"KANTEI" is a strange hobby

"KANTEI" of blades is one of the refined hobbies that Japanese has loved for many centuries.
This is to watch just a blade and judge the make of the age, place and name of the simth.
People gather to see several blades and write own judgement on a paper.
It is a kind of competition.

Regular Japanese sword' length is two feet without tang. On a tang there are some information of the simth name, place sometime the year carved.
When they do "KANTEI", they wrap the tang.

People who participate, sit on a line and watch blades one by one and write own judgements.
When they watch blades, they have a roll of paper on the mouth preventing to blow the breath on the blades. Moisture is not good for the blades. Of course never touch the blade by fingers.

The points they watch are the shape, thickness, curve, skin and patterns ot the hard portions.

Japanese has a history of swords for 2000 years and this game started in the 15th century.
Not only Samurai's class but also rich merchant and farmer's class people loved this game.

John Harris who used be one of my freinds is the American expert of Japanese swords.