good quality Chinese cutters that are oil quenched. The hamon on my sword appears completely differently than the hamon of those oil quenched blades. There's also nothing on the fakes that even suggests hada, unlike my potential "Gendaito". -Jason

I know there are exceptions, but wouldn't my sword have to be traditionally made (Gendaito) to have been legally registered in Japan? I'll get around to posting some pics when I get home this week-end. Besides better pictures of the Nakago, what types of photos would best help to make a more educated judgement? Assuming traditionally made Gendaito, is there any way to determine if the blade was constructed Maru, or using a lamination method like Kobuse, or Honsanmai, etc.? -Jason

Thanks for the reply. Mujihada was how I would describe the hada of my blade. I was assuming any Tamahagane produced blade would exhibit a looser hada. Thanks for clarifying it for me. I've pretty much come to the same conclusions and other observations you've made, but it's always good to get confirmation. I don't have access to the sword at the moment, as I am traveling on business, so I've posted the only photo's I can for now. Thanks, -Jason

Greetings. This will be my first actual post on NMB other than replying in some threads. Here goes. In 2016, I purchased my first "Nihonto". I put the word "Nihonto" in quotes because the mei on my sword bears the name of a smith held in low regard (at least it would seem so from other posts on NMB), Hattori Masahiro. From what I know of this smith, he mostly produced WWII Gunto/Showato during WWII. That said, he also produced medium grade Gendaito, presumably (by me) mostly pre-war. I've only found limited information on Hattori Masahiro, and cannot find an example of his mei that is executed as it appears on my sword, although this one is very close, the third character from the top appears differently, and I'm no expert. At the time I purchased my sword, I had no reason to doubt I was purchasing a traditionally made Gendaito. I purchased the sword from a Japanese sword shop, and it shipped from Japan. I communicated with the vendor via phone and email. I did ask if this sword was traditionally made and if Tamahagane was used (rather than imported steel). I was told it was Tamahagane and traditionally made. Here is a link to the archived listing of the sword I purchased. Although I have no reason to doubt it's traditionally made, the hada is very fine and difficult to see unless viewed very close under led lighting. I would expect the grain to be more "loose" if Tamahagane was used (see the attached hada photo to see what I mean). I know I have no art sword. I only care about the form, construction, and to know if it is a Nihonto/Gendaito. I only question this because of the repeated references to other swords made by Hattori Masahiro that look similar to mine as being "Showato" regardless whether they were traditionally made (Gendaito) or produced for the war. I understand that Showato or Gendaito literally have no bearing on a sword's method of construction, but as they are used among collectors, "Showato" is used to denote modern swords that are not traditionally made. In that context is how I would welcome any opinions on whether my Masahiro is "Showato" or "Gendaito". I also welcome any opinions regarding my Masahiro's construction (Tamahagane or imported steel), the era the sword was made, pre-war, wartime, or post-war. Thanks for taking the time to look. -Jason Edit: In case it helps, I have some more pics from the seller that aren't archived. I made sure to download all pics at time of purchase. I believe the Tsuba and Habaki depicted are original. Obviously all the remaining Koshirae are newly produced. I also found another phone pic showing the full blade, although I doubt it shows any detail that hasn't already been shown. Edit2: Added attached image of original vendor data that is not shown in archived link.

I think “kill” is not the appropriate word, but short of comniting seppuku, redeeming yourself may not be possible. There’s no telling how seriously you may have permanently damaged (or not) the steel using a modern gun cleaning product made to be used on modern steel. It’s a shame. If you ever intended to sell the blade, there are probably many that would decline purchasing if they knew you applied a modern chemical that could potentially continue attacking the sword steel long after the initial application. -Jason Edited for fat fingers.

I believe he means that the mune-machi and ha-machi were moved forward serving to slightly shorten the blade (as Nihonto are measured) but lengthening the nakago. This would result in the habaki being located closer towards the kissaki than it’s original placement. At least, that’s how I interpreted his post. -Jason

Of course. Posting my name as a signature in my reply seemed redundant in this case. e.g. “ Hello I’m Jason. -Jason” -Jason

Hello everyone. Jason here. I’m 46 years old, and have had an interest in Nihonto since my teens. I’ve lurked on these furums for a few years now. In 2015 I acquired my first Nihonto, a medium grade Gendaito from a Japanese sword shop, Samurai shokai. I recently joined the board over interest in a Wakizashi offered for sale, soon to be added as my second Nihonto. I look forward to using the resources on the NMB to expand my knowledge and appreciation of Japanese swords. Jason