shirasaya and proper care

[hindsite]

So I am totally new to the world of nihonto and I have a few questions.

First, I was just told that I have a masashige blade. There is some tarnish and rust on the blade from fingerprints I think. I need to know what I need to do to prevent the rust from getting worse. I have heard about cleaning kits, but is that really enough to stop or reverse the rust? The other major concern that I have is that the saya is decrepit. My father told me that it broke a number of years ago (like 20 or 30) and that he glued it back together. Obviously I don't think that acceptable, so I was wondering if there were recommendations on a how to procure a shira-saya for proper blade storage?

[Goldy]

G'day Mate and welcome to the community. Good to hear that you want to do things right with respect to preserving this blade.

 

Try doing a search of the forum on removing rust on the blade only not the nakago (tang).

 

As for the saya, yes, get a new shirasaya asap. If the blade is going to be professionally polished then a new shirasaya (rest scabbard) will be made automatically, well, it should be. The old re-glued saya is probably contributing to the rust on the blade in some way, the saya is traditionally stuck together using a glue paste made from rice.

 

Is there someone local that you can talk to about it? Which country are you in?

 

Once again, welcome and give those searches a try, there's a wealth of info here.

 

Cheers,

 

Craig

[Brian]

Hi (name?)

Yes, some glues can accelerate rusting of the blade. The Japanese use special rice glue that has been found not to promote rusting, and with the advantage that the saya can be split for maintenance when it gets dirty inside.

Also, shirasaya are replaced if the blade is rusted, as particles of rust etc inside the saya can scratch the blade.

Regular oiling of the blade will stabilize the blade and prevent further rusting until you can have it polished. Unless it is active rust, I would just maintain it regularly and wipe with a thin film of oil.

Don't use anything abrasive to clean stains as they can do more harm than good.

 

Brian