These are all of my Japanese blades.
Top: Sakai Takayuki with aebl and vg10 steel
2nd: suisin hanasuke and I forget the steel
3rd: takeda petty with one of my handles, and aogami super steel
4th: takeda bano Bunka with aogami super steel
@TurdFerguson69 all the while trying not to freak out hat to be tough!! Lol did you maintain your composure after getting in the car!?
Those are truly beautiful. A step above.
I am sure he saw it on my face. He said that it’s probably worth more after I handed him the money. I have been flipping things lately as a way to get some extra cash. I am a stay at home dad so it works well with my schedule. With that I have become really good at the haggle. That is until it is something I want for myself.
Can see the quality and detail of the nihonto just from the photos. As someone who loves knives I’ve always loved traditional methods of knife/sword making.
I’m terrible at haggling… I always feel bad lol. My wife on the other hand is ruthless!!
Was the nihonto made for you specifically? If so, do you know how long it took to make? I know the folding of the steel and sharpening process can take time.
Yeah it was a custom order.
Took 10 months from time of order. My former iai instructor imports swords and placed it. Because there’s a restriction on the number of nihonto which can be made & exported by official smiths (many of whom are considered living national treasures" lol) AND because there are only like 200 registered smiths now, my blade was overseen by an apprentice, so it’s nowhere near as valuable as one by a registered smith - which import at $15k+. Still pretty cool, because there are separate craftspeople to focus on the tamahagane, the folding/hammering, the polishing, the tsuba & hardware, the handle wrap… but of course the big thing is the steel.
I wanted an authentic Japanese sword which cuts well and was still suitable for iai practice (not all the time) and made in the traditional manner. 
I’m curious, do you happen to know what steel they used!?
Nice armory! I’ve always wanted a traditional forged katana or tanto, but I think this is as close as I’m going to get to that dream:
Oak training Tanto
Japanese Carpenters knife
Katana!
You should go to the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
The old European swords look like old swords. The 400 year old Japanese swords looked like they were forged yesterday and could slice a hair in half.
you win!
I also have a Japanese kiridashi marking knife that I use occasionally for hardwood marking.
Oh man, I know all about those! You do some pretty fine woodworking, I presume
Haven’t done any “fine” woodworking in a long time. I’m actually what you could call a general Carpenter, so I basically do anything wood related, but at the moment mostly residential construction like timber framed houses and roofs including 1st and 2nd fix carpentry.
My dad is a cabinet maker and I learnt a lot of the finer things from him and I do it more as a hobby (when I have time!)
Beyond “tamehagane” I have no idea lol. It would be really cool to know all of the detail regarding where the iron sand comes from or the exact carbon content, but I didn’t really have access to that info. I know that the blade architecture is done in the typical soshu kitae with the hardest “hagane” steel at the ha/edge and on the sides, with layers of medium and and softer steel to the inside to absorb shock.
Me too!! Tamahagane steel has always fascinated me! It’s one thing to use shirogami, or aogami which have very specific carbon contents. But to create their own specific carbon content with coal and iron has to be a tricky balance. Then to disperse the varying hardnesses of the billet throughout the blade blows my mind!
And to imagine that Masamune was doing that in the 14th century is pretty incredible to say the least.
Cabinetry and carpentry is far beyond me as well! I do t have the patience or precision for the kind of jointery that goes into that stuff! I love turning pieces, and knife handling, but those are sooo much more forgiving.
@edhaponik man I just realized today that I’ve been following you on Instagram since before I joined the yye forum! I learned my first stalls this week simply by watching your feed! Killer stuff man! I love the 0a style, and you make it look soooo good!
Thanks! 
That’s rad to hear!!!
^^^ unrelated but that’s a really creative new avatar you made Ed! I like it!
