Is modifying the blade acceptable today?

[Drago]

Hi,

 

I was watching a film on youtube about horimono a while ago, and ever since then I've been wondering. Back in the day, people often didn't care how old the sword or how famous its maker was, they shortened the blade, added horimono, made new mekugi ana, etc as they saw fit.

 

Nowadays, this is of course different, since artistic/historical value is more important than practical/representative purposes. But are there still times when adding horimono etc are acceptable? Or is even the newest shinsakuto, once it's finished, completely off limits?

 

Shortening the blade seems acceptable if the blade broke. But everything else? Of course, I would never consider modifying old swords, but what about gendaito and shinsakuto?

 

(Just to be sure, I'm talking about modifying the blade after it has been finished, I'm not about adding horimono or multiple mekugi ana while it is still being made.)

 

[Ken-Hawaii]

Tobias, my wife & I recently visited the Bizen-Osafune Sword Village & saw dozens of modern tosho with horimono, including some being added as we watched. Take a look at my post http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13101 which shows many photos of blades, all with a dragon theme. You can read the dates in most photos, & I'm guessing that half of them are Gendaito.

 

Ken

[runagmc]

In my own personal opinion, I think a sword is best left how the original craftsmen intended it to be...

[ROKUJURO]

......Shortening the blade seems acceptable if the blade broke. But everything else? Of course, I would never consider modifying old swords, but what about gendaito and shinsakuto?

(Just to be sure, I'm talking about modifying the blade after it has been finished, I'm not about adding horimono or multiple mekugi ana while it is still being made.).....

We are in a different situation today. Swords are no longer part of our official outfit, and our lives do no longer depend on the capacities to handle one for defence in real combat which in those times could occur every second.

 

Japanese SAMURAI did not know about the scientifical background of ergonomical design we are used to apply today, but they had the experience to tell exactly how long one's KATANA had to be. So preserving an old TACHI from the ancestors was only one side, the 'every-day-carry' sword had to be fine-tuned to serve the requirement of body measurements and fencing techniques, and this could mean cutting off a piece of the NAKAGO and punching a new MEKUGI-ANA. We may regret to find a SURIAGE blade, but seen from the practical side this is comprehensible.

 

Historical changes in Japan after 1600 may have lead to a more representative way to see swords, so there was a tendency for HORIMONO, perhaps hoping that the blade would not have to be drawn in a duel. Any material loss in a blade can of course be a structural damage with the risk of failure under extreme stress.

 

With today's blades there is no risk of breaking as long as the sword is not excessively used in TAMESHIGIRI.

[Geraint]

Interesting question, Tobias.

 

If you can get hold of a copy of a catalogue called, "The Beauty of Shinsakuto" you will see several swords whiuch are direst copies of famous swords where the smith has added multiple mukegi ana and horimono that run into the nakago because that is how the subject of their study exists today. Ken's response links directly to that. Kunihira Kawachi, in a joyous little book called "The Art of the Japanese Sword" says, "There are still extant Masamune blades. There are still extant Ichimonji blades. I must strive harder!" This neatly sums up why a modern tosho might attempt this as a means of refining his skills rather than any endeavor to deceive. But you narrow down your question to discount original horimono.

 

Nagayama in "The Connoisseurs Book of Japanese Swords" has a section on attribution of the blade according to horimono while Nakahara is much moire circumspect commenting that all horimono are ato bori as all are done after the blade is completed. He relates a story about a friend who submitted a mumei katana for Juyo ranking several times with no success until he had a wide kaki nagashi bo hi cut into the blade wherupon it was awarded Juyo and attributed to Miike. Worrying on so many levels!

 

Personal thoughts? Hi serve functional purposes but are also decorative, not to mention having religious significance that I think we take rather for granted. I could never forgive myself for adding any horimono just to make the blade look prettier, rather agreeing with Adam. On the other hand I have a koto naginata noashi which is marred by a pretty ugly kizu. I have to admit that I am tempted to have a horimono, just a very simple one you understand, cut to take care of the kizu. Perhaps I should have the carver add the information to the nakago to avoid all the future debate about whether the blade belongs to this or that school.

 

You and I are probably going to get toasted for this, Tobias.