Lookin4answers

This is a third sword I have in my possession that I would appreciate any input regarding its possible origin and age. I’m sort of stumped here in trying to describe or attribute names to the features in the Hamon and Boshi. The Hamon presents in three separate sections. The lower 8 cm. of Hamon is Suguha and to me seems to be of medium width. The border of the Hamon in this area is delineated with a narrow line of Nioi. This transitions into a middle portion exhibiting a Midare form, but I’m not sure what the correct names are for the Hataraki that seem to be present. In this portion, the Nioi-guchi seems to rise above the brighter part of the Hamon incorporating darker parts of the Ji and then dives into the Hamon resulting in wide bright patches of Nioi along the Hamon. The last 8-9cm of the Hamon again returns to Suguha, but it is seemingly wider and even perhaps more diffuse than it is in the lower portion and very hard to see a Nioi-guchi line. I have tried my best to capture some of these features in my pictures. Forgive my inexperience, but for the life of me, I can’t seem to put a name to the pattern of the Boshi. It really does seem to be a random pattern of tempering, but I just don’t have enough experience to really make a determination. Hard to capture this well in pictures. The sword is a Shinogi-zukuri Wakizashi, based upon a total length of 67.8 cm. The Nagasa length is 54.8cm. The Kasane (Motokasane measured at Mune) is 6mm in thickness and the Kasane (Motokasane measured at the Shinogi) is 4mm. The Mihaba measures 3cm. The Sakihaba measures 1.9cm, seemingly a moderate amount of taper for this length of sword. There is 1 Mekugiana. The Hada appears to be Itame mixed with some Mokume in the Ji and Masame in the Shinogi-ji. Sori=1.3 cm. Toriizori form. Appears to me to be Chu-kissaki. Iori Hikushi Mune. The Nakago length is 14.4cm and is Kengyo-jiri. The Yasurime is Kattesagari. The file marks are very light. The sword is Mumei. The polish in general is fairly bright. I would be interested in opinions as to when this sword was made, and in what region or school. Any other details or explanations regarding the defining features would be appreciated as well. Please forgive my ignorance. I'm reading and learning as much as I can, but the volume of information is overwhelming and putting 2+2 together is challenging. Again, thanks to all who reply for any insight you can provide on this sword. I appreciate the enormous body of knowledge this site possesses and the willingness to help educate.

There are a couple of features present on this Katana blade that I am trying to identify with more certainty. There appear to be a number of streaks in the Hamon with a particularly dark streak in one area that I can’t seem to put a name to. The photos don’t do it justice, and forgive my ignorance, but could it be kuichigai-ba? Are these flaws in the blade? The Boshi appears to have almost a mottled flame/irregular appearance that is very difficult to capture in pictures. Could it be Kaen??, or Nie-kuzure??, or am I way off here? And finally, the sword does appear to have damage from sword to sword combat. How much does this damage affect the potential value of the sword. In particular, the one big perpendicular gash across the blade doesn't appear to me to be fixable/repairable/polished out as it goes pretty deep into the blade (but what do I know). The lighter contact nicks may be more readily repaired? Many thanks to you all for your time and any information you can provide. It seems the more you know, the more questions you have. I appreciate the knowledge and willingness of forum members to help answer some of those questions. Regards, Hunter

Rokojuro, I forget that "modern" can have an entirely different meaning in the context to these swords. The things you point out on the Tsuba are evident. I accept and appreciate any constructive comments received from knowledgeable sources here. Frankly, the details regarding the Tsuka and Tsuba were provided in case they offered some additional contextual information regarding the sword itself. I'm much more interested in learning what I'm seeing in the sword and how to integrate it into a more comprehensive general understanding. Regards, Hunter

Giordy, thanks taking the time for the more comprehensive response. This kind of detailed information delivered in a coherent fashion is most valuable in my continuing education regarding Nihonto. There's so much to learn that it's like trying to drink from a fire hose. That being said, do you have any opinion about the "dark streaks" present in the Hamon? Many thanks, Hunter

I can buy it. I can see something that looks like it might be casting flash on very close examination in some of the smaller openings. The places you indicated are mostly just bad photography and some lighter colored dirt inside the opening. However, while it looks like they cleaned the Tsuba up really well in the larger openings, they missed or ignored some of the tight spaces. My hat's off to you and Rokojuro for the close examination. Next time I'll use my magnifying glass! Regards, Hunter

Sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree in regard to the Tsuba, at least to any question of it being some sort of contemporary reproduction. I have personal knowledge of the provenance of this sword since it was brought from Japan immediately after the war. The Tsuba has been on this sword since it was taken from Japan immediately after the war. There is no evidence of cast marks or other features consistent with it being a cast product. I will grant that someone could have changed the Tsuba in the immediate post war period when the status of the swords was still up in the air, but that seems to be most unlikely. In regard to the Tsuka, it is in the same state as it was when it left Japan. It fits the Nakago well. No one in possession of the sword since the end of the war has made any alteration to the sword itself or Tsuka, and it would seem very unlikely that the original Japanese owners would have made any changes. The Ito wrappings are gone, but the Kashira has the openings for the wrappings so it seems that it had a conventional configuration originally. One of the Menuki is gone, but the remaining piece seems to be nicely executed and tested at 12K gold. It is worn, however at this point if it is plated or gilt it has yet to have worn through to a base metal. Regards, Hunter

Thank you Steve. I wasn't having much luck trying to decipher the signature - I got the Saku, but couldn't arrive at the other characters. I appreciate your assistance. Hunter

Thank you Giordy, I really appreciate your taking the time to read my post and respond. This one is a real challenge for me as a very green novice due to the wide range of features and possibilities. You said "masame/masame running doesn't seem so clear to me for a call on Yamato". I just wanted to be sure that I was clear on the details. I believe the Hada is Itame with some Mokume in the Ji (based upon a few scattered loose burls), and Masame in the Shinogi-Ji. Don't know if this was clear or not and whether it would have any bearing on your opinion. Also, does my description of the Habuchi and Hamon seem to be accurate (subject to the less than great quality of the pictures)? Do you think my description of the Boshi is correct? Is my description of the features in the Hamon sufficient? I'm really trying to provide as much accurate detail about the blade as possible. Is there any additional information I could provide? I still have 3 more swords I would like to submit and want to make it easy for others as well as yourself. Again, many thanks for your generous contribution of time and attention. Regards, Hunter

Well, here’s my number 2 of the 5 samurai swords that have been in my family’s or my personal possession for the last 50 years. I am interested in learning as much as I can about each of these swords. This sword has experienced what I believe to be a history of sword to sword combat in the past as evidenced by some of the marks and nicks on the blade. There are also a number of dulled areas on the sharp edge and rough areas in the polish, especially near the tip. I have included as many of the “specs” for the sword as I can ascertain based upon my novice level of knowledge and ability arising mostly from the information gleaned from a few select sites. Note that the pictures of the boshi on this sword are again less than ideal, as there are scratches making it very difficult to capture the details. The sword is a Shinogi-zukuri Katana, based upon a total length of 85.4 cm. The Nagasa length is 67.6cm. The Kasane (Motokasane measured at Mune) is 5.5mm in thickness and the Kasane (Motokasane measured at the Shinogi) is also 5.5mm. The Mihaba measures 2.85cm. The Sakihaba measures 2.2cm. Is this considered a mild or moderate taper for this length of sword? There are 2 Mekugiana. The Hada appears to be Itame mixed with some Mokume in the Ji (there are a few irregular burls present, but hard to capture), and Masame in the Shinogi-ji. Sori=1.3 cm. Toriizori form. Appears to me to be Chu-Kissaki. Is this correct? It is about 4cm long. Hikushi Mune. The Hamon appears to me to be Suguha. It is not bright but more grey, clouded and somewhat subdued. It is a bit narrower near the Nakago end and gets just a bit wider towards the Kissaki. There also appear to be a number of dark streaks in the Hamon that I am unfamiliar with and can’t seem to really identify and in one section the Hamon seems to split. The photo doesn’t do it justice, but could it be kuichigai-ba? There also appears to be a particularly dark streak in the Hamon in one area. The Habuchi is a narrow line of Nioi seeming kind of “soft” in appearance. The Boshi appears to have almost a mottled flame appearance that is very difficult to capture in pictures. It appears to be Kaen, or Nie-kuzure. The Nakago length is 18cm and appears to be Suriage. It seems that the Kiri Yasurime start at some distance below the Hamachi, and the sword surface is suspiciously smooth with no file marks for about 5cm below the Hamachi. The Hamon also seems to run into the Nakago a considerable distance. The bottom and top edges of the Nakago in this 5cm section seem to be shinier in places compared to the rest of the Nakago. Could someone confirm or at least speculate about my suspicion that this sword has been shortened? The sword is Mumei The polish in general is fairly bright. Sadly, the Ito on the Tsuka are gone, leaving only the Same with an interesting white tear drop pattern on it centered around some exceptionally large bumps that appear cruciform. The Same actually seems much coarser than I have seen on other Tsuka. Only 1 Menuki remains, but it is a very nice well worn gold Temple Dog. The Fuchi and Kashira are decorated with a cherry blossom pattern The Tsuba is signed. Could someone please interpret the writing for me? I would be interested to know when this sword was made, and in what region or school. Any other details regarding the defining features would be appreciated as well. At this point I don’t know if this is an older sword that has been shortened, and so many of the other features seem to be found in numerous schools and eras that they leave me confused. Please forgive my ignorance. Thanks for any insight you can provide on this sword. I appreciate the enormous body of knowledge this site possesses and the willingness to help educate. f

Thanks Geraint. A great piece of knowledge to add to my toolbox.

Thank you Sam. I was surprised that there didn't seem to be any Nihonto clubs or groups here in the PNW that I could find. I would have thought with the heavy population of retired military specifically near Ft. Lewis that some kind of group would formed. Nearly all of the swords I have were acquired by my father from military personnel in the late 1960's and early 70's, and most of them obtained them from immediate post war Japan.

Giordy, Thanks so much for the additional specifics regarding the Sori and its relationship to the Nagasa. I really couldn't find anything that spoke to the issue in all of the reference material I reviewed. Also, your further explanation regarding the Hamon is very helpful. Other swords to follow as I can generate pictures and data.

Thank you for the details. They will guide me in my future investigations and perhaps inform my submissions. I wasn't in fact sure that the "peaked" features actually qualified as Togari since most of the examples I saw as references were seemingly more pointed and these seemed kind of "soft". My other blades are all Shinogi-zukuri, but I'll provide the Kasane details for them on the off chance they offer some hint. None of the blades is in really great polish so I expect they'll all be defined in pretty general terms anyway. Again, many thanks to you and Nihonto student for all of your assistance.

Wow gentlemen! Thank you for your quick responses. I appreciate details of some of the underlying factors that helped form your conclusions. I don't know if I would have ever arrived at any reasonable estimation of source or date, as you can see from my shot in the dark "Mid-Edo,Shinto" guess. Just identifying the variety of features in the Hamon was a bit mind boggling, let alone trying to determine the pattern in the Hada and Boshi. Measurements I can make, but the more nuanced determinations are quite a ways beyond me. I have to ask if the information I provided was accurate and sufficient for your evaluation, or is there additional information I could have provided. It took me the better part of a week to prepare my inquiry, reading the many great articles, especially by Markus Sesko, taking pictures, sizing pictures, orienting pictures, trying to learn at least the rudimentary terminology, etc. I have 4 additional swords that I would like to submit and want to make sure I do it properly so I don't waste your time. I will also work to find a way to provide better pictures where possible.

A few more pictures.

I have 5 samurai swords that have been in my family’s or my personal possession for the last 50 years. I am interested in learning as much as I can about each of these swords. The first sword I would like information on is a Wakizashi. I have included as many pictures as possible, although I realize the quality of the pictures leaves a great deal to be desired. I have also included as many of the “specs” for the sword as I can ascertain based upon my novice level of knowledge and ability arising mostly from the information gleaned from a number of select sites. Note that the pictures of the boshi are less than ideal, but someone has done some polishing on that area making it very difficult to capture the hamon details on one side in that area. The sword is a Shinogi-zukuri Wakizashi, based upon a total length of 56.9 cm. The Nagasa length is 45.4 cm. The Kasane (Motokasane measured at Mune) is 5mm in thickness and the Kasane (Motokasane measured at the Shinogi) is also 5mm. The Mihaba and Motohaba both measure 2.7cm. The Sakihaba measures 2cm. Is this considered a mild or moderate taper? There are 2 Mekugiana, one clearly punched and a bit oblong. The other appears to have been drilled. To the best of my ability to determine, the Hada appears to be Itame in the Ji, and most likely the same in the Shinogi-ji, although it may be Masame. The polish on the Shinogi-ji has been disrupted enough with parallel scratches running most of the length of the blade making it difficult to make an absolute determination. Sori=1.4cm. Toriizori form. Is this considered a moderate curvature for a sword of this length? Chu-kissaki. Hikushi Mune. The Hamon appears to me to be Midare. The Habuchi(??) is Nioi in what I would call a fairly bright narrow line. It also seems to have a number of other interesting features including Tobiyaki. The Boshi is hard to visualize on one side, but on the other it looks to be Komaru. The Nakago is Ubu Futsu-gata. The sword is Mumei The polish is raw. I would be interested to know when this sword was made, in what region or school, and or potentially what smith. Any other details would be appreciated as well. My best guess is maybe mid-Edo period, Shinto sword era, but I have no clue where or who since so many of the features seem to be widely present in many swords. I could also be completely wrong, so please forgive my ignorance if I’m way off. Thanks for any insight you can provide on this sword. I appreciate the enormous body of knowledge this site possesses and the willingness to help educate.

Thank you all for your time, knowledge and information you provided. Being a complete neophyte leaves my head spinning a bit when I see the depth and breadth of information there is about these swords. Thank you sir. I'll try that approach on any further picture attachments. I can not find the number 819 on any other part of the sword. Thank you for the translation information.

Sorry, the pictures were actually as you described when viewed on my phone and computer, but when I moved them to the site the app turned them sideways and I couldn't find any way to correct them. I'll have to investigate further before posting next time.

I was just taking a closer look at some of my swords and decided I would finally try to get some information regarding the information on the tang of one of them. Please see the attached photographs. I tried to make some headway myself, but the complexity of the problem is a bit daunting. I would appreciate any information anyone could provide. I'd also be interested in knowing what the kanji script in white paint says as well. Thank you for your assistance.

I definitely believe the Portepee to be original. The guy who originally owned the sword was a retired Sergeant needing medical care at Madigan Medical Center in about 1970 where my father worked as part of the medical corps and made his acquaintance. The Sergeant fought in the island campaigns and personally took the sword as a trophy. I got to meet the guy and hear some of his stories. One of the many true heroes of that generation. He just brought the sword back and stuck it in a closet. I'm 99.9% sure he didn't modify the sword in any way, including the portepee. I'm now liquidating some of the swords I have in my possession because frankly, my kids don't have the interest and I'd rather see them go to someone who can appreciate them. Seeing Kolekt-To's comments above regarding the relative rarity of the portepee's, I may have to re-think my pricing of the above sword, or sell it as a separate item. Thank you for the information.

I never would have recognized that as a possible explanation. Thank you very much for the reply and reference.

Forgive me, I'm a newby to this forum and hope I don't cross any lines or violate any rules. I have what appears to be a Type 95 NCO sword that was obtained from a retired US NCO in about 1970. He said he had personally brought it back from Japan after the war. I've been reading the posts in this forum and have gleaned some insight into the history of these swords and their manufacture, however, in looking at the sword I have, I am confused. The fuchi has an Iijima makers mark, a Tokyo arsenal stamp, and a Kokura arsenal identification stamp. The tsuka appears to be aluminum, but does not have a second hole or retaining screw, and appears to be retained only by the nut and bolt (both notched) that the sarute is inserted into. You will note that there appears to be a round flat spot in the "pebbling" of the second full diamond between the "wraps" on both sides of the tsuka. They're not filled in, but look like a possible modification in the casting. The numbers on the blade and scabbard do not match, so the scabbard is not the original item that went with this blade. I don't have any idea what clue the serial number (93458) on the blade gives in regard to it's manufacture date. The blade and scabbard are in pretty good condition and fit together very well, although with all of them being machine manufactured I'm sure this is to be expected . I'm also interested in trying to determine if the portepee is original. It came with and has been attached to the sword for the 50 years it has been in my possession and has been kept in a decent protected environment, so it's still in very good shape. I'm reaching the point where I need to become more informed about my collected items since my wife and kids have shown very little interest in them and they'll ultimately have to be sold. Any thoughts on this sword would be appreciated. Thanks for any information anyone can provide.