ROKUJURO

Ben, a nice complete package! Congratulations! I do not think it might be KOTO because of the shape of the NAKAGO (not nagako!), but you will find out. Restoration of this part may prove to be difficult when you want to preserve the patina while making the MEI legible. I like the KOSHIRAE which is simple and probably quite late, but oviously in good condition. (Chris, this is no metal SAME, it is lacquered!). In general there is no period or time relation between blade and mounting, and a KOTO blade with original KOTO KOSHIRAE would be a very rare piece! The blade condition is a problem. I have the impression that it once was rusted all over, then cleaned in a non-appropriate way (sandpapered?) and had suffered from new rust again. A TOGISHI (I hope you have found a Japanese trained polisher?) will have some work with it. HADA seems to be MOKUME in places, I think. Anyway, I hope for a good outcome of the restoration! Please show photos here!

Garry, while the carbon content of TAMAHAGANE may come up to 1.4%, the carbon content of the HAGANE in a blade is generally about 0.7%, so not really low. A steel alloy of this quality can reach a max. hardness of 67 HRc after quenching. To my knowledge there is no standardized tempering process, however in some videos on Japanese blade forging you can see the smith moving his already quenched blade in the fire again, so there may be some variation in the techniques. A ''reasonably low quenching temperature'' has always to be above Curie temperature (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curie_temperature) (which is roughly 770°C for steel) to produce an hardening effect. This is the necessary temperature when the blades goes into the water, so you have to have about 800°C in the blade when it comes out of the fire to get there, and there is no 'moderate' hardening below that temperature! The literature says that the edges of traditionally forged Japanese sword blades are measured at about 60 HRc in many cases. I think that the ratio of SHINGANE and KAWAGANE versus HAGANE in a blade has a huge effect of how the blade reacts (deforms) in the quenching and what the requirements of tempering are afterwards. This ratio also decides the performance (resilience) of the finished blade in a slicing slash against a hard or soft medium.

Bruno, stylized fern sprouts? Just an idea!

John, please try again with better photos!

Could they mean a gutter cover or lid?

There are so many $ 5.-- Gallé vases on the market....

Darius, it looks like a long TSUKA for a WAKIZASHI! The TSUKA ITO is very probably leather; not uncommon at all.

Darius, your sword may not be 'very old' (how old is 'very old'?), but to me it looks like an EDO JIDAI blade, which comes down to a few hundred years at least. On the other hand, age has nothing to do with quality or desirability, so your blade might be a very nice one to look at and worth to care for. NAKAGO are usually filed so I don't think that the MEI was intentionally filed off. The problem with reading has more to do with your photos being not well focused. I think they might profit from a different angle of light. Try with artificial white light from the side or rub a small amount of talcum powder into the grooves of the MEI. Then wipe the NAKAGO clean with a soft tissu which may result in better readable KANJI. Hope that helps!

Thierry, thank you! OMURA's English is incredible, but I have the impression that he knows his stuff!

Please read http://ohmura-study.net/911.html for more information.

Sébastien, in my opinion this TSUBA is not in the typical KANEIE style, whatever signature it has.

Pictures? Not only from the NAKAGO but whole blade without HABAKI and details like KISSAKI, HADA, and HAMON as well! And please consider, we cannot replace a SHINSA panel just by looking at photos!

Yes. You can look for the smith in the internet, and maybe you find that SHINODA UJIFUSA was a SEKI swordsmith in WWII.

Looks very cosy, TSUBA can relax!

HABAKI can be hammered in place, when the NAKAGO is thicker than the blade. This prevents them from sitting too loose in their position. However, they can be removed with a piece of hardwood and a hammer.

First name is David? Did you give it a try yourself? The KANJI pages in the research department of NMB are a good help! I think the maker of the one-eyed SHOKI TSUBA might read TOSHIYASU.

The HABAKI does not seem to be the original one if it is one at all. I would like to suggest that you show the blade to an expert to learn proper handling and care. Do not put Japanese blades in a box and do not hang them on the wall unless they are wallhangers!

Gordon, are you really building a DAISHO or a DAISHO KOSHIRAE? Is this a DIY project or are you having it made by Japanese craftsmen? If this was the case, I think they would tend to use traditional material and decoration.

Josh, this one is probably a very recent (bad) copy.

Kurt, JIDAI means 'period' or 'age' (e.g. EDO JIDAI). The surface of your TSUBA looks a little coarse. You say it is carved, but do you see tools marks or traces of chisel work when you look closely at it?

ktanner, if you please sign with your first name we can address you politely. These swords were mainly machine made, at least that is my information. Restoring a TSUKA and replacing SEPPA and TSUBA is something you have to know about if you want to have an 'original' in the end and not a mere military wallhanger.

Enrico, my feeling is that there are no rules of how to start. Look at many good TSUBA (or pictures thereof) and ask yourself what you like about them. Looking at arts in general is not necessary related to knowledge, and you need not know schools and artists, materials, motives, and techniques to appreciate TSUBA. In the course of time you will find out what attracts you most and then you can start gathering knowledge and learning specific characteristics. Unless you plan to hold lectures about this subject, you can just enjoy looking at these little 'objets d'art'!

David, welcome to the NMB! The signature is easier to read vertically. It may be KANEKIYO, and the slanted YASURI ME may indeed be a hint to WWII production. To say more, we would need detailed and well focused photos of the blade. The NAKAGO is not 'well aged', but it is badly rusted so we can guess it was stored in a moist place. But please do not attempt to clean or polish it, you might damage it as happens so often! Please read the respective articles here on NMB about sword care, restoration and preservation.

Thank you, Paul! Good advice!

Steve, polishing is not just knowledge but mainly experience, and that takes time and commitment. There are indeed a lot of facts to learn but besides this you have to get a feeling of what is 'good' or beautiful in NIHON TO, as you wrote correctly. This was nicely illustrated in the SASAKI video. Teaching traditional crafts in Japan is mainly a possibility for the student to gain experience. He is guided by the SENSEI, but not taught in the way we Westerners are used to. That is the reason why even SASAKI-SENSEI confessed that he would probably never be as good as his teacher NAGAYAMA KOKAN. It is a lifetime learning process, and the results depend more on the personality of the polisher and how he was trained than on his knowledge I think.