Niku.

[Dave R]

 Looking at my most recent acquisition a Kaneyoshi Shin-Gunto I noticed that the edge section was a flat V section rather than the clamshell section of most Nihonto. Is this a common feature of Showato?

  Possibly a reflection of the lack of body armour worn  in WW2,.... lack of skill on the part of individual smiths,..... or a feature of this swordsmith alone?

  Or am I just reading too much into a mere result of rapid production of a wartime blade.

Dave.

[Brian]

I think the rapid production aspect is far more likely the culprit. Easier to fabricate on machine tools and easier to polish.

[Rich S]

In case some new folks aren't familiar with the term "Niku", here's a good article my Keith Larman.

 

http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/niku.htm

 

Rich