wakizashi thickness

[spanish men]

Hello, today I received a wakizashi from the edo period. When I picked it up, I felt that the sword feels somewhat heavy on the tip. When I measured the thickness, I realized that the upper half of the sword is 0.5mm thick and the lower half is 0.43mm thick. Can someone tell me if this is a problem? I carry out cutting tests and I would like to use this sword but I don't know if the difference of 1mm can be a problem

im talking about 

Im taling about diference in Moto-kasane , thickness in the mune in hira zukuri 

[ChrisW]

There is no reason EVER for anyone to ever use an antique Japanese-made anything to do 'cutting tests' with. Please do not consider using any nihonto for cutting tests as you will likely destroy the object in question. It takes years of training and practice to use a Japanese blade that non-Japanese martial arts cannot prepare you adequately to do so. Most martial arts use modern-made cutters for this purpose, if at all.

Seeing how thin this blade already is, you will likely destroy it. I would reconsider heavily. If you are curious about destructive tests for Japanese swords, the work has already been done a century ago or more and you can read the results. I can promise you, that short of being ground flat, and to slight varying degrees that all Japanese swords are SHARP and will cut. By design, their edges will chip before they roll over and go dull.

 

Lastly, if you are foolhardy still and determined to ruin another blade, I can guarantee that people here will avoid helping you in the future for fear that you'll keep doing it.  Using Japanese swords for anything other than study and appreciation will draw askance glares here.

https://markussesko.com/2019/08/27/destructive-sword-testing/

 

http://www.nihontocraft.com/Suishinshi_Masahide.html

 

http://www.nihontocraft.com/Aratameshi_Nihonto.html

 

and

 

http://www.nihontocraft.com/Nihonto_cold_weather.html

[spanish men]

i want to know if the diference of thick in the blade is a problem 

[spanish men]

i wont use it to cut ,,but have such a piece make me imagine thinks like that hahaha

[NewB]

1 hour ago, spanish men said:

i want to know if the diference of thick in the blade is a problem 

 

First, @ChrisWis nice about what he said. If you do it, don't say it - the results will be immediate 

 

Now, as to the blade thickness - compare the thickest part of the nakago mune to the thinnest on the blade mune - it is evident even in this blurry photo that this has been through a lot.

 

Folks use the term - 'tired' blade. Anything of stress could be fatal. You want to cut? Buy a modern blade that is non traditionally made and do what you wish, the rest is eternal sin and condemnation by the nihonto society!

 

J.

[Ken-Hawaii]

The area above the shinogi is thicker than the area below it. Do NOT discuss performing cutting tests on NMB!! 

[spanish men]

i really wont use it for cutting annything , first of all , i dont undertand what  is a tired sword, i can understand that if you sharp for so many years , the hamon , the thickness and the steel  will be disappearing. But looking this sword , i can see very nice hako midare hamon  , and i dont see the core steel 

[NewB]

19 minutes ago, spanish men said:

i really wont use it for cutting annything , first of all , i dont undertand what  is a tired sword, i can understand that if you sharp for so many years , the hamon , the thickness and the steel  will be disappearing. But looking this sword , i can see very nice hako midare hamon  , and i dont see the core steel 

 

It's impossible to tell from these photos

 

http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/shingane.html

 

this might give you a perspective 

 

Cheers

 

J.

[spanish men]

Unfortunately, I see a finer part, a little darker steel, what could be the middle steel, is this something fatal?

[spanish men]

but the hammon in the entire blade looks pretty and kind agresive hahaha

[NewB]

3 hours ago, spanish men said:

Unfortunately, I see a finer part, a little darker steel, what could be the middle steel, is this something fatal?

 

Unfortunately I can't see what you saw, maybe others could 🤔

 

If you have a good camera snap some photos under a good indirect lighting 

 

J.

[spanish men]

i share  the photos , in the first one, on the hamon the steel  is more darck but easy to see the ondulations of the steel

i think this hamon looks like hako midare

[Franco D]

1 hour ago, spanish men said:

i dont undertand what  is a tired sword

 

This is a tired sword. It is strongly recommended that one does much reading before buying their first nihonto. Why?

When it comes to nihonto the words "I want" is all too often when trouble begins. 

 

Regards,

 

[Jacques]

The thickness alone (I suppose it is 0.5cm) is not a criterion in itself. It depends on the era, the school and the swordsmith.

[NewB]

No doubt. However seeing the nakago at its thickest point versus the blade's overall thickness could give an idea of its status. Presumptuous as the nakago could have been altered also. Just a general idea. 

That's how I see it 

 

J.

[spanish men]

so after seeing the photos , its a tired sword??? I dont see anny shintetsu , do you guys see something? 

[ChrisW]

Hard to tell definitively, but there appears to be a lot of ware for an Edo blade and that is never a good sign. The blade has the appearance of being acid-washed (damaged) from the overall milky/cloudiness. The only way to be certain would be to get it in front of a trained polisher to ask their opinion.

[spanish men]

whats means a lot of ware ?

[Brian]

Openings in the steel. Flaws

[spanish men]

looking the blade , what you guys think? early edo? style  of hamon? i really bougth it bc i fall in love with the hamon line hahahah

[spanish men]

anny recomendation to find SHINTETSU?

[ChrisW]

On an out-of-polish blade, shintetsu will be hard to spot, but they will show up as patches of darker colored steel. They are much easier to spot on a blade that has a decent level of polish intact. I can see what appears to be kinsuji. Other than that, I can't discern much else. I would get a polisher's or a fellow collector's opinion in person; photos online can only do so much, especially with regards to an out-of-polish piece. The relative thinness of the blade compared to the nakago means a high probability of the blade being tired alone; but construction really does matter, so it may still yet have some life in it. That is a question for a polisher though.

 

[spanish men]

anny idea about the age , type of hamon?

[Toryu2020]

A -

 

The best guess at age will come from the shape - can we please see pictures of the whole sword?

 

-t

[spanish men]