samurai swords

[the possum]

4W4K3-
Now that I see the rest of the pictures I realize it's not supposed to be a traditional katana at all. From the ones you showed it did indeed look like a lot of the fakes coming from China. The grain, etched hamon, shapes, etc. do not resemble a traditionally made piece, which is what I assumed the original poster was asking for.

 

[aaronjayl]

Here's some links to some of my favorite Nihonto drool sites for those interested:

www.nihonto.com
www.nihonto.ca
www.ricecracker.com
www.aoi-art.com
www.samuraisword.com

 

[4W4K3]

4W4K3-
Now that I see the rest of the pictures I realize it's not supposed to be a traditional katana at all. From the ones you showed it did indeed look like a lot of the fakes coming from China. The grain, etched hamon, shapes, etc. do not resemble a traditionally made piece, which is what I assumed the original poster was asking for.

Ah, yes that was my bad. It is definetly not a traditional design. The handle guard is almost like a weapon in itself lol. Very different.

 

[Okieforger]

hey guys i just test cut with my sword. I cut a 2 liter bottle of pop (no
there wasnt any pop in side) in half. I filled it with water and omg it was so cool!!!! like a hot knife through melted butter

 

[4W4K3]

Yup, that's always fun. Now go get some tatami mats and soak them...those are a REAL blast.

My first dozen or so cuts were pretty bad like this one...

But then I went to a cutting seminar/lesson for a few hours and practiced several different cuts with tatami mats. I think I improved alot after that.

 

[David Schott]

Others are correct. A hamon is the transition line between hardened steel and the softer steel along the spine as a result of differential hardening. The second set of pics are indeed a byproduct of selective etching rather than an actual hamon. Thats not to say that the steel isnt hardened correctly, but the line shown is not the hamon. Hamons in damascus are more difficult to see and photograph.