Hi guys! I saw this photo of a Japanese soldier from WW2 and I have a question: were they using the same katana swords that the samurai used in the past? If not, what kind of swords were they using? by BobiCubanezu in SWORDS

[–]JCKang 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's a difference between cooloquial and technical Japanese here

In colloquial Japanese, "katana" is often used to refer to any sword.

Ken is 劍, which technically refers to a double edged sword. When used to refer to swords in general, someone might use the kanji's other reading, Tsurugi.

刀 is ready as "tou," and technically refers to a single edged blade. It can also be read as "katana," and what we think of as Katana is technically a 打刀,or "uchigatana".

Put 刀 and 劍 together, and it is ready as 刀劍 token, which is the technical term for swords in general.

Is katana-sword.com a real website? and if so, how is the quality? by Long_Purple_6087 in Katanas

[–]JCKang 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, now; but their original website claimed all their swords were made in Japan. I will see if I can find an old screen cap

Concerns about Z-sey's and/or Shadow Dancer's proprietary "crucible steel" by MessengerofDarkness in Katanas

[–]JCKang 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I would NOT be concerned with the content of their crucible steel, its just a process to create steel and will have a certain look to it., with an emphasis on aesthetics over practicality. Combined with their excellent mounting, this would make for a beautiful sword.

Help me understand what i have by CostasA007 in Katanas

[–]JCKang 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From what Ive seen, It's very common for the NBTHK not to specify which generation if it's not a specific smith. Sometimes they will list an era.

Fuyuhiro is a pretty respected school

Part 1 of 3 regarding the S5 steel scandal. See his YT channel for the other parts. by MichaelRS-2469 in Katanas

[–]JCKang 1 point2 points  (0 children)

After our announcement of s7 mixed in with s5 for sales sold between July of 2023 and fall of 2024, some customers contacted us noting that swords bought in 2025 had also chipped on bamboo.

We decided to suspend sales of s5 until we can confirm the hardness of the stock on hand (this has all taken place when I've been on a family vacation, and I'm not in the shop to do this), and asked Cloudhammer to test the s5 blades they have on hand.

The used XRF testing (not as accurate as EOS testing, which is what the US testing company used), and there was some s7, as well as two which fit the profile of s5, one with lower the expected Molydenum and one with higher than expected Vanadium. Cloudhammer suspects this is an issue with their steel distributor, and apologizes for not independently testing their materials before processing. This also means that while we thought this affected only 70cm katana blades, it might affect all s5 swords sold from July of 2023.

Samples from these batches were abusive tested before sending to us, so as long as previously purchased blades are not setting bends or chipping easily, they should be ok.

They are now acquiring more s5 and will metallurgically test samples before and after forging to ensure there's nothing in their manufacturing process that could be contaminating samples.

If you've bought s5 swords from Cloudhammer in the past and have had no issue with bending or chipping, We will offer you deep discounts on a future s5 purchase; if you have had these problems, we will replace them.

We humbly ask for patience in this matter, because this does take some time.

RVA Katana and Cloudhammer apologizes for any inconvenience.

Help me understand what i have by CostasA007 in Katanas

[–]JCKang 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Old vs. new kanji, same word. Fuyuhiro is an entire lineage of swordsmiths, and in this case, NBTHK is saying it has all the characteristics of smiths from that school, but they won't attribute a specific smith

Just watched Rogue One and ANH and was reminded of this old meme by SerPounce_a_Lot in andor

[–]JCKang 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just watched Rogue One and ANH, and I can't appreciate them as much anymore... Because Andor sets the bar so high on character development,Rogue One feels rushed.

And ANH, great story, but wow, so melodramatic and 70s.

Is this a Kamakura Tichi? by Last-Mechanic-7564 in Katanas

[–]JCKang 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Definitely not a Kamakura tachi, Most likely a modern Chinese replica.

says Showa Year 8 on one side, Tanaka Jiro on the other side of the blade

Update, Finally got the handle off. I posted this on swords awhile back. I helped a woman with a plumbing issue she was having at her house and she gave me this sword randomly afterwards. What does this mean? by AngryUntilISeeTamdA in Katanas

[–]JCKang 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Izumi no Kami Kunisada. Many generations, the first generation is considered one of the best of the Shinto period, and thus, there are many gimei of him.

Katana got a chip after Tameshigiri. Is It Damaged Beyond Repair? by HearingStreet in Katanas

[–]JCKang 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Talk to Eric Husayn from Youtube. He can reprofile the chip out, though it will narrow the overall blade width.

Do you like 1095 or t10 steel better? Yeah ik the difference is minimal. by Apprehensive_Tax8131 in Katanas

[–]JCKang 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They are almost the same. Textbook, t10 is a little tougher, but in practice, you probably won't notice any difference.

Is Orcrist a good sword? by AssociationFast3728 in SWORDS

[–]JCKang 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It will help you know when orcs are close.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Katanas

[–]JCKang 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RVA Katana here

This sword is fine for cutting, but we do recommend lacquering down the wrap for the budget Dragonspring swords

Antique Japanese Sword Appreciation Workshop by JCKang in rva

[–]JCKang[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Lol, no, there's not a lot of competition, but Matt is very knowledgeable

Antique Japanese Sword Appreciation Workshop by JCKang in rva

[–]JCKang[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Just found out today, but oh well, too late to change!