cabowen

I would agree that the aesthetics of tsuba appreciation are more akin to pottery in general and tea ware in particular, as well as all other traditional arts with roots in the wabi-sabi aesthetic. Flaws in blades are judged as they are in tools; manufacturing faults are seen as hindering the performance and function. With lives at risk, the functionality takes precedence. The natural patination and corrosion are of the utmost important, along with the flaws that have occurred "naturally", because it gives the piece what the Japanese call "aji"- flavor, or character in this case. The wabi-sabi aesthetic is all about natural decay, imperfection, and organic form and process. It is about entropy with grace. It is like zen art, sumi-e, and haiku: the universe in a cup of tea. The few lines that allow us to complete the picture in our minds, or the few words that speak volumes. From the simple imperfections, the patina, we get the "taste", a "flavor" and we are reminded of the human condition, of our ancestors, of the evanescence of life. It is a stimulant of the senses, of the mind....

It isn't a "paper", just the Japanese license that must be with all swords. It gives, the length, curvature, signature, etc. By the way, according to the license, this sword is a wakizashi, not a katana as advertised.

These were given out to instill patriotism. They usually have patriotic phrases. The first one was written, if it can be believed, by Tojo Hideki. Hissho Hi Sei (Hoping for Victory and Success) Second one is written very nicely. I do not recognize the name off-hand....Kawamura something....Kun ? Kotobuki Aki

I enjoy the interplay between the rustic and the refined; the tension it creates is very dynamic.

I have seen rats on kodogu many times as a symbol of prosperity.... One New Year's Day morning I woke to strange sounds coming from my ofuro (bath tub room). I went in there and was horrified to see a rat in my tub! Because of the stainless and steep sides, he was unable to get out! I grabbed an iai-to (fake metal blade) and took a few stabs at him until he was skewered. That is when I noticed I nearly pierced the tub! That would have been an expensive mistake.... Anyway, I was absolutely sickened by the fact that somehow a rat had gotten into my house. When I told my Japanese friends about it, they all complimented me on how auspicious this was.....I preferred to keep the rats outside nonetheless.... Another time I was on a date (with the women I eventually married) when we stopped at a rather dumpy bar in Shinjuku to kill a little time before seeing a movie. We had just sat down when a rat jumped out of a hole in the wall at the end of the bar and ran down toward us, skipped across our hands, ran the rest of the way down the bar, and then jumped down and ran out the open door! My date was looking away and it happened so fast they she completely missed it...My jaw was on the floor- I looked at the bartender and he had this big, toothless grin! I grabbed the date and ran out the door...She couldn't understand what the problem was until we were well down the street.... I have several other rat in Japan stories, but will save those for another day....

yes, missing that last train home will do that to a women....seen it more times than I would like to admit......

George: Perhaps you are referring to the "maneki neko" (招き猫), which is a symbol of good fortune, prosperity, etc. in Japan. A beckoning cat statue is nearly always seen near the entrance or cash register of businesses in Japan...

I agree. That is why it bothers me, as it should all who own these blades, to see them "polished" by amateurs..... I doubt anyone on this board will argue your point, yet many here will turn right around and let amateurs "polish" these blades....Go figure....

We are only renting, as they say.....

There were several factors that contributed to the success and prosperity of the Hizen school: strong patronage meant a steady stream of quality materials and craftsman; a strong demand meant regular work (practice makes perfect), a long, continuous patronage meant continuity and refinement.

I think it bears mentioning that the research which Omura cites details the scientific methods used to manufacture "state of the art" swords. These methods included not only a metallurgical analysis to determine the optimum materials, but also a manufacturing process which produced uniform construction (with the core centered as it should be) and using instrumentation, even, controlled, uniform heat treatment. Basically, they eliminated all the guesswork that is part of traditional sword making and optimized the most important variables.

George- Thanks for the links....I fought my way through half of it before getting a head ache and throwing in the towel. The text displays on top of itself in many sections and even if the translation was decent, it is illegible. The gist of it seems to be that modern science was used to produce a blade with performance, not beauty, the goal. I find it rather easy to believe that with all the modern tools and science available, a superior performing sword can be created. This is not to say that the smiths of old did not make a superior cutting sword, only that it was probably only the best smiths and maybe with a lot more variation. I have no doubt a Mantetsu blade will perform as well or better than 99% of old, traditionally made swords. For myself, I see a lack of beauty in the mantetsu sword and the reason I collect Japanese swords has as much to do with beauty as with function. Therefore, while they may be technically superior, they are inferior as an example of craft. No doubt a modern, mass produced sniper rifle will outperform a handmade matchlock, yet there are many that choose to collect the matchlock, not for its performance as a weapon, but for the beauty of its handmade construction.....

Unfortunately, many people assume because someone has spent a short time in Japan that they are "trained". Nothing could be farther from the truth. I do not wish to disparage the gentleman as he is a sincere person doing his best but he is indeed without the proper training.

George- thanks for the link but it is broken... Regarding the debate on steel performance, I have found that the person wielding the blade is much more important than what it is made of in most cases.... There were indeed many problems with breakage in Manchuria due to the cold initially with traditionally made blades. Mantetsu-to and other non-traditional steels were developed as a result and found to give better performance. I do know that there are good and bad impurities in steel and western steel can indeed be brittle. The term western steel covers a lot of ground and within that broad definition there are undoubtedly steels that perform well as swords when properly processed and heat treated and those that do not. One advantage to tamahagane is that the smith was able to judge and work his material as he required. Western steels were like handing a baker a ball of dough and telling him to bake bread. Without knowing what is in it, it makes it more difficult.

I have read results that showed that traditional tamahagane blades performed poorly in the cold weather in Manchuria and that experiments showed that western steel performed better in those cold conditions. I haven't read anything that said that western steel outperformed in all conditions before....Can you point me to the site on Omura's less than web page George?

He is not a professionally trained polisher. For someone who has stated that they are looking for the best polish available, you are pointing him in the wrong direction.

The OP asked for the highest grade polish in Japan. Does anyone really believe that there is anyone outside of Japan that has the skill of the mukansa polishers in Japan??? Have any of the people recommended even completed the full apprenticeship under a professional???

Just kidding Carlo.....

Ah ha, But do we know if this Ono Yoshimitsu is shoshin, or another test?????

I have heard that several of the swords illustrated in Robinson's book are in fact gimei.....anyone else hear this?

katsumasa, dated October, Showa 18 (1943)....Probably not a traditionally made blade.

The NBTHK publishes a series of books of juyo and of tokubetsu juyo. I imagine if you picked up the complete set, you would have a thousand or so blades to study. Would be quite costly though.....

No, you didn't mention licensing, you wrote: "All Showa era swords must be signed by law." That is a false statement. Again, there is nothing in the JuToHo that states a Showa era sword has to be signed at the time of manufacture or that a Showa era sword must be signed to be licensed, which in Japan, means it is "legal" to own. There were huge numbers of unsigned swords made in the Showa period and if they are judged to be traditionally made, they are legal and licensed. And sometimes even awarded kanteisho. Show us the law.....

Yes, the kanji cut into the nakago are the smith's name: Hattori Masahiro 服部　 正広 The paint is an assembly mark. More than that, I can not say....

Second that recommendation. Excellent photos in a large format.....