"Kami" marks - Chapter 5/04

Thomas Linton

Thomas Linton

Joined
Jun 16, 2003
Messages
20,207
I have acquaired what seems to be a Bura AK marked with the HI script in the usual place. The only other mark is a crescent moon between cho and bolster, but it's on the left side of the blade - opposite side from HI marking. Does this date the piece to a particular period? Flat ground. Hibaki. Wonderfully deep fuller.

Ed: How about a definitive "sticky" on kami marks?
 
Thats an interesting point that eluded me. Slipped right by. If you get the chance check out my post on a Chir Siru. In two photos' you can see a kami mark on the left side. Cresent moon no initials. Standard bolster. Reportedly forged in the late 90's. I dunno. I'm new at this.
 
Most of my HIs are like this. I think that it points to late 90's, although the Sher AK I got in 2002 and the Kesar GS in had the same thing.

This was b4 all the requests fer english characters and such. Now some small HI blades look like an symbol/initial-fest (its a lot to put on the HI seax, anyway)

I like the ones without the english initials.

Keith
 
Ferrous Wheel said:
This was b4 all the requests fer english characters and such. Now some small HI blades look like an symbol/initial-fest.
Click to expand...

I think this is the reason for the "cho creep". Dunno if it's already been mentioned though. It's probably just me jumping on the bandwagon after the music has stopped.
 
Ferrous- no one likes the english initials. Bill doesn't like them, I don't like them, my old english teacher wouldn't like them. But the old symbol sigs weren't working because the Kamis kept swapping them.

If they'd sign in their own language it would look a heck of a lot better.


munk
 
worked fine fer me and the Kamis. If we weren't so loyal to certain kamis, there'd be no need. I've never bought an HI and said "Hey can I get kami XX's version?" I always bought fer the model, not the maker. avg kamis have good days, good kamis have bad days. big deal.

By coinncidence, most of my current HI pieces are Sanu, followed by Sher. Sure, I have my fave kamis, but the Khuks I saw by other makers are just dandy.

Keith
 
The habaki bolster cinches it. Some time after Jim March sent his Japanese sword over for a pattern to use for the Everest Katana, the habaki type bolster started showing up on khuks.

And the katana's showed up with full length hidden tangs, peened over a buttcap and keeper, plus getting the pana butta treatment ( aka chiruwa ) to boot.
 
Thomas, I posted a bunch of pics of kami marks here. The pic in post #14 shows one of the older Bura marks I got awhile back that sounds like your description.

attachment.php
 
That's the mark. I had hoped it would date the piece but it seems to have been used, dropped, and resued, over a period of years. Thanks for the help.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top