Sword Made Of A Meteorite

[jeeplover]

 http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/05/12/theres-a-katana-in-the-tokyo-skytree-thats-forged-from-a-meteorite/

ok my question is could this sword be licensed and paper in Japan? if so why? here is the sword law in Japan.

http://www.jssus.org/nkp/japanese_sword_laws.html

what I am reading in the law is.

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.

this sword is made from a meteorite not tamahagane. so it can not pass shinsa or be papered right? if it can be please explain to me why.  

[Fuuten]

Well for one, there are always exceptions to the rule.

 

Secondly they can still be registered.

 

And thirdly, given they will not test every sword, there is no way to know for sure if there is even one sword made entirely out of for instance foreign steel but in traditional ways. Though usually it was from what i read just a small amount, who knows.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Already being discussed at http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/16784-meteorites-swords/.

 

Ken

[jeeplover]

I see it is being discussed but it still does not answer my question.

[Lance]

Aside from tamaghane, some smiths also make their own steel, (oroshigane?)   using materials from old buildings/ shrines etc.   

 

My understanding is ieven though not striclly tamaghane, the smiths are pretty much creating their own.  In the case of meteoric iron it would be combined with or turned into this traditional material and is perfectly acceptablle.

 

 

The topic below has a good discussion of processing old steel, hope this is of some use:

 

 http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/8695-recycled-steel/

 

Regards,

Lance

[seattle1]

Hello:

The sword is in Japan, was probably made entirely in Japan, was made by a licensed smith, and is almost certainly registered. There has been a long history of Japanese swords incorporating imported metal, Nanbantetsu being the most obvious from early Shinto times. Only a small amount of the meteorite material would be incorporated into the tamahagane and that would be the fairy dust that makes the news. Other well know examples of partial foreign metal is found in the history of such well known smiths working during the immediate years after the Haitorei as Hayama Enshin who is said to have added Swedish steel. Horii Hideaki famously used steel from a damaged cannon from the legendary battleship Mikasa, flagship of Admiral Togo during the Russo-Japanese War, to add into other material for the making of quite a few tanto prior to WWII. Both the Enshin and Hideaki blades using such material show not fully homogenized streaks of chikei indicative of the foreign materials. The Mikasa gun was made in Great Britain. I have examples of both smith's work and they were certainly registered in Japan and papered. The meteorite using blade would be no different.

Arnold F.

[bigjohnshea]

I once owned a Gassan Sadaharu tanto (I believe it was late shin-shinto) with NBTHK Hozon that was made with old steel from Kinpo Castle.

 

I don't know if that qualifies as an "antique" in a market full of swords that are many hundreds or a thousand plus years old.  It was definitely papered though.

 

Cheers.

[Pete Klein]

NBTHK 'Papers' are only issued to 'deceased' makers, not living. I believe the other organizations follow suit, but their members would be better to advise than I.

 

Yoshindo Yoshihara is still living, although I have heard other opinions on the matter...

[w.y.chan]

The 9th Hokke Saburo Nobufusa also attempted making sword from meteorite

 

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/hokkesaburo/

 

[John A Stuart]

Haaaaa! Pete that's funny. John

[Ken-Hawaii]

I must be missing something in translation, John. What's so funny, other than the shop dog?

 

Ken

[Tcat]

The 9th Hokke Saburo Nobufusa also attempted making sword from meteorite

 

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/hokkesaburo/

 

Some really fantastic photos in there....