ROKUJURO

Blackandamber, it looks like a military sword. More could be said if you remove the handle. Push out the bamboo peg and pull the handle off. Take care not to touch the blade with your bare fingers. Read here on NMB about preservation, care and etiquette of Japanese swords. And please sign all posts with your first name plus an initial.

Thank you, Ray! Most appreciated!

Stephen, that is a very kind offer from you, but too much hassle and probably more expensive. How could I contact Kelly S. or Dave T., please? Are they agents?

How could I buy this one: http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/h303365512 Any help is appreciated!

Pete, thank you for bringing this up! Very interesting!

Deloin, vu de près, it is a TACHI TSUBA, depicting a HOO bird. Please sign all posts with a full first name and an initial.

Jean, 'ma république'!

Stephen, that is just marvelous, but it may be difficult to work it into a TSUBA! Seriously, is that pottery and not cast iron? Astounding! If it were iron, I would just brush it to remove the red rust. As pottery, leave it as it is. But I bet it is iron!

Yes, Stephen, that was the only one. I had two or three in hand long ago, but no photos left - that was before the digital era struck me....

Stephen, you mean KAESHI-ZUNO? No, it is not that one, but probably a decoration piece for the lower part of the WAKIZASHI SAYA. You see that sometimes on more ornate KOSHIRAE.

Peter, smith's name is MASAHISA.

Sergei, I wouldn't have called it a fake but a recent copy, unless it was sold to you as authentic KO-TOSHO and with a price according to that. In this case you should return it, if possible.

Jay, Yes. Unless he really did so, you can't do much.

Johni, it is difficult to say with photos alone, but I don't see evidence of forging or fire-welding. Instead I think I see scale all over the surface, and remains of grinding a bevel on the rim (2nd photo, 5°°). But that may well look different with the TSUBA in hand.

Sergei, TENPÔ (JIDAI) may be a correct time of manufacture, but I think it is much later. I don't see hammer marks, instead the surface shows a very even ISHIME, probably from artificial corrosion/patination. The steel gives an impression of a modern sheet steel. Without holding the TSUBA in hand, it looks to me like a late revival piece, nicely copied from a real KO-TOSHO TSUBA and with the correct dimensions..

Xavier, it might be difficult to find a blade at this price that will be a pleasure to look at. As you say, 'junk or hardly better' is perhaps nothing you can learn a lot from. My advice: invest some of the money in good books now, and in the years to come put some money aside for a better blade, possibly in polish, so you can see what you have.

It looks more like UME (plum tree).

Not KAGA shape! This ist typical KAGA:

Eric, in case you are 'thinking about trying IAIDO' (and perhaps TAMESHIGIRI - not tameshagiri), you need a competent teacher first. IAIDO is not practiced with sharp blades unless you are a highly graded master of the art.

Justwait, please sign all posts at least with your first name plus an initial, so we may address you politely. It is easily installed in your profile.

Yes, that is one of the properties of very pure iron. It is not so exposed to the risk of corrosion. But there are also modern iron alloys with similar properties (e.g. CORTEN steel). These metals produce a (protective) superficial layer of rust, but the process stops by itself. We can see this quite often on regularly used items like handrails. In Japanese metal craftsmanship we have SABIJI, an artificially induced, protective layer of iron oxides. Corrosion processes may be influenced by changing environmental conditions, e.g. pollution/acid rain.

Chris, you have really got eagle eyes! I think you are close!

NAKAGO looks artificially aged to my eyes.

For a first attempt with your new DREMEL it is not so bad, if you are not gifted as a cartoonist. But perhaps the 'artist' should have tried on a simple sheet of metal first ......

The problem with tests is to reproduce the real conditions. Derek did a great job, but mild steel has a very different 'behaviour' than low alloy carbon steel as far as corrosion is concerned. Carbon steel is quite easily attacked by rust, mild steel not so much.