Well, I'm bored.....which is rare.

Anyway, is away at a Fall Out Boy concert, so I can't go over there to make props. Now I'm bored stiff.

I just got done thinning the handle on Hyorinmaru because it was too thick. That involved removing the tsuba and the habaki, which was a PITA XD. Then I thinned out the handle, resanded it, re routered it and then put the tsuba back on. Now it is in one piece again and clamped while the glue dries. When gets back, I can paint it. She has all the paint and stuff over at her place; I'm just the construction guy after all. Don't get me wrong, I'll be doing the painting myself, I just don't have the stuff.

By the way, I found this on the web and thought it would come in handy for those of you who don't know the anatomy of Japanese swords. I couldn't get the picture up, sadly.

Boshi - the hamon on the kissaki

Fuchi - hilt collar between the tsuka and the tsuba

Ha - the edge of the blade; typically much stronger than the rest of the blade

Habaki - wedge shaped metal collar used to keep the sword from falling out of the scabbard and to support the fittings below; fitted at the ha-machi and mune-machi which precede the nakago

Hada - the grain of the blade, created by the folding process to remove impurities from the blade

Hamon - the pattern on the blade indicating the border between the harder ha and the softer mune

Hi - the fuller or blood groove; also called a bo-hi (wide fuller)

Kaishizuno - a hook shaped fitting used to lock the scabbard to the obi while drawing

Kashira - butt cap (or pommel) on the end of the hilt

Kissaki - the geometrical change at the tip of the blade intended to use for stabbing

Kogai - spike for hair arranging carried sometimes as part of Katana-

Koshirae in another pocket

Koiguchi - mouth of the scabbard or its fitting; traditionally made of buffalo horn

Kojiri - end of the scabbard or its fitting to protect the saya; also traditionally made of buffalo horn

Kozuka - decorative handle fitting for the kogatana; a small utility knife fit into a pocket on the scabbard

Kuri-kata - knob on the side of the scabbard for attaching Sageo

Mekugi - small peg for securing the tsuka to the nakago; nihonto traditionally had only one bamboo mekugi which was flexible but strong

Menuki - ornaments on the hilt (generally under the tsuka-ito); to fit into
the palm for grip and originally meant to hide the mekugi

Mune - the spine of the blade

Nakago - the tang of the blade

Nakago-ana - the hole(s) for the mekugi

Sageo - cord used to tie scabbard to the belt/obi when worn

Same-hada - literally the pattern of the ray skin

Same-kawa (samegawa) - ray or shark skin wrapping of the tsuka (handle/hilt)

Saya - a wooden scabbard for the blade; traditionally done in lacquered wood

Seppa - washers above and below the tsuba to tighten the fittings

Shinogi - the ridgeline which runs down the center of the blade

Shitodome - an accent on the kurikata for aesthetic purposes; often done in gold-ish metal in modern reproductions

Sori - the curve of the blade, measured on the mune side, from the mune-machi to the tip; a product of the hardening process

Tsuba - sword guard

Tsuka - hilt; made of wood and wrapped in samegawa

Tsuka-maki - the art of wrapping the tsuka, including the most common hineri maki and katate maki (battle wrap)

Tsuka-ito - the wrap of the handle, traditionally silk but today most often in cotton and sometimes leather

Wari-bashi - metal chop-sticks fit in a pocket on the scabbard

Yokote - the line between the kissaki and the rest of the blade, indicating the geometry change