Aug 28, 2026

Yasurime — How to Read the File Marks That Reveal a Sword's School, Period, and History

Tags: antique, appreciation, buying guide, japanese sword, katana, nakago, tang, yasuri

There is a moment in every serious kantei session when the appraiser asks to see the nakago. The blade's jihada and hamon have told their story; now the tang must confirm or complicate it. The first thing they look at...

Mei - Japanese Sword Identity

Tags: antique, appreciation, buying guide, fake, gansaku, imitation, japanese sword, katana, nakago, samurai sword, sword structure, tang

Why focus on Mei? Many Japanese swords have inscriptions on the tang. It is recorded that in the Nara period (710-794), a swordsmith’s name was required by law to be inscribed on the tang. However, it is said that the...

Nakago – Invisible in the shaft but a valuable point of appreciating the Japanese Sword

Tags: appreciation, japanese sword, katana, nakago, samurai sword, tang

What is Nakago? There is a line that runs between the blade’s edge area and the ridge area. Between this line and the bottom of the blade (the area hidden inside the sheath) is called nakago (tang). The nakago is...