. . . this is my Nihonto katana. I received it after my grandfather died in 1957. It was a prominent feature in his "doghouse" out back by his workshop.
Information on the origin of a true Nihonto is recorded on the tang (nagako). One side of the nagako usually has the date (nengo) and the other side has the smith's signature (mei).
This is the mei or swordsmith's signature. It reads "oiete toto hizen no kuni Tadamitsu tsukuru kore," which means: "at Tokyo, Tadamitsu of Hizen Province made this".
This is the nengo or dating of the blade. It reads "Showa jyu hachi nen san gatsu kichi jitsu," which means: "on a fortunate day in March in the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Hirohito," (March, 1943).
. . . and yes, it will cut bacon. Not a good idea, though. Legend says that a Nihonto, once drawn in anger, cannot be sheathed without drawing blood.
I must go and sheath it now. Done. OUCH! Wait. I wasn't angry.
2 comments:
See now that's a PROPER Nihonto whereas my set are cheap copies and only just fit for slicing open packets of bacon.
The Japanese sword makers are/were remarkable people. A genuine "Samurai sword" (a term which of course they would never use) is a thing of beauty and one of the pinnacles of sacred workmanship. When you consider that the methods used are largely unchanged for thousands of years and that way back then they produced such incredibly sophisticated (in terms of engineering) weapons it rightly belittles our Western arrogance where the popular belief is that the Industrial Revolution was the onset of modern civilisation and a step away from a time of darkness.
The swords of feudal Japan, like many other things in Japan, contain something sadly lacking from many (with few exceptions) modern engineering and manufacturing practices: professional pride in doing a job *really* well and a religious fervour for striving to make the object the best available.
In the words of Bill and Ted - we are not worthy. :-)
Ian,
You are correct. There is no steel like that in a Nihonto. Not even the Toledo steels. (Contrary to what Duncan McLeod thinks, Toledo and Salamanca are different cities, so a Toledo Salamanca makes no sense at all).
At 26.5", this particular katana is just over two shaku in length. It is in its storage case shirasaya, and is not in great condition because of misuse over the years. Most of that is my fault, since I was only 14 when I inherited it.
Tadamitsu of Hizen is not a particularly renowned smith, and I haven't found much in the way of records on him.
The katana is intact, very sharp, and has the traditional shinogi zukuri shape, It could use a professional polish, but that's something I cannot afford - and it probably wouldn't pay on one of this quality anyhow.
I need to fabricate a new mekugi, and the shirasaya needs some repair.
You might find this interesting:
http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/glossary.htm
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