Recent Polish on Nihonto (Wakizashi)

[Justin Grant]

To many photos to post, so here is a link and a few that will upload here.

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/104054299888891235469/WakizashiPolish?authkey=Gv1sRgCIb5y7_Oi_WBbQ&feat=directlink

 

Looking for opinions. Not good at photography, so let me know if I need better or more pictures.

 

Thanks

 

Justin

[cabowen]

While it is hard to judge a polish from photos, I can say that based on the rather poorly defined lines (look at the ko-shinogi) and what look like scratches above the ko-shinogi in the tip, it is not what I would consider a professional polish.

[gtstcactus]

Does the yokote look right to everyone else?

[sanjuro]

Jason.

 

The ko shinogi is poorly defined as Chris has said. The kissaki has four? small spots, possibly slag inclusions. Not allowing for fluff on the blade, There is one jinae in the kissaki and apparently one torinokuchi in the extreme tip of the kissaki. What is it that you think is wrong about the yokote?

[Justin Grant]

While we debate the quality of the polish and the blade, you won't hurt my feelings... I will say that this, some of these photos were taken with a macro lens, and you can zoom in very close with good clarity.

 

I am not up on the term Keith used, torinokuchi, is this the same as the "Crows Mouth" or whatever it is called? Also, the imbedded photo "Polish3", is a massive magnification of the surface, remember this is a very small Wakizashi, but you can see the polish 'sluff' at the edge towards the top of the blade.

 

Benefit of a nice lens.

 

Be honest, I want to hear it.

[sanjuro]

Justin.

 

My post wasnt meant to criticise the blade, more to point out other small irregularities, and definately not to injure your feelings. Most old swords have these and sometimes other far more serious small defects, and under extreme magnification they become all too obvious. Torinokuchi is the small crack at the extreme end of the saki. I'm not familiar with the term 'crows mouth'. It could be just fluff on the blade so I'm not 100% sure about it. Actually I rather like the blade although the polish could have been better executed.

In reality, my post was aimed at Jason who as a newbie has only vaguely identified one small irregularity in the yokote/kissaki when there were other, more interesting features to consider. I was rather hoping that he would use this as a learning excercise and be coaxed to observe more closely and identify things that he should be looking for in a blade. Your blade happened to be a good subject.

 

Jason will probably now have a shot at me for singling him out...... Such is life..... I am destined to be misunderstood, but my shoulders are broad and my skin is thick. :D

[uwe]

Nice blade with some "senile lentigo". What deranges me, are the scratches on the shinogi-ji. Obviously caused by the polish

The lines are ok IMHO

[cabowen]

Torinokuchi is the small crack at the extreme end of the saki.

 

I think it is usually called karasuguchi, or crow's mouth/beak.....

[sanjuro]

Chris.

 

I stand corrected. I have seen so few of these that had to look up the term, and the reference that came most quickly to hand was the chart in "Sword and Same'" which is a little archaic sometimes. Do the two terms refer to the same fault?

[Justin Grant]

My understanding is that this is a fatal flaw, is this true?

 

Justin

[cabowen]

My understanding is that this is a fatal flaw, is this true?

 

Justin

 

It would be for me.....

[Justin Grant]

I magnified the photo of the tip to get a better look and see if it has a karasuguchi. As you can see in the photo, I don't think it is a karasuguchi. You be the judge.

[cabowen]

No karasuguchi, just a rather tiny ware but that is not fatal...

[sanjuro]

Justin.

 

At that magnification it looks more like a small opening in the grain (Kitae Ware). Since it apparently starts in the kissaki mune, and it seems to be too irregular to be a crack as such, I dont think it could be classed as a karasuguchi, Others would know better than I, since karasuguchi is not a fault that I have encountered frequently enough to be confident of identifying correctly unless it is a text book typical presentation.

 

Oh, I see Chris has already posted whilst I was typing.

 

That lens of yours is excellent by the way.

[Justin Grant]

Keith

 

My 15 year old daughter is an aspiring photographer, the macro lens is used by her to take early morning photos of dew on grass, and the extra fine detail of bugs and such.

 

Tamtron is the name of it, and I have seen them sell used for a few hundred US. If you want detail that can't be captured with a regular lens, this is the best thing.