W-2 katana

Bailey Bradshaw

Bailey Bradshaw

Joined
Sep 13, 2001
Messages
816
I almost finished the polish ont his one today. My elbows ache from all the rubbing.

The blade is styled after swords of the Nambokucho era where the Japanese were fighting with the Mongols who used thick leather for armour. The blades were made wider, generally thinner and with longer points or O-kissaki. I heat treated this one with a hitatsura effect (all over hardening) in the striking area called the monouchi. The rest of the blade has a double hamon, that is on both the edge and the spine, for the entire length of the blade.

The blade measures 29" from kissaki to munemachi (spine notch where the habaki seats), and has 1/2" curve or sori. It is .295" thick and 1.35" wide at the munemachi and .210" thick and 1.1" wide at the yokote (ridge where the kissaki starts).

W-2 ...when thermal cycled several times, gets really pronounced banding, and this shows up so prominently at the hamon, that it looks as bold as some damascus. It vividly shows the flow of the grain all the way through to the tip.

I am planing on mounting it in a plain wood storage scabbard tomorrow, so I will post more pics then.

Hope you all enjoy....
 
Oh baby! That hamon looks sweet! I know squat about Japanese swords but I love the blade design on this one. Thanks for the historical perspective as well.

Roger

P.S. - Am I the only one that gets the impression that you have to have a vocabulary of at least 500 Japanese words just to intelligently and accurately describe the various bits and pieces of a sword?
 
RogerP said:
Oh baby! That hamon looks sweet! I know squat about Japanese swords but I love the blade design on this one. Thanks for the historical perspective as well.

Roger

P.S. - Am I the only one that gets the impression that you have to have a vocabulary of at least 500 Japanese words just to intelligently and accurately describe the various bits and pieces of a sword?
Click to expand...
Yeah.And I'm learning a good bit of the vernacular just from Bailey's threads/posts.Learned a new one today.Kake.It's a Samurai sword rack,if the blade tips are pointed left you are at war,right is peace.
Bailey.Beautiful double hamon.Thanks for posting pics and information. :cool:
 
WOW. That's going to be beautiful... what are you thinking to finish it off with?

... Roger... yeah, there's a billion words describing parts of Japanese swords.

Here are some of them.
 
Well, what can be said other than "Sweet!"?
With hitatsura heat treatment, do you have to temper it overall a bit softer?
A while back I tried finding out some info about a couple swords my great uncle brought back from Japan after WWII. A couple collectors on swordforums and one sword dealer in Kyoto all seem to think it dates from the Nambokucho era. (haven't been able to locate a local expert for an in-hand appraisal though.) I have a bunch of photos of the hamon and grain, if you're interested.

By the way, for those not familiar with this stuff, the Nambokucho era was in the mid to late 1300's. :eek:
 
Roger,

There really isn't all that many terms. I try to post both English and Japanese terms just so those who don't know the terms can understand the description.

I really like an active hamon that is somewhat unusuall. That is one reason for the hitatsura and double hamon ( see...I KNOW there is a term for it, and don't know what it is. The Japanese language is descriptive, and they have a term for EVERYTHING!!) This is the first one I have made with a full length double hamon, and I just love it.
 
Is that yours, or mine? I tend to like a bit more curvature, 5/8" to 3/4" tori sori, but if this one is mine, that is very cool too!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
oohh...i love it too, Bailey...i love it soooo much maybe it can be my katana #4...IF...it's not already spoken for. :D

great job. :thumbup: i really like your katanas. they get better each time.
 
Steve,

This one didn't have your major requirement. The next one in L-6 will be yours. I like more sori too, so this one needs a home......

Saint...I sent you an e-mail
 
Thanks for that link madcap - it's a most helpful crib sheet. Now when Bailey, Joss, STeven et. al. post up stuff like this I can follow along much more easily.

Roger
 
Bailey, i forgot to ask...how does it cut? it's always good to know. :D

i have three of your swords but i've only used two for iado. once i tire and get better at cutting with my user--PPK PC katana...maybe i'll start using yours.
 
Use a better sword, you will cut better.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
Use a better sword, you will cut better.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

of course it is, Kohai...my mind is faster than my typing skills.

i'm fairly new to Japanese swordsmanship. my background is FMA so cutting two handedly is foreign to me. getting better, though. at least i'm not hacking anymore. :D
 
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