ROKUJURO

Chris, that video is only about YAKIIRE and YAKIMODOSHI. The blade is not ground or polished, so in that state there is not much to see as far as activities are concerned. Also, the forge is dark for this process, so it is the best you can get with very little light. It is not MORIYAM-SAN who made the video, it's part of a series about sword-making.

Paris, I believe that NOBUYUKI is a sword-smith.

Marcib, you cannot make a photo of the NAGASA (= length). You probably mean SUGATA?

Erik, you mean, Geoff, being Australian, remembered his French and used "tempering" when he thought of "tremper"?

D'ailleurs, Paris n'est pas en Belgique, c'est en France!

Representing an Abalone sea-snail. I am not sure without seeing it in hand. It might also be a regular TSUBA that was heavily corroded at one time, and in an attempt to "clean" it, it got badly mistreated!

Geoff, although closely related, hardening/quenching and tempering are two different processes. Tempering (YAKIMODOSHI) is never done with water or oil.

To my eyes, the chisel grooves in the MEI are shallow and show a rough surface. This can be indicative of a cast TSUBA (not from EDO JIDAI! ). The SEPPA DAI was heavily ground, so I would like to see the complete TSUBA to get an idea of what it might be.

Congratulations Manuel! Very well done!

KÔFU no JÛ MASATSUNE (?) SAKU. 正 常 The big rest is for the experts!

Dominique, the value of a sword lies in the inherent quality and condition, not in the age! As you have heard, main characteristics of your blade have been altered, and together with the fact that the photos cannot show important features like HAMON and HADA, more information is not possible online. As I wrote, we have knowledgeable members in France, so in case you could show them your blade, you might get additional information. But I am afraid that would not turn the blade into a national treasure....

Certainly not OSAFUNE FUJIWARA...

That is not correct Marcin, they are learning and improving! In many cases, they no longer produce these clumsy Damascus blades from 30 years ago! Today, some factories in China are producing surprizingly well made swords. For non-experts, it becomes more and more difficult to differentiate.

Non, j'avais écrit "YASURIME est toujours fait manuellement" (= YASURIME is always made by hand).

Dale, I know they exist. But not in numbers. There are even unhardened and unfinished sword-blades sometimes. But I think you cannot use this to describe features of TSUBA when your limited knowledge does not allow for more reasonable explanations. This way one may end up with the Aliens who built the pyramids.....

Marcin; YASURIME is always made by hand.

Sebuh, you are very welcome here! Being young is not a mistake and does not need an excuse, I think. Enjoy your time, study a lot, and have fun with what you like! All the best. Jean

Calabrese, did I say the WABI concept has to be applied always without exception? I hope not. But there are many examples. See the YATSU HASHI below. https://tsubashi.com/product/yatsuhashi-bridge-with-irises-tsuba/ We could possibly discuss without result if there is an unfinished bridge depicted or just the idea of one. You can also read about René Magritte (Ceci n'est pas une pipe https://www.planet-schule.de/mm/nie-wieder-keine-ahnung/malerei/epochen/surrealismus ). Even detailed "finished" works of art may just give you an idea, an imagination of the real thing! Only bad work and laziness would need an excuse.

Calabrese, of course the ZEN painting is not related to casting techniques! I just referred to the idea of "unfinished". This is possibly only a different concept in our Western brains and does not necessarily correspond to Japanese aesthetics in arts. Leaving things out can make room for thoughts and emotions, while we in the West fill in every corner of an art-work so there remains no space for your own interpretation and imagination (very generally speaking). It is just a different way of seeing and feeling(s), I think. In addition to that, I find it very unreasonable to believe that an 'unfinished' TSUBA was sold/released from a workshop, with clear signs of hammer-work on the SEPPA-DAI (which is a proof that it is not cast!), with mounted SEKI-GANE as a proof of use, would be embellished with a silver FUKURIN. This part of the whole discussion is redundant in my opinion.

No Dominique, this does not apply to Japanese swords! They are very special and sophisticated, and without the necessary knowledge and experience, all "cleaning" will lead to damage, as you see.

Dominique, a problem is that the sword and metal parts seem to have been 'cleaned'. Besides many other factors, patina is important for an age guess. Even good photos do not allow a precise judgement, so all comments will have to remain a bit vague. The best way would be to find an expert - de préférence an NMB member - and show him your sword in hand.

Geoff, tempering is not hardening, While closely connected in the heat-treatment of blades, they are two different processes.

Molds were not cut as it is possible nowadays in die casting. In former times (and in Japan) you needed a model first which was then copied in a mold made from a mixture of clay and fine sand. In a different casting process, a 'positive' wax model was made that remained in a mold. It evaporated as soon as the molten metal was poured into the mold. BELOW: Is this an unfinished painting then?

MEI is NOBUHIDE SAKU.. On these later photos, it looks indeed handmade. Perhaps for a special purpose in crafts?