Stainless steel / No Hamon ?

[Moley]

Dear Gentlemen,

I posted this as an "ADD ON" to an old old thread. Still puzzled as to what exactly I have, so I am starting a new thread in the hope somebody can enlighten me.

I am most interested in finding out if it is stainless steel, has it got a hamon at all and HOW TO TELL ?

 

Old post

"I too have a YosheTsugu (Yoshi Tsugu) which by all appearances is identical to the one shown here. It has even the same kind of Habaki and also has the Nagoya stamp.

Mine however is Sho Wa (Period) Ju Hachi ( 18th ) Nen (year = 1943) Ju Ichi ( 11 th November) Gatsu (Month).

The reason why I am posting here is to ask about the sword and the smith. When I had the Tsuka re-wrapped (It came without ito) The craftsman said that the Same was plastic and not real. However it is such a good imitation you would think it's good quality Same.

Also I can't seem to see a hamon in the blade and don't want to spend a lot of money on a re-polish if it's stainless steel.

Can anyone shed more light about the type of Gunto that Yoshe Tsugu Produced and what steel did he use? Is the sword pictured on this thread with a hamon? . Any info about smith and or sword greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks Gwyn

[Moley]

[Moley]

[Moley]

[ROKUJURO]

Gwyn,

stainless steel blades cannot have a genuine HAMON as they cannot be differtially hardened (traditionally done with clay application). However, I have seen these blades with a decorative artificial HAMON, produced by special grinding.  

Looking at the close-up photos, your blade seems to have had some superficial corrosion (especially on the NAKAGO) which leads me to believe that it might not be stainless steel.

More and better photos may confirm that.

And to get the best reading/translating support from the experts, it would help to post pictures of the NAKAGO

-  tip pointing upwards so we can read without breaking the neck

-  always from right above

-  with light from the side

-  well focused

-  against a dark background.

[Matsunoki]

Don’t think it’s stainless. You can see pretty clear old rust pits on the blade especially in the image of the kissaki area.

Cant definitively see a hamon. You can see what looks like a polishing effect where the hamon ought to be but need better lighting and different angles to try and see any sign of hardening.

[SteveM]

Chippy writing, typical of WW2 smiths. This Yoshitsugu (義次) is probably the Seki smith whose real name was Hibino Komajirō. I would expect it to be a typical arsenal blade, not stainless steel, not tamahagane. If its stainless steel, the inscription on the tang usually says "made with anti-rust steel" or something similar. I think as the war dragged on, the Japanese stopped using real ray skin, and opted for cheaper, more readily available substitutes, which may account for the plastic rayskin that was on the sword. (Don't know if they used plastic or celluloid or something similar). 

 

So I think you've got a fairly typical WW2, signed, arsenal blade. If it had any hamon, it was most likely a cosmetically applied one. 

[raaay]

Gwyn, take your brass mekugi hammer or a brass house key gently touch the cutting edge in various spots  if it bites into the brass there is a temper if it slides off with know resitance it has lost  it's tempered edge or it never had one ?

[Moley]

Thanks Gentlemen,

and thanks to Raaay...  No it doesn't "bite" therefore no tempered edge.