what is this on my old tanto ?

john april

john april

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Feb 27, 2006
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its an old japanese tanto. the spine is shiny. about 2 inches from the the tip, it changes to a frosted color and has fine lines that travel toward the tip. does anyone know what it is called, why it was done, and how it was done ? thanks for any info :)
 
Looks like the laminations are showing, perhaps done to show it is laminated or San Mai? Could we see a photo of the entire knife? John
 
it looks similar to a kasumi finish on many kitchen knives....sort of like a fine sandblast. I believe kasumi translates to "mist"
 
Some knives are dipped in acid to etch the tip.In some cases the ha is polished to get a faux-hamon. In others, it is left as dipped to create an "effect". I have mainly seen it on cheap souvenir knives.

Spine looks laminated.
 
There is also a technique used by polishers to leave a signature. The Mune, back is only burnished completely up to that point. Then lines are burnished into the stone finished section with a burnishing needle to give the effect you see.
 
here is a photo of the whole blade and its paperwork. i tried to get a better photo of the area, but did not.


 
I have nothing to add except that I love that knife! I have a thing for Japanese style (original Tanto) blades. One day I hope to make one as authentic as possible. How old is that knife? Do you know? Cool piece for sure! Thanks for posting it!
 
carcara said:
there is also a technique used by polishers to leave a signature. The mune, back is only burnished completely up to that point. Then lines are burnished into the stone finished section with a burnishing needle to give the effect you see.
Click to expand...

exactly!
 
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