Veli

I wish I had such a bunch of Kozorimono that I would keep mixing their TH papers Veli

Take a close look at the nakago picture on the NBTHK TH papers and then compare it to the nakago of the katana. link BR, Veli

...And one more example which was actually the hardest one to capture. A U-no-kubi-zukuri wakizashi (51 cm nagasa) with hitatsura hamon. Now I needed to illuminate the both sides of the shinogi. With two light sources I succeeded in capturing only 50% of the yakiba; should have used 3-4 lamps, but then the position adjustment of lamps would have been very tricky, though by no means impossible. One more detail I forgot to mention: The exposure measurement should be in the spot metering mode, and the exposure level should be measured close to, but not exactly at the center of the spot of the brightest lamp reflection on the blade. That gives the best dynamic range. Veli

Well, there's no magic in it. I use two incandescent lamps, reflecting at a low angle of incidence, one directed at the tip and one at the hamachi. The secret is that I use a teleobjective to get enough distance, which enables keeping the reflection angle of light almost constant along the blade. I use the smallest possible lens aperture for maximum focus depth. Finally I use a tripod, and take the picture with self timer in order to avoid the vibrations due to pressing the trigger. Here's another example; a more challenging one due to narrower, dimmer yakiba and a longer blade (Nambokucho period tachi, 67 cm nagasa). I failed to capture 100% of the yakiba, got maybe 80%. But ko-ashi are visible, and even some parts of the hada... BR, Veli

Hi all! I have always wondered whether it is possible to capture a bright flashing yakiba over the entire blade length in a single photo. I experimented with an almost katana length wakizashi, and the results were encouraging. I know there are excellect photographers in NMB, thus I would like to hear if anybody has any tips how to improve... BR, Veli

Yes, Jean said it! We have all seen enough of misused and neglected blades. Here, for once, we have an example of how proper care and respect can preserve these irreplaceable works of art for almost a millennium; through wars, fires, storms and earthquakes; handed down to caring hands generation after generation. Veli

Paul Martin describes the kodachi in his excellent booklet "The Japanese Sword; Guide to Nyusatsu Kantei". According to him, the kodachi differs from a tachi (apart from length) by having no tapering in the sakihaba and having less curvature. He lists Ko-Bizen Kageyasu :D and a couple of early Osafune smiths, as well as Ko-Aoe and Kyoto schools among those schools that produced kodachi. He also states that kodachi are rare, which probably means that the question of being able to tell a kodachi from a wakizashi is more of academic than practical nature. Veli

Hi All! AOI Art has listed a ko-Bizen kodachi. It is wonderful to see an early Kamakura era blade with excellent workmanship, original signed nakago (very slightly machi-okuri?), with beautiful activities and with no tiredness. If I only were a millionaire... Often it has been said that shinogi-zukuri wakizashi appeared during early Muromachi. This is naturally not a wakizashi, but a kodachi. Could somebody with deeper knowledge than myself elaborate on the differences between a wakizashi and a kodachi? BR, Veli

This is a nice table for estimating the temperature history! http://www.anvilfire.com/FAQ-article.ph ... ilfire.com Veli

I agree with Keith's analysis. James, are you able to remove the habaki? If someone has applied intense heat to loosen the old habaki, he might have inflicted thermal damage also above the old habaki, in other words, there might be identical discoloration under the present habaki. That would be a serious flaw... Veli

I edited the hakobore comment out of my original list of arguments. BR, Veli

No personal feelings involved :D ! I just wanted to add a different view into the discussion, since the analysis takes a totally different route depending whether the blade is ubu or not. Jason, I have a few clarifying questions: Your first pictures show a hakobore or two below the hamachi, but it is not visible in the seller pictures. Is it there or was it a scanning artefact? The oroshi seems very very gentle since the mune is not visible in any of the pictures. Can you describe the angle more accurately? How about the thickness difference between the nakago and the blade above the hamachi? How much is it? This is an important question, since (in my opinion) the blade is either cut down or polished down. I cannot believe that the original hamachi looked anything like the present one. I am looking forward to receiving more comments to my speculative arguments! BR, Veli

Believe the experienced guys, not me Why did I suggest that the blade may be O-suriage? 1) The nakago shape follows closely the extended geometry of the blade, taking into account the re-shaping. 2) The munemachi is low 3) The ha-machi is low, which could also mean that the blade has been polished down. In this case you should see a difference in thickness between the motokasane and the thickest part of the nakago: the nakago should be more than 1 mm thicker than the blade above the hamachi if the blade is not O-suriage. 4) The nakago patina looks kind of fresh. 5) There are hakobore below the hamachi. Thus the blade must be at least machi okuri. Yet only one mekugi-ana. Edit: What seemed hakobore was only a scanning artefact 6) The yakiba as well as the muneyaki seem to extend well into the nakago 7) The blade shape "just looks like" a part of a longer blade In my opinion, there is nothing wrong for a wakizashi being a cut-down katana. The original shape is lost, but on the other hand the original workmanship may be better. Just my personal unlearned opinions, nothing more! I like this blade! BR, Veli

Interesting! Just my wild guessing: O-suriage, but cut down a long time ago... Hamachi and nakago and lack of funbari somehow give an impression of a cut-down katana. Maybe older than shinto. BR, Veli

Dear Jason, Congratulations for having acquired your first nihonto! It has been often discussed here whether kantei by photographs is feasible, reliable or even possible. Kantei by measurements alone is not possible. Your description fits a huge amount of blades from different makers, schools and periods. Please have patience until you have supplied some pictures. BTW, if you do not have a camera right now, do you have access to a scanner? A scanner often yields better pictures than a camera... BR, Veli

John C, Just to make sure, are you aware that polish cost is approximately USD 100 for each inch of the blade length? Retempering would probably also cost thousands. Polish might be justified - despite the fatal flaws - if this blade really was from the Heian period. But there are about five independent reasons why it is not - that was why I started this topic. BR, Veli

Yes, just as Jean said! Actually, one may find shinogi-zukuri wakizashi that originate from early times http://www.aoi-art.com/sword/wakizashi/08701.html, but they have been shortened from damaged tachi. In this case, this is not possible, not even if we'd assume that the signature has been added later. BR, Veli

Well well, the time of miracles is not over On our beloved Ebay, a signed shinogi-zukuri wakizashi with a strong saki-zori, wide mihaba, yakidashi at the hamachi... from the Heian period, or maybe early Kamakura http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-SWORD-KATANA-Wakizashi-Ko-To-/310215507820?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Asian_Antiques&hash=item483a48ff6c BR, Veli

Yes, I think George is right: 守行 USD 810 + USD 2000 for polish sounds a lot of money for a Bungo wakizashi, when taking into account all the risks of finding faults etc. This one must be polished if the owner wishes to enjoy it. BR, Veli

Hi Jason, A bit hard to read for me, too. My guess is Bungo ju Fujiwara Hirayuki. 豊後住藤原平行 The price, well, people tend to think that anything that is Japanese and has a sharp edge is extremely valuable. Since the auction is still active, I refrain from further comments... BR, Veli

AFAIK that particular sword is in the British Museum. BR, Veli

Yes, I agree, the hamon (what can be seen from the overall picture) looks like it should. Also the shape of the kissaki is correct. Here's a picture of a 17th century kanemoto from the book "Cutting edge" Victor Harris BR, Veli

I must admit Franco has a strong point here. The curvature is exceptionally deep for a Kanemoto school blade, suggesting that the blade was forged for ceremonial purposes rather than for combat. However, I'd say that if the blade has been forged in the Meiji period, the signature has been artificially and deliberately aged. Could this be a late Edo period ceremonial tachi? BR, Veli

Actually all the examples have been cut with a chisel and hammer, just like the third example. Please look very closely at the strokes! Arsenal stamps were made with a single stroke, but traditional signatures were kind of engraved with a chisel tip and hammer. If you wish to hear opinions of the blade from our more experienced experts, please attach some close-up pictures of the kissaki (point) and hamon (tempering pattern). BR, Veli

Hi Robert! Nakago is a kind of rough clock for estimating the age of a nihon-to. The patina, corrosion, color, and the condition of the signature offer help when determining the period when the sword was made and signed. This is not as important a tool, however, as workmanship and shape (form) of the blade. But this is why the rust on the nakago should never be removed. The signature strokes are also affected by time, corrosion and wear. All the sharp features in the strokes tend to soften and become kind of round. I have attached a few examples of signatures from different time periods (14th to 20th century). See yourself! By the way, Mei (signature) is normally on the front side (omote) of the tang, not on the reverse! BR, Veli