ROKUJURO

Andreas, pure diethyl alcohol is not 'hygrophobic' but hygroscopic (just the opposite). Any diluted alcohol will contain distilled or de-mineralized water (not 'desaturated'). Concerning your CHOJI oil: Do not mistake the etheric clove oil (ätherisches Nelkenöl) that you can buy in a pharmacist shop for the Japanese CHOJI ABURA! As mentioned, this latter is often Camellia oil with a small amount of CHOJI oil for a fragrance effect! The corrosion of low-alloy carbon steel is mainly related to the carbon content of it, so even the best TAMAHAGANE is likely to be attacked by rust. And finally: any grease or oil will contain 'acids' - even your butter on your morning toast!

There is a possibility that the "knife" (= KOGATANA, the handle is called KOZUKA) is not copper, but an alloy (SHAKUDO), which has been stripped of its patina. It can be restored by specialists (Ford Hallam).

It is Mejiro Police Station 目白警察署 Tokyo / Toshima-Ku / Police Station MEI = different KANJI

Paul, even if something has been in use or a custom for a long time, it still could be replaced by something better. An old mistake is still a mistake, and if something is described with terms of impression or feeling, we should try to find better fitting descriptions which allow a more impartial judgement. I underline what you are writing:....."Part of the problem is that when learning we tend to regard impression as fact and then seek to justify them in concrete terms"......Yes, that is also my own observation for almost 40 years now that I am into NIHONTO, and it is the same problem wherever 'experts' write about arts. The empurpled texts often leave a lot to guess about what the author really wanted to express. I wished there was less guesswork involved!

I am not so sure about the last TSUBA. To me it looks like a gold decorated cast item. I like the KINAI bamboo TSUBA with the fat cat!

Gentlemen, for me these technical/mechanical terms (hard, soft, weak, etc.) are not at all helpful in a descriptive context unless they can be measured and compared. The same applies to the adjective "dense" when used in the description of an iron TSUBA. This will always end in an endless discussion, based on feelings and impressions. I am sure there are better ways to describe visual effects. A JIGANE may appear fine or coarse, regular or irregular, matt or shiny etc. It's the same with a 'strong looking guy' - is he really strong or does he only have broad shoulders? Not helpful as a description!

Antti, this is definitely a very nice TSUBA which I like as well! Congrats!

Mauro, thank you for that useful comparison!

Dale, thanks again for sharing your TSUBA! Quite unusual pieces! Concerning your TSUBA in SAOTOME design, I do not think it is cast because the corrosion would be different. Of course, this is just my guess without having it in hand. TSUBA have always been made outside of the 'official' schools by amateurs, even in Japanese history, so there is a chance that someone was fascinated by the traditional SAOTOME design and made a less refined copy. It certainly has its history which we will never know!

Dale, thank you. Your first brass (?) TSUBA is probably not a SANMAI (not sanmei) construction. How ever it was made (sculpted or more likely cast), it does not seem to be a three-layer construction as the rivets would imply. I think that the rivets just fill two holes. Probably the TSUBA was used as a keyhole liner, I have seen this in several occasions. In any case, it is an unusual TSUBA. Your antler TSUBA for a HIRAZUKURI blade may be called KAWARI GATA (irregular shape) as well as TATE MARU GATA (oval round), but I tend to the first. It is unusual as well, but I have seen TSUBA made from leather, bone, ivory and lacquer, so why not?

Dale, why don't we work together? You are interested in the same field, and the NMB is indeed devoted to serious research of what makes the values of good TOSOGU (besides swords) and is not at all elitistic! I for one would be very interested to see some of your TSUBA.

Dale, you have been a collector of what? I am also a collector for almost 40 years of Japanese swords and related items, and in most of the subjects I still feel like a beginner, compared to the very knowledgeable experts! My impression is that nobody knows it all (as always), and that one life is much too short! In the first place, collecting means studying for me, comparing, learning to look, and not piling up related items in whatever condition. This has nothing to do with money or good and bad. And I want to add that I did not blame you for the condition of your TSUBA! It has its own history and may indeed have been one of the many items that were lost on a battlefield and found much later corroded in the dirt! Who knows?

Dale, you have a right to your opinion, but I feel you are quite wrong in what you think about the preferred TSUBA type and condition. I don't want to comment further on your message, but for me there is a big difference between the patina of a TSUBA that was allowed to age in all honours while in the use of careful hands, and an other one that had been neglected and was left to corrosion after its 'duty period' because nobody cared or did not know what they had. Of course there are a few cases of 'archeological' TSUBA finds with heavy corrosion, when they were lost in battle or found buried in graves together with their respective owners but these are rare. You seem to be new to the subject so perhaps it would be a good idea to read a lot here on NMB and look at the many pictures before you judge many the community to be snobs.

Ruben, some time ago, I presented my TSUBA here on NMB and asked for comments because I could not identify the design. NMB has always a wealth of very specialized iinformation available. It is "knowledge in the cloud" for me! This does not necessarily mean that your TSUBA's design is related to the GENJI MONOGATARI. It is only the combination of the two SUKASHI on my TSUBA

Tassie, that is an interesting TSUBA, but in fact a ruin I am afraid. It might be difficult to restore the original surface when so much steel has turned into oxide! What a pity! You should ask for Ford Hallam's advice!

Hoanh, this looks like a bad crack that someone tried in vain to weld with the wrong method. This cannot be done easily without damaging the blade in this area as you see from the porous structure. Nowadays some jewellers have very small welding devices (oxygen/hydrogen) which can work in a very limited space. You can even prevent the heat from damaging the HAMON if it is not too close. I am not sure if this "repaired" HAGIRE can be repaired!

Jim, welcome to the forum! This is the right place to ask all questions related to Japanese swords. First, your sword seems to be a private one which may mean that it could have some value. This can range from some 100.-- to some 100.000.-- $, but in almost all cases, the really valuable swords were not used in the war, so don't get too excited without further study! Please read here in the NMB about swords etiquette and how to handle them. Keep fingers off the blade, oil it very lightly (wipe most of the oil away so nothing gets into the sheath) and store it in a dry place. Don't hang it on a wall! I have seen more than one blade with a broken tip from falling on the floor! Remove the handle by pushing out the little bamboo peg from the smaller side (of course!). If this is not easily feasible, wrap a textile tightly around the blade so you can hold it without cutting off your hand! Then you can tap the TSUBA (handguard) carefully with something not too hard (piece of wood) so the handle comes loose. Measure the length of the blade (straight line between the tip and the notch on the back of the blade). Make clear, sharp photos of both sides of the NAKAGO (handle section of the blade) without the HABAKI (sleeve) and post them here (vertically). If there is an inscription, we may help you to identify the sword and give you further advice. All the best!

Darius, as I wrote, it is the type of petrol used in clinics or medical offices to remove the residue of adhesive plaster. You can buy it in pharma stores. Ether will do the same job. Of course, none of these will damage a steel object. Adhesive tape is indeed used by polishers, but not directly on a blade. They wrap a blade in paper first and then fix it with adhesive tape (or, more traditional, with a textile ribbon). It is really difficult to judge, but In this case I assume that the spots are small stains. Imagine someone in the customs sneezing over your blade..... As Brian said: Let a polisher go over it with his HAZUYA, and it will be gone.

Theoretically, yes, but in practice, this will be a very small fraction of a percent. To reduce friction considerably, moving/turning machine parts (like in a bearing system) "float" on a thin layer of oil, but this has to be considerably thicker than what remains on a cleaned NIHONTO. To be efficient in a way to prevent metal-on-metal friction, the layer of lubricant has to be either viscous enough to allow this "floating" (with low rp/m) or it has to be under a relatively high pressure, e.g. by an oil pump, as in a motor with high rp/m. This requires a low viscosity. So, in TAMESHIGIRI, I think you would have to soak your blade in oil before a stroke. Not sure the bystanders would appreciate that..... In SEPPUKU, the assistant was using water to enhance the cutting performance.

Probably not snake skin, as most of the snakes have flat scales that are quite loose on their skin. My impression is that of a fish, another ray type or shark, as Brian already mentioned. Nevertheless some very decorative TSUBA, and a masterful work with the material used! Whoever has tried to work with SAME will certainly appreciate what they achieved! By the way, the 'glue' is in many cases just URUSHI.

Any organic solvent like alcohol (diethyl alcohol) and related substances like denaturated alcohol, isopropylic alcohol, petrol (not the one used in motors but pure medical petrol!), ether, or acetone would be fine as long as there is no water contained. Some of these mentioned do not mix with water, so they are water-free by nature. All these solvents can be used to remove oil or oil residue, but they are not identical in their respective effects. As an example, glue residue from self-adhesive tape requires something like petrol as alcohol wil not work in a satisfying manner. Some of these substances are dangerous to your health, so working with nitrile gloves and in an open space (if at all) is advisable. The use of these aggressive solvents should only be considered on blades which are heavily soiled with chemical substances like paint, used industrial oil, tar, or resinous plant oil. In all normal cases (= blades in healthy condition or polished) a little bit of CHOJI oil will clean the blade sufficiently. At least, this is my experience.

Ruben, a small but 'hefty' TSUBA with KUMO design from my little collection. Some say it has YAMAKICHI BEI traits. The cloud design here stands probably for the smoke of incense, used in the respective game described in the GENJI MONOGATARI

If it's photographed upside down, it's a fake....

Hamfish, it is difficult to add anything revealing after Ford has given his opinion, but if the TSUBA in question was not aged artificially, it may have seen some proper use on a sword. If these traces of wear and use, especially on the SEPPA-DAI, are genuine, it may have more years on the calendar than you would expect from a very late production. The design has OWARI elements, but the MIMI is rounded, so together with the fact that it is made from soft metal, it was very probably not made by any of the famous TSUBA schools.

Darcy, this is true and can be applied to many learning situations in life. In fact, living is constant learning.