Thread: Could This be Tamahagane?

Hello all,

I recently received a blade from Japan that caught my eye as interesting. When I looked at the blade in the light just right, I noticed a series of wavy horizontal lines along the blade. Since the blade also had some fine surface scratches, I polished the heck out of it to further investigate these lines. Unfortunately, they faded a bit with the polishing, but they are still very visible. I tried to capture the lines, but they did not come through very well. I was wondering, given the country of origin, could those lines signify that the blade is Tamahagane? If not, are they indicative of another type of steel? Regardless, the blade is stunning. I can't wait to hone it up and give it a try. Also, I would love to know what the kanji on the tang mean if anyone happens to know.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.