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Karasu Maru
22nd October 2005, 11:50
Hi,

I do not understand a meaning of forged of a sentence of "The blade is forged.".
Is a blade genuine? Or is it an imitation?

P Goldsbury
22nd October 2005, 12:13
Hi,

I do not understand a meaning of forged of a sentence of "The blade is forged.".
Is a blade genuine? Or is it an imitation?

No. It means to cast or work with metal. The Japanese terms are, e.g., 錬る or 鍛える.

Sochin
22nd October 2005, 16:42
Forging refers to working the blade at high temoperatures by pounding etc. It suggests a great deal of skill and a high quality steel.

In contrast is stamping where a low grade of steel is cut by a stamping press then cleaned up by grinding and polishing.

Karasu Maru
23rd October 2005, 03:09
Peter san and Sochin san,

Thanks for your answer.
By your explanation, it is clear for me.

Karasu Maru

Brian Owens
23rd October 2005, 10:56
Hi...
Hello.

The two posts above answered the question, but I thought I'd let you know -- before a moderator says something about it -- that the rules here require you to sign all posts with your true, full name. Most of us add a signature line to our profile so we don't have to remember -- it's done automatically.

If your name is actually Karasu Maru (Peerless Crow) then please excuse me.

Sochin
23rd October 2005, 16:25
Arrrr,

(thats' pirate talk for "I'm prating this thread!"

"If your name is actually Karasu Maru (Peerless Crow) then please excuse me." I thought "Maru" meant "ship" or "boat".

Brian Owens
24th October 2005, 00:23
Arrrr,

(thats' pirate talk for "I'm prating this thread!"

"If your name is actually Karasu Maru (Peerless Crow) then please excuse me." I thought "Maru" meant "ship" or "boat".
Nope.

"Maru" is an almost universal suffix to the names of Japanese merchant ships, but it doesn't mean "ship" any more than "Princess" (Carribean Princess, Coral Princess, etc.) does.

There is also the example of a famous tachi by the renowned swordsmith Amakuni called Kogarasu Maru, and known in English as "The Little Crow Sword."

Maru, to my understanding, means "peerless, without equal."

GTO
24th October 2005, 01:14
"Maru" means a bunch of things. It may mean "peerless," but I also know it means "circle." My apartment number in Japanese is "ichi-maru-ichi"--101. ;)

Karasu Maru
24th October 2005, 06:14
Hello Brian san and all of friends,

I thank for your having pointed out my rule violation on this board.
And I am sorry that I troubled all of you.

Karasu Maru is a name of my sword as Brian-san says.
A producer of this sword made all parts except for a blade from black materials and totally named this black sword Karasumaru like a crow.

Regards,

Brian Owens
24th October 2005, 12:02
"Maru" means a bunch of things. It may mean "peerless," but I also know it means "circle." My apartment number in Japanese is "ichi-maru-ichi"--101. ;)
Yes, that "maru" is a homophone -- same sound but different meaning and different kanji.

In English most homophones are spelled differently from each other, but in Japanese the kana would usually be the same so kanji is the giveaway.

Well, I'm hungry; so I'm off to pare a pair of pears. ;)

Brian Owens
24th October 2005, 13:05
I do not understand a meaning of forged of a sentence of "The blade is forged." Is a blade genuine? Or is it an imitation?
Speaking of homophones (words that sound alike, but have different meanings), I just realized the depth of this question.

"Forge," "forged" and "forging" can refer to something that is a forgery, or it can mean something that was created in a forge.

In the first case, "forgery" could be 偽造 (gizou); while in the second version, "forging" could be 鍛練 (tanren).

[Edit] BTW, can anyone tell me the name for the Japanese-style forge itself?

I know a smelter is a tatara, but I can't find the name for the forge in any of my dictionaries or books on swordsmithing.

TIA.