As many of you certainly read, the Japanese Emperor Akihito abdicated in favour of his son and heir Naruhito with effect from the 1st of April 2019. Japanese society adopts both the classic western-Gregorian calendar, but also a different calendar based on the reign of a sitting Emperor; that name is a special name meant to mean something. Therefore, 31st March 2019 was the last year of the Heisei period and today 2nd of April 2019 is the the first year of the Reiwa period (Reiwa being the name Emperor Naruhito chose). All of this has a great importance because being a millennial tradition, it helps us also date precisely and easily a katana or shinken. Each traditional Japanese Sword can actually be completely (and with relative ease, having the right tools) dismounted so that the blade, which is, indeed, the sword, can be properly cleaned, oiled and stored in a special all wooden enclosure called shirasaya for medium to long term storage to prevent rust and damage to the blade. This exposes the nakago or tang which was left unpolished and is never cleaned, letting it get with the years a patina that collectors cherish; it's also the place where the bladesmith master would write his signature (or mei) and that includes often the date expressed with the Emperor year of forging. There is an art to deciphering the mei, which includes identifying the region and the name of the bladesmith, the date (often expressed with poetic sentences "On a quiet day of year...") and if the blade was proofed or not. Proofing, which is overall rare and can increase or decrease the value of the blade depending on the collector and the circumstances, means that it was tested on either dead bodies (usually stacked horizontally on a pile to see how many would be cleanly cut through) or on a unlucky fellow sentenced to capital punishment. Of course in more modern times this practice was substituted to testing on rolled wet straw mats with bamboo trunks inside, and this gave birth to the more recent practice of tameshigiri (which we still do in Iaido as a celebratory practice on special occasions, festivals and celebrations) and contemporary arts like battodo. Hakudo Nakayama (10 dan in Kendo, Iaido, Jodo and considered the founder/reorganizer of Muso-Shinden-ryu) was professionally testing swords on straw mats for several master bladesmiths. Sometimes the sword is a mu-mei, which means that it has no signature engraved on its nakago; this clearly can significantly reduce its value depending on how recognizable are its other defining characteristics (for example certain masters only used a very specific shape of hamon, the tempering line of the blade). Many advanced Iaido practitioners use - even if it is not really a mandatory requirement until after 6th dan and you can surely use a high-quality iaito for all your life - what is called a shinsakuto, which is a traditionally made sword done today by a specially registered Master, either specifically on order or not - they are usually quite expensive starting at 7.500$. Some practitioners use also historical or older swords, but this is generally not recommended as it is harder to find the right size and they can vary wildly in range from about 5000$ to.... the sky is the limit. Also, for safety reasons, you would probably have to redo the whole fittings, scabbard and so on, which would add another 3000$ at least. As with everything it's important to understand that the man makes the art, not the weapon itself, and I always recommend not to exaggerate when choosing a sword, be it a iaito or a shinken. We regularly hold classes of Iaido in Singapore, open to members of any gender, age and physical condition. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
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