Golden “What am I?” Quiz
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What Am I? -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — full exif
What Am I?

Another “What am I?” quiz. I'll be traveling for a few days, so your guesses will remain hidden from public view until I reveal the answer next week...


All 12 comments so far, oldest first...

Is it a metal delinter or an edge honer?

— comment by parv on July 17th, 2010 at 6:20pm JST (13 years, 9 months ago) comment permalink

Hello,
this little piece of metal is about 2x2x1 cm in size and belongs to a japanese style sword (日本刀 – nihontou). One of its purposes is to hold the sword-guard (tsuba) in place next to the fuchi of the sword’s grip. Further it locks the sword in the sheath.

It is called Habaki

Greetings from Innsbruck/Austria

— comment by Johannes Pawlata on July 17th, 2010 at 8:27pm JST (13 years, 9 months ago) comment permalink

I’m in San Francisco. I think this is the small metal piece from a samurai sword which slips onto the handle and holds the sword guard in place.

— comment by William Laven on July 17th, 2010 at 11:32pm JST (13 years, 9 months ago) comment permalink

It’s a miniaturized version of those medieval battle fortresses, drawn by horses, and with archers at the top. The front, or “business end,” is facing me. The slot in the back is where the supply personnel deliver food to the archers during a long pitch battle. The slot also serves as ventilation for the slaves at the bottom whose job it is to carry arrows up the stairs to the archers when they run out of ammo. They get fed too.

— comment by Terrance on July 18th, 2010 at 1:40am JST (13 years, 9 months ago) comment permalink

Hello Jeffrey,

Isn’t it Habaki? The katana blade colar??

Bye,
Gilles.

— comment by Gilles M. on July 18th, 2010 at 4:38am JST (13 years, 9 months ago) comment permalink

Is a doodad that goes on the thingy that holds a samuri sword.

— comment by KP on July 18th, 2010 at 4:53am JST (13 years, 9 months ago) comment permalink

It looks like a habaki.

Also, I find the exceptionally narrow DOF very interesting.

— comment by Tim Johnson on July 18th, 2010 at 2:38pm JST (13 years, 9 months ago) comment permalink

It is an habaki from a samurai katana 😛

— comment by csxlab on July 18th, 2010 at 10:44pm JST (13 years, 9 months ago) comment permalink

Part of a Japanese sword is my guess

— comment by Expat in Va on July 19th, 2010 at 7:16pm JST (13 years, 9 months ago) comment permalink

A habaki.. I happen to collect swords 🙂

— comment by Chan on July 20th, 2010 at 1:19am JST (13 years, 9 months ago) comment permalink

That looks like a hibaki (a part of a japanese sword) to me.

— comment by Jon Van Dalen on July 20th, 2010 at 10:36am JST (13 years, 9 months ago) comment permalink

I’ve now posted the answer here.

— comment by Jeffrey Friedl on July 22nd, 2010 at 12:57pm JST (13 years, 9 months ago) comment permalink
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