Marius

@Christan I believe it is called hada-tachi (hada that stands out). @John I still think it is hada. But we'd have to see it in hand.

John, I believe they are often called chikei, but are the result of folding various sorts of steel. Real chikei are arrays of ji-nie and are a hallmark of quality. I guess, this is a question of nomenclature. However, when we call something chikei, we should not refer to what is an aspect of hada. For how should we then call those formations of ji-nie?

It is always possible (and highly likely) that the pole has been shortened and the ishizuki fitted at the cut off end. Costs of shipping for objects longer than 1.5m are prohibitively high, so the Japanese dealers just cut the pole down when shipping overseas. Which is a shame, but what can you do... Was it worth JPY200k? A nice blade papered, polished and in koshirae (even a shortened one)? I would say you have paid the full price, but I would also say it was reasonable. Enjoy your little beauty!

PM sent

Russell, You cannot go wrong buying from Grey. He is one of the top dealers, always absolutely reliable and honest.

Why don't you post your video on Youtube or Vimeo, and them post the link here?

Sengoku_54jp is the same dealer as daimyou54eb. On Yahoo they can pull any auction if the reached price is not satisfying for them. And so they do - a common practice.

John, You won't find anything better at this price, that is for sure. Also, Grey is one of the nicest people to deal with - a real gentleman. Tokubetsu Hozon is also nice to have - it tells you a lot about the quality.

I will take it.

Bought one, can't wait to get it.

And you were right. Don't do it, unless you want shiny inlay.

Yes, but this tsuba has soft metal inlays. They will be polished and I am not sure if Mark would like that.

I just wanted to add, Barry, that I appreciate that you are worried what people can do to their swords. The best advice is "don't try to clean it, apply machine oil". I agree with that, it is the best advice for novices. But not for seasoned collectors, is it.

Barry, I agree on the pitfalls, but one can: 1. get proper uchiko (e.g. from Bob Benson) 2. apply it carefully (in fact Bob attches a document on how to use it to avoid scratches) Of course a moron will do neither 1. nor 2., but then again, a moron will try to remove a rust spot with sandpaper and possibly polish a sword himself. Hence, I do not think that your argument is valid.

Gents, this article is not about how to remove oil. It is about how uchiko can enhance the sword (show its "true face" if you will). Of course, poor uchiko (to be bought as part of those cheap sword care care kits) may damage the sword, just like the application of too much pressure during "uchikoing". But that is another matter. Provided we have good quality uchiko from a polisher and we know how to use it (gently), its application should result in a sword where you can see more activities, including steel particles. This is what Kojima is claiming and this is what we should discuss. Of course warnings like "crap uchiko will damage your sword" and "too vigorous cleaning with good uchiko will result in scratches" is absolutely OK here, they are in fact really needed.