Drago

Wait a second. I used an online converter (how much was a 1942 USD worth compared to today). If the numbers you provided are correct, a 130Y sword would be 23 bucks today. These numbers can't be right. A sword couldn't possibly have been that cheap! Did you forget some zeros?

A very interesting topic. It would be nice if you could provide a translation between 30s-40s USD to today's USD. I suggest that this be expanded to include older swords. e.g. How much did an Oda retainer have to pay for his sword, or a Shinsengumi member?

Yes, I think there was a discussion like that. But is this really the first time? I don't know where Roy got that blade, but I think I saw one before (might have been this one, just from the old owner). But I agree, this is very very very rare. And I have been looking into Type 3 mounts a lot lately! Too bad Roy didn't post a photo of the whole mon. I was thinking of writing him, but perhaps he'll read this and kindly provide one?

The second one says: 黒田富夫 Kuroda Tomio (if I'm not mistaken - my Internet is pretty slow today so I had trouble figuring that one out.)

I see. Thank you very much.

Hi there! Aoi-Art is currently having this auction: http://www.aoi-art.com/auction/en/aucti ... 1213703271 If you look at the oshigata, you can see a second "hamon" at the mune of the blade. Provided of course the oshigata is correct why would you harden the mune of a normal katana (not kogarasumaru or ken). I always thought the mune needs to be soft to keep the blade flexible... Or is th shinogi-ji area still flexible while the mune has been hardened to provide better blocking/non-lethal striking capability? Thanks.

Ah, thank you very much Keith.

Hi, I was watching this video recently: "How to wear a yoroi" http://www.mustlovejapan.com/howto/howto_wear_yoroi/ In the video they say it is possible to wear a katana strapped like a tachi and when I look closely, it looks like there is something with some sort of loop wrapped around the saya. This topic really intrigued me, so I'd like to ask: Have you ever heard of this. How do you wear a katana like a tachi? Do you have better images or perhaps even instructions? Thanks. (@admins: I posted this here because this isn't really about armor or traditionally made swords in particular, but it is related, so chose "nihonto related". If you think this should go somewhere else, please move it.)

I heard that sometimes when sowrd are made as offerings for shrines, two swords are made. The better one is then given as the offering (shinuchi) and the other is kept by the smith (kageuchi). But I don't know how accurate that is.

Ah I see. Phew, I'm really relieved now. I was really shaking in fear here. Thanks.

What do you mean by "not real"? I always thought they were just painted... And those black smudges (that weren't there before) couldn't be rubbed away, so it must have soaked in oil for the last three month and only then got washed away... (btw. It's a Nagamitsu blade with the original first polish.)

Hi, (unfortunately I can't provide any pictures since I don't have a camera right now) I was just cleaning my sword and noticed something really odd. Last time I cleaned my sword there was that polisher "signature" under the habaki (those thin black lines on the shinogi-ji). But when I removed the habaki this time it was just gone... However, there was a small visible amount of oil and some black smudges as if the signature had just "washed" away. Please don't tell me I screwd up and destroyed something that lasted for almost 70 years... What ahppened???

Oh, very beautiful. Thanks for posting.

Thank you Morita-dono. I did use the search, but didn't find anything... Odd. So is KUN1048 the only known one? What about current smiths (shinsakuto made by women)? @rest: I did read Hagakura (the partial translation by Kenzo Fukai (or Fukai Kenzo?)). In the foreword he says that his is the most extensive translation there is. I think there is no complete English translation. But then again, his translation was done in '79. I like Hagakure, but there are a few problematic things. Andrew Rankin ("Seppuku") even says Tsunetomo is someone who regrets bygone times, that his point of view actually was outdated by 100 years when he wrote the book. He even calls him somewhat of an extremist. I'll have a look at "Bushido" (heard about it but never read it). ANYWAY, that isn't really part of the topic.

Hi, Here's a question out of curiosity. There were female warriors from time to time and, as far as I read, samurai women in general had to be a able to defend the home if the man was away. I'd like to know, have there ever been female sword smiths? If yes, can you give some names, oshigata, photos etc.? If not, why?

Sorry no one replied yet. The reason is probably that this was not posted in the "translation" section... I can't help you a lot. Only this: The signature on the sword is not Grass Kanji (kanji with an "a" btw). The signature looks to be the sig of a non-traditonal military blade but it's hard to tell from just the one closeup blade photo. The last sign on the sig on the yumi (that looks a lot more like grass script) is a kao, that's like a personal short signature. Unforntunately, I can't read grass script. The sig on the kitchen knife seems to be "x次郎作" "x jirou saku" or "x shirou saku". Sorry, that's all I know.

Never hoeard of that. I've seen some dull machines blades that might have looked like aluminum, but holding the sowrd will immediately tell you it's steel. Maybe an Iai blade? Those are made often from aluminum alloys.

Hi, I read on Aoi-Art that they offer some kind of touch-up polish (http://www.aoi-art.com/hanbaikousaku/kousaku-e.html). What is this exactly compared to a full polish? How is it done? Is this independant of polishing styles? (e.g. Hadori vs Sashikomi) Or will it always result in a certain style for example? Does this improve/decrease the sharpness of the blade? How much material is lost? (if you know) I'm asking because my blade (Nagamitsu) is still not that bad but a bit dull (original first wartime polish) and the hada is only visible in a few places... So I was thinking maybe this might be worth a shot. (Oh, and if you know someone good in Europe who can do this, feel free to mention that. Sending a 2000 Euro sword to Japan for a 300 Euro job seems a bit extreme...) I'm still pretty much new to collecting Nihonto, so if you say this is a waste of time/money, please say so.

@Paul: I might take you up on that offer later. Thanks. @topic: Yes, please let's stay on the topic. As the thread starter, I think a discussion about "tradition vs. modern" is possible and perhaps even warranted in this topic, but "elitism" doesn't belong here. And I think there has been plenty of that in other topics as well.

Paul: Thank you. I am always willing to learn something new.

This developed into an interesting discussion. I have to admit, I didn't expect that. My opinion is this: Of course events like these are neccessary to attract younger generations to Nihonto. I was always interested in swords and weapons, but it was only after watching "Rurouni Kenshin", "Sengoku Basara" and "Hakuouki" that I became really interested in Nihonto and bought my first sword a year ago. So if it helps, why not? And in modern Japanese (or Western) society you can't just send people into museums to check "dusty" exhibits, have them read books or tell them how good the old times were. That just won't work (for most of society). You need to do something flashy. As for the question of tradition vs. modern: As a history teacher I am well aware of the merits and risks of tradition. Traditions need to be kept going so they won't be forgotten. But let's face it, being a tradition means something is "dead to the world of today" and it is only being kept going by reapeating what people did in the past. Nihonto "died" with the Heitorei Edict and even if swords were still being made, they weren't really necessary anymore. Before that there had been a constant evolution of blades and koshirae to fit the need of the time. The only real development after the Haitorei was the development of the Gunto koshirae. And perhaps better sciences to get a better forging quality. The forging technique and how koshirae were made and looked basically stayed the same. I think doing something like the smiths did here helps not just to keep a tradition going but also to keep Nihonto "alive". To keep something alive you have to develop it. Of course, to get a Nihonto it needs to be traditionally forged using traditional methods (and perhaps materials). So that means you can only develop horimono, blade shapes and koshirae further to fit the modern „needs and tastes“. (I know that all that above was a bit risky, please don't kill me for it.) And I think they did a pretty good job at all of that.

Hi, I read about "Kabuki Boys" (as Andrew Rankin calls them) recently and remembered reading somewhere else that they not only wore flashy clothing but also fitted their blades with flashy koshirae. So, if you have some pictures of authentic kabuki-mono koshirae, please post them. (I don't really have any books , so please post photos or online links.)

Thank you very much. For some reason it is always at the end of the month when I really have to check the site for some information...

(Please move if neccessary.) Hi. I am aware that most of us members are Western and many are older than my generation (I'm mid 20). But maybe you'll find this interesting: From July to September, the Bizen Osafune sword musem hosted an exhibition called "Evangelion and Nihonto" about an anime franchise ("Neon Genesis Evangelion") and smiths tried to recreate the swords used in this franchise using tradtional methods. A short description and some really nice photos can be seen here: http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2 ... on-exhibit Did anyone go to check it out with their own eyes? Was it worth it? And if you did: Did you buy the official brochure? There's one on eBay and it's pretty expensive. I'd be interested, but only if it contains good photos and descriptions. Have a nice weekend.

Bids? Is this on eBay? Can you provide a link. Shame about the blade though.