nagamaki - Franco

Hello Rohan, Collecting nihonto has to rate as one of the more challenging practices anyone can take on, sooooo much to know and learn. In 25 + years of study there have been a number of occasions where even advanced collectors overlooked and missed what they should have otherwise realized. Retempered swords and drawn in hamons are among those things. It wasn't until I began collecting nihonto that I became a cynic. In the words of a good friend, ''when it comes to collecting Japanese swords, it's just when you begin to think you know something that you actually find out how little you really know.''

Hello Brian, The fact that his email is not listed suggests that he prefers being called.

Hello, Have been through this multiple times, do not force! Winter is about to break, just wait.

Click on Restoration & Supplies in link, listed there. http://www.japanesesword.com/

Hello Ray, Thanks for sharing. A couple of comparisons linked below. Darcy's tanto to my eye seems to show similarities. Moses polished your friends/this sword? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzzQ7wVKU-k http://www.nihonto.ca/saeki-norishige/

Hello, Ed, based on these images I would be a little concerned in that a hamon is not readily evident. There's a shadow and a bit of wave like midare that can be seen, but that looks drawn in to me, hope I'm wrong. Please keep in mind, especially as a newbie, that there are a lot of poor quality swords out there just waiting for a new owner to come along, in addition to many, many, many swords that have been altered and undergone a wide assortment of changes over time. Some good, some not so good. It's best not learn about the not so good through experience.

Ahhhh, stick a sword through it already and be done with the nansy pansy!

Hello, Well, I guess since this previous post is a quote of a quote, for whatever reason I'm not able/allowed to add or edit it. Be that as it may, based on Paul's info then, this red lacquer mei on the aoi Kanenaga would be a shu-sho mei, n'est-ce pas.

paulb said

Bonjour, If memory serves, isn't a shu mei not only an attribution, but also an indication that the sword was believed to have been originally signed? Where a kin zogan mei is only an attribution? ... and now to go deal with an endorphin rush, ah, these bothersome old addictions .....

Hello, If that's the case, a shirasaya is typically made after the habaki and also before final polish. At this point I'm not seeing much of a mystery where the 2 piece habaki is concerned, other than not knowing who made these decisions and why.

Hello, wait, did this sword come in military or civilian mounts?

Hello Michaelr, The proper order of finishing a Japanese blade is to in fact have the habaki made before returning for final polish. Based upon what you're saying here the explanation could be as simple as whoever commissioned this sword to be made chose and paid for the two piece habaki. I'm sure to be corrected by the military sword guys if wrong, but Japanese officers did have some leeway in selecting certain pieces.

Hello Dr. Fox, Where the width of the nakago remains wider than the finished sword as a result of repeated polishing over time, a properly made habaki whether one piece or two piece, should in fact slide without contact over the nakago, and still fit snug and firmly onto the finished sword when seated as well. Unfortunately, few habaki makers have the knowledge of how this is accomplished. In fact this nakago imaged below was just such a case, where it was a struggle to put on and remove the one piece copper habaki it came with. However, that was far from being the case after a new 2 piece gold foil habaki was made by Brian Tschernega.

Hi Mark, First part of your statement is correct, but have to give the 2nd part a hmm in conjunction with the 1st part.

Hello Arnold, This question came up in 2009 when speaking to Shigekazu 'Jimmy' Hayashi about my sword, as the NBTHK papered it as a naginata-naoshi katana, not a nagamaki. Jimmy's reply was essentially as I've written here that for the NBTHK nagamaki fall under the heading of naginata, and without knowing the specific history the NBTHK is going to designate it as a naginata. Following that discussion I began to dig further and found in a published article, which I now have to find again, that the mounts determine whether a piece is a nagamaki, and unless the history is known the NBTHK will use the designation of 'naginata' . http://japantrip.tripod.com/Japan/osafune2.html, Notice that under the 2nd image the description reads; "This sword was described as "Naginata naoshi katana" in the exhibition guide." Notice that under the bottom image the description reads; ''Both the swords above were described as "Nagamaki naoshi katana" in the exhibition guide.'' Clearly one sword has a naginata hi and the other does not.

Hello, Repeating, where the NBTHK is concerned, nagamaki fall under the category of naginata. Nagamaki is a designation determined by how the blade had been mounted. Unless the history of a particular blade is known to the NBTHK, they will paper a blade as a naginata, naginata-naoshi/? .

nihontocraft

An exceptional wakizashi by Yogoro Kunishige with a two body cutting test by Yoshikiyo. Signed, Bitchu Kuni Mizuta Ju Kunishige / Fukai Yabuemon no Jo Yoshikiyo Shoji. http://www.nihonto.us/MIZUTA%20KUNISHIGE%202.htm Much to appreciate.

Hello, This in my mind fits the description of what lifeless steel looks like.

Hello, 1) Brian Tschernega , John Tirado 2) Saya determines the size of what follows, so wait until that is determined before buying fittings.

Hello, Confirm, it's a change in atmospheric conditions. An annual/seasonal event. Two years ago we went from warm upper 60's to below freezing and snow overnight. Needless to say I didn't see my sword again until spring, but was unconcerned as there was nothing getting in or out of that saya. Snug as bug. Don't force anything in or out. Normally, whenever the humidity begins changing you must pay attention and adjust how fully or partially the habaki is seated into the saya.

Sorry, should have been clearer in previous post. Go directly to an expert restorer (like Ford Hallam, Brian Tschernega), do not stop at NMB first. For my restorations I use Mr. Tschernega.

Hello, Would discuss with an expert first.

Hmm, for a dragon to become fossilized into iron, surely it must have taken millions and millions of years.