Koto Wakizashi?

[FletchSan]

Hi All,

 

I have a wakizashi that doesn't seem to have any significant flaws and is in need of a polish. It came poking out of an old saya from a shirasaya with no other fittings other than a two part habaki. There is very faint writing on the saya which I cannot make out.

 

From the shape - it appears to be a Koto blade. It is also signed though hard to make out - using Yumoto's Kanji mei reference it looks like Sadahisa to me?

 

Nagasa: 53cm

Sori: 2.2cm

 

Interested in your opinions as always!

 

thanks,

 

Ben

[Stephen]

Id look at the Sadamotos see when they worked

 

 

 

Edit to add, no need to polish, just uchiko it. 

Edited April 22, 2016 by Stephen

[FletchSan]

Thanks Stephen - I had missed moto and that does look like a possibility. I can't find much on either Sadahisa or Sadamoto as Smiths and no examples Mei either.

 

Sadahisa

http://nihontoclub.com/smiths/SAD36

 

Sadamoto

http://nihontoclub.com/smiths/SAD532

 

Actually there is a sticker on the Saya that has Sadatsugu written on it though looks nothing like Tsugu to me?

[Stephen]

wrong moto, ill try to find

 

SADAMOTO (貞元), Kakitsu (嘉吉, 1441-1444), Bizen – “Bizen no Kuni Osafune Sadamoto” (備前国長船貞元)

SADAMOTO (貞元), Bunki (文亀, 1501-1504), Iwami – “Sekishū Nagahama-jū Sadamoto” (石州長浜住貞元)

 

 

So looks koto, if you have Yumoto book yull see the stylized moto.

[FletchSan]

Thanks Stephen. Very helpful - I'll see if I can find examples of both Sadamoto and compare.

 

The very last Tsugu example in Yumoto's book does also look close the longer I stare at it

[FletchSan]

What do you think? Am I seeing things - could it be Sadatsugu after all?

 

[Stephen]

Ben I think your onto something there,

 

boy their is a ton of them, be hard to pin down which one, shinsa foder for sure. nice find

[Ray Singer]

Appears to be Sadatsugu.

 

Best regards,

Ray

[FletchSan]

Thanks guys. Out of interest, attached are pics of the writing on the saya which is pretty much illegible.

[Alex A]

Looks like late Muromachi Uchigatana, as used by the Ashigaru (foot soldiers).

 

Plenty of Sadatsugu,s, as mentioned.

 

Had a quick look for any using Suguha hamon (looks Suguha), one crops up, Tenbun 1530-1550, Satsuma, Suguha or Suguha mixed with Ko-notare

 

Now, I'm not saying this is who made the sword (just an example), just having a quick look. Ben, that's what you need to do, look at all the kantei points, and see what comes up.

 

All fun

[FletchSan]

Thanks Alex. I've been reading up on Kantei and have also ordered Markus Sesko's Kantei books so will have plenty of study and reading to do!

 

I've taken a few more photos that show the hamon and hada a little more clearly.

 

Do you think the blade is suriage or is it just a normal rounded Kurijiri end?

The nagako is too rusted for me to make out the yasurime.

 

cheers,

 

Ben

[Alex A]

Hi Ben, looking at your latest pics, with the one mekugi-ana, looks Ubu to me, a lot of these type of swords are Machi-okuri, with two mekugi-ana.

 

I see your mekugi-ana goes through part of the mei, someone was none to fussy in the fittings/mei department, see that from time to time. In this case, I guess less care was taken with the non-custom made swords during those times. (sengoku)

 

Its not an arty-farty sword, but a sword made for battle, reminds me of an Uda tachi I own.

 

The Bo-hi is a nice bonus, someone at some time felt the blade was worth it.

 

Looks a decent sword, not Kazu-uchimono, as a lot get labelled, in some of the cases I think unfairly.

[paulb]

Hi Ben

I am not sure if this will help or not but your sword reminds on one I currently have here. It is also a powerful wakazashi I have copieds my description below:

Mei: Bitchu no Kuni ju nin Sadatsugu (signed tachi-mei)

Hada combination of Itame and nagare, some darker patches (Jifu?)

Hamon Suguha in nioi.

 

Comment: This is a powerful wakazashi typical of the late koto period and exhibiting all the characteristics you would expect to see in a Sue Aoe blade. Hamon is almost exclusively nioi, the hada has a whiteness and combines a running itame with smaller rounded itame patches

 

The workmanship looks to be sue Aoe which is in line with the mei and the shape. As Alex says these are powerful fighting swords, no great elegance but certainly imposing.

[FletchSan]

Thanks Paul & Alex. I'm pretty happy with it and surprised at how nice it is (only paid $660). I just need to find decent fittings for it or get shirasaya made I guess as it only has a saya in very poor condition.

 

Is it fairly common for late koto swords to have a bohi given they were mostly mass produced at that time, or could it have been added later?

 

cheers,

 

Ben

[Jacques D.]

I would kindly disagree with the relationship of late koto and sue AOE

 

http://www.touken.or.jp/english/nihon_koto_shi/(26)%20No.575.htm

[paulb]

Thanks Jacques Yes the use of the term late koto is misleading. That was my fault I tend to think that most good things ended at the end of the kamakura period so in my own mind regard nambokucho and after as "late" which of course it isnt.

thank you for highlighting this and I will try and get my mind in gear and accept there is life after 1334!

regards

Paul

[Alex A]

 

 

Is it fairly common for late koto swords to have a bohi given they were mostly mass produced at that time, or could it have been added later?

 

cheers,

 

Ben

 

Hi Ben, according to JW Bott (the sword of Japan book), a groove cut by the swordsmith who made the sword, will usually run the full length of the sword, including the nakago. (maybe others have a different point of view?)

 

A groove cut at a later time, known as "atori-bori hi", will normally stop in in the vicinity of the habaki to preserve the signature.

 

Yours was cut later, how much later I dont know, a few months?, fifty years?, who knows, sometimes ware gives you an inkling.

 

Look into your sword, look to see if Horimono was common to the school.

 

How common horimono were on mass produced swords is a good question, I can only assume not to common, taking into account the 1000s up on 1000s made which were considered disposable. It was expensive for the Ashigaru and possibly low rank Samurai. Saying that though, there was money to be made on and off the battlefield, so who knows maybe the odd horimono was paid for with loot or by the reward from a severed head of an opposing big wig

 

I'm not too clued up, be good to hear other views.

 

Ps, I would save money on the koshirae idea, and stick with the shirasaya idea