Is this chikei?

[kkeeps]

 Wondering if this is considered chikei in the hada?

 

[francois2605]

Yes. From Sesko's excellent encyclopedia of Japanese swords:

 

Quote

chikei (地景) – Lit. “shadow(s) in the steel.” A black gleaming line of nie in the ji, i.e. of ji-nie. Chikei are an effect of hardening and not limited to follow the layer structure of the jihada and are basically the same as kinsuji but appearing in the ji. But in the case of a steel-mix of steels with different carbon content, for example like used by the Sōshū smiths, the darker layers of jihada are also described as chikei. In other words, we have two kinds of chikei: Such going back to hardening, and such going back to the forging structure or rather the layers of the steel.

 

[kkeeps]

Ok, thanks. Step by step I'm getting to know this blade

[Gakusee]

Well, be careful. Not all is chikei. Some is merely laminations ie mokume or itame. The chikei would be accumulations of nie mostly and be dark but shiny

[kkeeps]

I see. It looks like the blade does have an itame/mokume mix. I would like to get a vid of the midare/choji usturi, but my phone camera is lame.