djcollection

Some of you may have noticed my earlier post about those scratches on the shinogiji. While browsing through the old posts in the forum, it's no surprise hat most experienced members here are against amateur polish of any kinds, so I'm not gonna go down that path. Just wondering is it worth it to get a professional polish done (just to get rid of the scratches)? Or should I just accept it as it is and better off doing nothing? Seems like there's really no middle ground on this. What do you all think?

I couldn't help but noticed the similarity between zoomed-in nashiji hada (really hard to capture on camera) and the rayskin pattern circled in red

Done that, nothing came out.

Thanks Ken, already tried that and no unusual sound heard.

I reckon so, especially from the right side of the blade - multiple scratches in the same direction.

Thanks Lev, the damage is done and no more additional scratches found. I'll just leave it as there's no way I can fix the existing scratches.

The best option will be an expensive one :D

Should I just leave it it or can I do something about it? I think the blade got scratched down the track inside the saya.

Thanks for point it out JP, you are right; it all depends.

If it’s a Shinto blade, I reckon you should get it a proper polish. I was just reading a book on modern Japanese swords, and it mentioned about women polisher during the war period. A Shinto deserves better.

What’s TLC by the way? Is it a kind of metal polish that can be used on Gendaito? Don’t think we have it in NZ

Makes sense. Do you think this blade is of low level polishing or standard polishing? Compare to most nihontos I've seen online, there's not alot hataraki in the hamon. Is it due to lack of proper polishing or other reasons?

“The term "gendai or gendaito" on the other hand is used by collectors to refer to traditionally made blades; those which have folded steel and are water tempered. The Japanese require that for a sword to be "gendaito" it must be made of tamehagane or oroshigane even though it is impossible to tell what a sword is made from after the sword is finished and polished. Swords made of forge folded commercial mill steel look the same as those made of tamehagane after they are polished although some collectors feel that swords made of tamehagane are more likely to have active hamon and more prominent hada than those made of folded mill steel.” Quoted from http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/showato.htm For a gendaito, can I speculate that this blade was water quenched and made of folded mill steel due to less active hamon and less prominent hada?

While browsing the samuraishokai website, I noticed this katana with hamon diferent from the rest (looks kind of like oil quenched, correct me if I'm wrong) and it was made during Showa period. https://www.samuraishokai.jp/sword/19163.html Do you think it's a Showato or Genaito? If it was Showato and not made in the traditional way, will it still get a "Torokusho" 登録証 and be allowed for sale on the website as nihonto? "Only traditionally made Nihonto can be licensed, i.e. swords made in Japan from Tamahagane 玉鋼 (and Shinto swords that are inscribed "Motte Namban-Tesu 以南蠻鐵" ["made using steel from the southern barbarians"]). This means in effect that it has to be either an antique, or made by a contemporary, licensed smith. Mass produced WWII swords (so called Showato昭和刀) and foreign made swords are not eligible for Torokusho." http://www.jssus.org/nkp/japanese_sword_laws.html