DARREN

Surely the answer to the question must be a resounding YES to both! The history of the Blade,who has owned it?,where has it been? has it seen battle in its 3/400 year existence? coupled with the unique craft and forging expertise that we all known has gone into making Nihonto study an all engrossing pastime!

Roy,I feel for your friend,thats exactly the nightmare I'm trying to avoid.Strangely enough,another well known sword seller based in Japan,Aoi Art, dont recommended the use of Choji oil either...it really makes you wonder! Jean,I will have a good look around the threads to gather more opinion. Mmmmmm....I think I will err on the side of caution with the tissue and microfibre cloth method. Thanks to all.

Does Alcohol not evaporate quickly Richard,would not have thought moisture to be a problem on that score?

Hello to all, would like to call on member's experience please..... What is best used to clean the oil from a nihonto?.I know the traditional way is with the use of Uchiko but have read that this is very slighty abrasive and can,over time,dull the polish of a blade. I have also read about the use of denatured Alcohol....is this the same as methylated spirit sold in your DIY shops?.Does anyone know of any possibility of long term damage to the steel using this solvent? All opinions welcome. Many thanks, Darren W.

Yoshii,would I be correct in stating that the patina and pitting of the nakago appears far too 'weathered' and old for a blade circa 19th century? Jean,the blade was described as being Koto era on purchase( I fully understand this can NEVER be taken for granted,especially when date Kanji are unreadable) so your estimate of 16/17th century may be close. The hamon is good and strong,peaking to nearly touch the shinogi in places.One or two areas of small ware(is this down to over-polishing or fault at forging stage?) in the hamon otherwise its aesthetic appearance I think is very good! Fascinating and diverse range of comments and much appreciated......please keep 'em coming. A belated happy new year to all board members!

Thats a stunning Hamon you have there Leroy...must be rare!

Would there be any chance of members posting some pics of their blades?....would make for a very interesting thread indeed

Thanks for you comments mike!

Is there anyone who could recommend a good source for re-patination with the UK?...... its really got to me now Anymore ideas regarding the date gentlemen? Many thanks.

Thanks for that HW!.....I'll keep to cleaning it out with a long file or coat hanger covered in cloth.

Hello again, My Oiling the sword and putting it back into the old Saya results in it being covered in small black deposits which I'm worried could scratch the blade.Can anyone recommend a method for 'cleaning out' the inside of the saya or is it basically time to invest in a new one? It would be such a shame to discard the old one as its Rayskin that I do believe is quite expensive to buy. Many thanks.

Just wondering what sort of blades do other members of NMB possess in their collections (swordsmiths,date) and how they came about them and how they first became interested in Nihonto. Regards, Darren.

So just to reiterate the swordsmith reads NOSHU NO JU KANEYOSHI(I can only find reference to a NOSHU JU KANEYOSHI) How would you classify the Hamon...Sambon Sugi? Great work people,much appreciated...please keep the info coming!

The fuchi is complete metal and looks to have been formed from a solid block.I'm at your mercy again gents all yours............................. The carving like you say is rather striking and compliments the Tsuba beautifully I think. The Saya is a very nice orange and brown polished rayskin........ Great to hear your opinions!

Agree Brian, the second Kanji is causing a problem,resembles nothing on that list.Its surprising how difficult it is to the novice and untrained eye,everything looks different in the books etc! :? Thanks to everyone for their time and input to date.

Mmmmmmmmmm...very interesting Stephen. The date Eiroku (1558) falls nicely into the period of the 7th generation Kaneyoshi swordsmith of Yamato?

Cheers Paul. Would the first Kanji on the date side be the nengo (period)?.....I've looked high and low but cant find anything similar looking to this one.

The nakago has not been altered shape wise and like I say only had a very light polish around the signitures.......I do understand the error of my ways now though but hey ho, no use crying over spilt milk! I live in Blackburn Paulb and joing the northern Tokein society would be ideal for me. Thanks to all

Cut the value in half?..surely thats a little extreme! All comments welcome.

Fitted to my Katana,Tsuba oval in shape,roughly 7.6 cm at its widest diameter....has golden eyes!

A few more pics.....blade length is 70.1 cm.Many thanks for the help so far,date estimate?

Hello Brian and thanks for the welcome. I'm afriad I have to own up to cleaning the nakago in my impatience to get a better look at the mei etc and yes, I feel guilty as sin.I must state though that at no stage were any abrasive materials used just a bit of Brasso and elbow grease,it was only cleaned around the signitures and heavy rust (almost black) and pitting remain extensively.......I will not touch it again! I hope to post some further pictures of the blade and some more technical(blade length etc) info very soon to help with further appraisal.I recently bought 'the connoisseurs book of Japaese swords' by Kokan Nagayama to do a bit of self research but to be honest being a novice the choices are mind boggling! Once again,a big thanks for the welcome!

Hello to you all,newbie here so go easy! Would appreciate all help possible please in translating the follwing mei on my Katana.The sword was purchased from the Lanes Armoury(Brighton, England) owned by the Hawkings brothers and was described as being late Koto era. Congrats on an excellent site and hope to be a regular visitor here A few pictures of the Hamon and Kissaki