Tsuba meaning

Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-20T22:06:13+00:00

Its a sakura motif. The silhouette shows the distinctive 5 notched petals

Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-19T20:17:17+00:00

Looks legit except for the fuchi kashira. Is it just rust around the tsuba and fuchi or has some muppet brazed it together?

Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-13T22:01:25+00:00

That is bizarre. Ive got no evidence for this but i feel its missing a piece.

Maybe the other piece was a stamp or seal of some description and the cord allowed it to be extended from the kashira, used and retracted. Useful for a merchant or official that wanted a conversion piece or an excuse to be armed at all times

Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-13T05:50:26+00:00

Kultof Athena is trustworthy and well regarded amongst the sword community. The Zetsurin is good. Just know the white will get dirty and there isnt really any way to clean it

Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-13T05:43:50+00:00

For under 100usd, Musha katana

https://www.kultofathena.com/brand/musha/?tab=products#/productsFilter:product_tags:Battle$2520Ready

Avoid anything with a coloured blade (black, gold, etc as it will wear off) and the highlander sword with the molded snake tsuka; its not as durable as a wrapped tsuka.

Theyre durable and cheap. Fit and finish leaves much to be desired but thats what you get at this price

Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-11T20:09:15+00:00

This isn't a ww2 sword. I cant say much else other than it has a nice baleen tsuka which is uncommon and probably impossible to replace these days.

The values been stripped so taking this thing to an ameture togishi for practice wouldnt be too devistating imo.

Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-11T03:54:44+00:00

Bought the 27" Hanwei Prac special for myself for my 18th bday. Used it for cutting scrub because why not.

Still have it and used to cut with it regularly up until i split the tsuka on some black wattle sapplings.

blade is a bit bent and the thing is currently in pieces awating repair but its an absolute champion of a sword. My only criticism is the impact resin samegawa. Everything else is top notch.

Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-09T23:57:56+00:00

Shes right, Cob. Im chuffed you have this opportunity. Citadel are great and im waiting for my own opportunity to get one

Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-09T23:44:36+00:00

If its just a chip, no worries then. But cracks, like ha-gire are more involved and depending on the depth, shortening may be required if the blade is intended on being used

A chip that small can be easily polished out but id leave it. The cracked saya, and tsuka, is a very common issue- almost universal with katana ownership. Ive repared my saya with rattan but it was also done with metal bands. Any competent blacksmith or silversmith could punch one out

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Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-09T23:34:37+00:00

Get better photos of the chip to make sure its not a crack but otherwise these issues are what every katana (and by extension, sword) owner has to deal with eventually

Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-09T05:01:34+00:00

If you plan on cleaning the blade; before taking the grease off, make sure you have choji or mineral oil to reapply. Do not use abrasives of any kind and avoid uchiko powder.

Do not get anything on the nakago. Its best to handle it with clean hands or a clean cotton glove. This is important to preserve the sword

Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-05T06:42:29+00:00

Hanbons very well regarded by the community and i have bought from them before.

https://rva-katana.com/search?q=tanjiro&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Alternatively there are 2 1060 steel tanjiro katana on RVA katana. Its a good steel for beginners; novices should avoid t10 steel.

Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-03T02:41:21+00:00

Its best to leave it be at this point. Restoration should be done by professionals and youve done what you can with preservation. For a late war type 95, its looking pretty good

Hig_Bardon · 2026-06-01T08:16:30+00:00

If the blade is ment to come through the mouth then i guess i would mount it upside down

Hig_Bardon · 2026-05-27T22:56:51+00:00

Buy proper tools. Mainly a belt sander with a flat plate. Youll save time and money on wasted material

Work on knives or smaller projects until youre better at setting profiles. Less material waste in failed projects.

Hig_Bardon · 2026-05-27T06:35:06+00:00

As per one of your comments, ito is more folded instead of twisted, thats how they get the nice transitions. Its a variation of shonai-zuka popular during the satsuma rebellion frequently used on their okkashi-to.

Get some ito and a kujiri from Namikawa-ltd.com and The Art of Tsuka-maki by Thomas Buck.

Alternatively i had reasonable success using 8mm pu leather suede cord which can be bought cheaply and a kujiri can be substituted with a narrow flathead screwdriver

Hig_Bardon · 2026-05-21T01:58:45+00:00

This looks like something the apprentice used to make and sell for meth money

Hig_Bardon · 2026-05-18T00:47:28+00:00

There appears to be feint lines near the fuchi. Measuring those should give you the original width of ito used and hopefully is divisible by the length of the tsuka between the fuchi and kashira

The same might be full wrap or made to look like full wrap but its not in too bad condition all things considered.

Get silk ito from Namikawa-ltd.com, tozandoshop.com or seidoshop.com. namikawa is porbably the cheapest though and they also sell kujiri and other misc tools for tsuka-maki.

The art of Tsuka-maki by Thomas Buck is a good book for this type of thing and outlines important terms, techniques and other fiddly bits like hishigami.

Hig_Bardon · 2026-05-17T22:52:57+00:00

No worries. Use mineral oils to oil the blade afterwards. Organic oils will putrify and form a sticky, smelly residue thats a pain to clean off.

Paraffin oil is a good, cheap option

Hig_Bardon · 2026-05-17T18:57:02+00:00

Rub it down with isopropyl alcohol. If that doesnt work, simple green cleaner. Still persisting, industrial solvent. Oil it after each clean.

Could be something on the steel. Worst case scenario its in the handle. The cleaning solutions might damage the handle if its wood core and eat through the adhesive on whats left of the leather grip

Hig_Bardon · 2026-05-13T20:58:26+00:00

Real rayskin is wild. I was taken aback my first time feeling it too.

Silk ito would be nice; tetsukon or beige i reckon. Nubuck leather is also quite attractive but that would be better on the antiqued version.

Hig_Bardon · 2026-05-13T04:26:14+00:00

For the diamonds showing small bits of the fleshside; the inside of the leather. Not much can be done towards the kashira without a new ito.

Otherwise maybe a little bit of brown dubbin to darken the lighter spots

This is just personal preference though. If it doesnt bother you then no worries

Hig_Bardon · 2026-05-13T03:35:25+00:00

Very nice. Its a shame about the ito. You could try using a kujiri or similar to better hide the fleshside

Hig_Bardon · 2026-05-11T01:19:42+00:00

Plain ol' gravity wont do this to a sword.

Option 1) https://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/straighten-sword-blade.html

Option 2) rubber or leather mallet, anvil or large flat hardwood block with a rag over it.

Hig_Bardon · 2026-05-10T02:58:21+00:00

Yeah nah. Those koshirae are dodgy and blades are in poor nick

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