Dogen

I'd love to get a hardcover copy! Largest format possible.

I was wandering around Aoi-Arts today and found a katana with some very strange looking damage to the nakago. There are several circular and semi-circular chips and dents on both sides. Any ideas? http://www.aoijapan.com/katana-mumei-kzusa-kami-kaneshige John

Those where my thoughts as well. Very, very bizarre sword. I wonder what it looked like originally? How unfortunate. John

Even though I'm a complete Nihonto neophyte, I can usually spot imitations and fakes. This one, however, has me a bit stumped. Is this a complete fake or is it a real Nihonto that has been acid etched and given a keisho polish? Or is it just the photos that are giving it a "Damascus steel" look? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Great-HITATSURA-KATANA-sword-w-White-sheath-EDO-39-4-x-27-6-1-43kg-/291687532580?hash=item43e9ee8824:g:AkMAAOSw4SlV77Yy John

No - it's mumei. NTHK attributed it to Kanenori (Mino - Eisho period). The hamon is really cool. It's considered hitatsura but all the other hitatsura examples I've seen have muneyaki. In this one, the hamon just touches or reaches just above the shinoji. It has an almost flame-like appearance.

I've followed this discussion with interest. My (only) nihonto was sold to me as a katana. The NTHK origami list the nagasa length as 1 shaku, 9 sun, 9 bu. NTHK origami don't indicate the class of the blade (wakizashi vs katana), so I always assumed it this would fall into the katate-uchi class of "long sword" and not a wakizashi. It is of the right time period from what I've learned so far (Eisho period). John

Thank you so much James. Interesting description of the known hamon patterns used. My katana is a hitatsura pattern, albeit a bit subdued compared to some blades I've seen. It reaches above the shinogi in certain areas with lots of tobiyaki. There isn't any hardening on or near the mune. John

I've only recently acquired my first Nihonto. The NTHK papers have attributed it to Kanenori from the Eisho Period. There are several Kanenori smiths listed but only two are from the Eisho Period and the kanji doesn't seem to closely match the sword's origami. I was wondering if anyone would be able to offer some opinions on whether the attribution is to either of these smiths: http://nihontoclub.com/smiths/KAN1920 http://nihontoclub.com/smiths/KAN1889 Many thanks, John

Hello everyone, I thought I should introduce myself. My name is John. I live in Olympia, Washington. I've always been a bit of a "Nipponophile." I've studied Zen and practiced zazen since I was a teenager -- enough to know that I really don't know much about anything. I do know that I have been drawn to nihonto for as long as I can remember. The ceremony surrounding the sword, the reverence the sword was held in, and the life and death purpose of the sword all seemed larger than life when I first started reading about Samurai and Bushido. I've always enjoyed viewing the swords shown online and the few I've seen in museum exhibits. I've also, of course, fantasized about owning one myself. That fantasy has recently turned into a reality. I know I've probably broken every rule given to neophytes but I, perhaps impulsively, bought a katana a few weeks ago. So I am here to begin more serious study of nihonto in general and learn more of the history of my sword and sword smith or school in particular. John B.