What do you call these?

[Cola]

Hi all,

 

I have been staring at this wakizashi, while reading the encyclopedia and the conaisseurs guide, and it's not easy to match all the terms with what I see in my hands.

So I made some pictures and I was curious what the more experienced collectors make of this.

So with this wakizashi I see a darker band around the hamon (blue in the annotated pictures) and a more reflective area closer to the ha (red). But I also some detached areas that are also hardened, but still enveloped by the darker zone.

My best guess is that darker zone nis the nioi (or nie?) and the detached blob is sort of a tobiyaki (or not, because it is still enveloped in nioi)?

Compared to my other examples however, the nioiguchi is much more varied in thickness; 

Or is this all the result of polishing and am I looking at the wrong things?

[ChrisW]

I believe the term you are looking for is 'sunagashi'

[Cola]

3 minutes ago, ChrisW said:

I believe the term you are looking for is 'sunagashi'

The description of sunagashi shows clear lines and sort of patterns like sweeping sand etc. 

But in this case it's more like a misty cloud; maybe just not very clear sunagashi?

[Cola]

Here's some more pictures with some more effort on lighting in such a way that the activities have more contrast. 

[Lewis B]

Isn't that just formations of nioi?

[Hoshi]

 

Hi Carlo, 

 

This is confusing I know. Back in the days, when I drew my first Oshigata, I drew the hadori outline of the sword... 

 

From this angle, what you see being at the yellow line is the outline of the hadori, the whitening finish that the polisher applies on a traditional kesho polish. 

 

What you see in red is the boundary of the true hamon. 

 

This is a rather intense hadori job that has been done quickly, and the hadori line doesn't follow the hamon accurately. It is emphasized here to create an undulating impression (the default for hadori, which is created by small circular motions of the thumb following the hamon with a piece of shaped whetstone underneath), whereas the hamon of your sword is composed of angular gunome with deposits of nie. 

 

It's a common occurrence to find rather quick and intense hadori works for swords where it is financially irrational to invest thousands of dollars (3K-4K$) and wait for a year to have an appropriate, character elevating hadori finish. This is why western collectors drum sashikomi as the only right finish, with hadori often painted as being untruthful 'make-up' to mask things. Top tier hadori is wonderful however, and appropriate for many types of nie-dominant blades interpreted in a shape that the finger can realistically follow.

 

When looking at the sword under an angle at the light, the hadori will visually vanish (Going from light to dark) and you will see the light reflecting at the nie (Going from dark to light), forming the real border (nioiguchi) of your sword's hamon. 

 

Hope this helps,

 

Best,

 

Hoshi

[Cola]

14 hours ago, Hoshi said:

 

Hi Carlo, 

 

This is confusing I know. Back in the days, when I drew my first Oshigata, I drew the hadori outline of the sword... 

 

From this angle, what you see being at the yellow line is the outline of the hadori, the whitening finish that the polisher applies on a traditional kesho polish. 

 

What you see in red is the boundary of the true hamon. 

 

This is a rather intense hadori job that has been done quickly, and the hadori line doesn't follow the hamon accurately. It is emphasized here to create an undulating impression (the default for hadori, which is created by small circular motions of the thumb following the hamon with a piece of shaped whetstone underneath), whereas the hamon of your sword is composed of angular gunome with deposits of nie. 

 

It's a common occurrence to find rather quick and intense hadori works for swords where it is financially irrational to invest thousands of dollars (3K-4K$) and wait for a year to have an appropriate, character elevating hadori finish. This is why western collectors drum sashikomi as the only right finish, with hadori often painted as being untruthful 'make-up' to mask things. Top tier hadori is wonderful however, and appropriate for many types of nie-dominant blades interpreted in a shape that the finger can realistically follow.

 

When looking at the sword under an angle at the light, the hadori will visually vanish (Going from light to dark) and you will see the light reflecting at the nie (Going from dark to light), forming the real border (nioiguchi) of your sword's hamon. 

 

Hope this helps,

 

Best,

 

Hoshi

 

Thanks for the great explanation! I can imagine it is hadori, the blade does seem quite freshly polished, so a modern budget polishing job is most likely. 

 

I have tried quite hard to find a nioiguchi along the red line, but so far I have not found it (let along managed to capture it in a picture); but I will give it another shot. Any advice on getting the lighting type and angle just right for a nioiguchi is greatly appreciated!

Or can the nioiguchi also be smothered by this over-enthusiastic hadori job to the point where it is no longer visible?

 

 

[O koumori]

from http://www.ksky.ne.jp./~sumie99/treatment.html

[Geraint]

Dear Carlo.

 

I do not think you will find a clearly defined nioi guchi on this blade, on some there is a clearly defined and uniform line which is consistent throughout the length of the blade.  Your blade has a great deal of nie and associated activity and so might be described as a nie rich and diffuse habuchi.  In other words the limit of the hamon is comprised of nie activities spreading up into the face of the blade so that there is no distinct boundary between the ha and the body of the blade.

 

Hope this helps.

 

All the best.