If you count the number of layers actually created in the metal, though, the number of "folds" grows exponentially. If you count the actual amount of times the smith folds the steel, folding it a thousand times would drop the carbon content to zero, making the steel unfit for a sword. The common image of a katana being folded thousands of times depends on what you consider a fold. 2 percent until it's soft enough to withstand being used.īelow is a great example of the steel folding process. Each fold brings down the carbon content about. There's a common belief that a Japanese sword's strength comes from folding it, but folding actually makes tamahagane softer, not harder. Tamahagane has so much carbon that a sword made from the untreated metal would shatter the first time it was used. Nihonto are usually made from a high-carbon steel called " tamahagane 玉鋼 （ たまはがね ）." Carbon makes steel hard, but it also makes it brittle. The Basics of Steel Source: Charles Tilford Appraisers would use all these features to tell which period and school of swordsmithing the sword came from, but if you're just viewing a blade, it's enough just to know these features exist. The smith would also choose which kind of back to forge, from flat to three-sided. The point determined its piercing power, and could vary from long and curved to short and angular. For ancient blades, the placement of the curve affected its cutting power and how quickly it could be drawn.
Once out, hold the sword upright at arm's length and notice the curvature. Slide the sword out along its back to make sure the scabbard doesn't scratch the blade. The acid in your fingerprint will cause rust. First, hold it edge-up and push the hilt away from the scabbard with your thumb. It's traditional to bow to a sword before a viewing, though if the occasion is informal it'll probably look strange. Japanese swords have a lot of details that are hard to catch without proper lighting, so you need a good, strong light source.
Now that you know if it's a nihonto or gunto, next is viewing the blade's personality. It's really too bad, because somewhere out there is a Japanese national treasure called the Honjo Masamune, which was taken by a G.I. The only way to tell is the signature, which most people can't read. You would normally be able to tell them apart from the steel's grain or the temper line, but unfortunately, most swords that made their way abroad are in such poor condition the metal's features have faded. Still, some WWII swords were family swords modified for military fittings.
Wwii japanese sword serial numbers serial numbers#
The cheapest gunto also have serial numbers on the blade, which immediately tells you they were mass produced. So if the scabbard has hangers, it is probably a gunto.
Japanese WWII soldiers hung their swords at their hips, but edge-down from loops on the scabbard. Tachi look pretty similar to katana, but were worn horizontally, edge-down behind a samurai's back. Gunto are actually not based on katana, but an older kind of sword called a tachi. If you're not in Japan, though, one way to tell is the scabbard. If you try to bring a gunto into the country, it will be confiscated and you will be deported as if you tried bringing in an AK-47. There have been cases of American gunto owners wanting to reunite a Japanese soldier's sword with his family, but unfortunately the law makes that almost impossible. Since the mass-produced gunto have no artistic value, the Japanese government classifies them as weapons. If the sword is in Japan it is definitely a nihonto. If you can't do these things, it's still not very difficult.
Wwii japanese sword serial numbers how to#
If you can read Japanese and know how to open the grip, the signature on the tang (the part of the blade inside the handle) will tell you exactly what it is. Telling a gunto from a high quality blade is usually easy.
Although some gunto were either handcrafted or partially handcrafted, most were assembled in factories from standard bar stock. (meaning either "saber" or "service sword") were the swords of Japanese WWII officers. While being able to properly appraise a sword can take a lifetime, fortunately, you can see what makes a sword unique just by knowing what to look for. Japanese swords are works of art, but to the untrained eye one isn't much different from another. Japanese sword, we couldn't do much more than hold it cross-eyed and bleat out "nice sword." Why some consider a Masamune on par with a da Vinci eludes us. For most of us who get the chance to handle a finely crafted nihonto 日本刀 （ にほんと ）
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