JH Lee

Well, I was told the name from my friend (not available at the moment). I can't read Japanese/kanji... and there seems to be writing on both sides. If one side is the name, what does the other side say??

I am told it is: "Hizen-koku Yasunori" To me, this horimono looks really beautiful. Then again, I can't even draw this well with pencil. I couldn't even imagine the kind of patience and talent it would take to carve this into steel, one millimeter at a time. I just wish I knew what the heck is happening in the image. Why is there a dragon climbing all over that ken? Sorry if that's a silly question. I know even less about Japanese mythology/symbolism than I do about swords. Maybe with the proper polish, this sword would look really tremendous as a display piece.

What do you think about this horimono? From what I understand, such horimono are/were often added to hide various flaws. Does having elaborate horimono like this one ultimately add to the overall value of a sword or decrease it? Or is such "value" ultimately just in the eyes of the beholder? Thank you in advance for your feedback, everyone.

Hello everyone. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.