What is the purpose of the menuki?

Menuki (目貫): The menuki are ornaments on the tsuka (generally under the tsuka-ito); to fit into the palm for grip and originally meant to hide the mekugi.

How are menuki made?

The menuki are the decorative metal ornaments the are woven under the tsuka-ito (handle wrapping). These ornaments were originally made to hide the mekugi pins that secure the tsuka to the tang of the blade. They are normally positioned forward on one side and back on the other.

What is sharp Niku?

What is Niku Sharp? The Niku is a type of sharpness that allows the blade to retain much of its thickness just behind the cutting edge. In this way, the blade becomes considerably thicker and more resistant in exchange for sacrificing some cutting ability.

What is uchiko powder?

Derived from ground up polishing stones, uchiko is a fine powder that when used sparingly helps maintain the surface finish of your nihonto’s blade. When using on nihonto, use sparingly so as not to degrade your sword. The ground whetstones are double wrapped in silk to allow for fine and controlled application.

What are menuki made of?

They are mainly made of iron and copper with inlays of gold, silver, and bronze. When it comes to handguard (Tsuba), each one has a different outline and weight. These sword fittings that have lived with Japanese swords of the same age might be worth as much as the Japanese swords.

What is Fuchi Kashira?

Fuchi Kashira is a kind of metal fitting of the Japanese sword, which improves the strength of the handle. Fuchi Kashira is a combination of two parts; Fuchi and Kashira. Fuchi was put next to Tsuba (hand-guard), and Kashira was put on the bottle of the grip.

Do all katanas have a blood groove?

You can easily tell if a katana has blood grooves by inspecting the blade. Whether used in a Japanese katana or any other bladed weapon, this indention doesn’t have anything to do blood. Rather, it’s used to lighten the blade.

Are swords of Northshire good?

Swords of Northshire are definitely a reputable company to deal with. They are a relatively new operation, but have an excellent reputation, a strong social media presence (29K fans at facebook) and are listed as one of our recommended sellers in the Sword Buyers Directory and are very transparent in their dealings.

What is a menuki?

Menuki is a kind of metal fitting of the Japanese sword, which was initially put into the hole of the handle. It covers Mekugi (nail) so that the blade of a sword will be fixed. Originally, Menuki was used to hold Mekugi, but they became separated over time.

What is uchiko powder made of?

Uchiko is a fine powder made from a kind of polishing stone, and it is wrapped up in silk. Uchiko powder is wrapped up in this silk ball. The papers for oil and for uchiko powder should be separated.

What is Choji oil made of?

So, what is choji oil exactly? While its composition varies, it typically consists of a combination of clove oil extract and mineral oil at a ratio of 1:10 to 1:100, respectively. In other words, it contains 1% to 10% clove oil mixed with 90% to 99% mineral oil.