Waki-Crack

[lanceoa]

Handsome piece - noob soliciting comments and insight

21” long naked

Mother of pearl?

1/8” crack ????

[John A Stuart]

The crack in the nakago worries me little. It is not fatal. Needs some restoration and could end up a cool number. The tsuba is interesting too. John

[TheGermanBastard]

Probably Sue Koto OSuriage Mumei Wakizashi with a Hagire => Blade is basically worthless

 

Mismatched Fuchi / Kashira.

 

Same is good and Tsuba is good.

 

Cost of restoration approx USD 1500.00

 

Toatal vale afterwars well under teh cost of restoration.

 

=> Do not restore.

 

You want to keep the Tsuba and sell the other stuff s as is.

[Ray Singer]

A crack partially through the nakago is not generally considered fatal and I know of such restored (in Japan) and receiving papers afterwards. I would not discount the sword too quickly. The blade has a nice shape with very wide bo-hi, like what you might see in Miike (Sue-Miike). Someone thought well-enough of the sword to have a reasonably nice koshirae assembled. I think at minimum the sword is worth having a mado-ake (window polish) done to see what is there and would not break up the complete set to sell the tsuba, blade, etc separately.

[TheGermanBastard]

Ray is a very knowledgeable person so you may wan to follow his advice. You could  use Bob Benson for having a window opened. Bob will be able to advice you then what to do as he is one of the foremost authorities in the Western world.

 

I had seen this blade when it was up on ebay. Yes, Ray is correct that it could still paper (well). Blades may even paper if the Boshi is missing or on rare occasions even if retempered ... it all depends. My gut feeling on this one was suspicious as it seems to have been assembled of parts to my untrained eyes.

 

However Iw ould be most happy if you have come accross a diamond in the rough! I keep my fingers crossed for you. Case you decided to get a window opened please let us know the result,

[lanceoa]

Thanks John, Luis, and Ray. I had it on eBay, it sold, but perhaps thankfully, I didn’t properly identify and document the crack. So the buyer and I agreed to cancel. I’d much rather keep it even if it’s a mismatch - the aesthetic is quite appealing to me. I’m looking up the Japanese terms as I read each reply. I don’t know about worthless, but understand may or may not be worthy of a full resto/polish

 

Anyone familiar with senkakukan.com? - very close by and appears to have limited sword services (though I don’t see polishing/window job) location: Sacramento

 

Also, there is a Sword Club that meets monthly - I might pay them a visit sometime.

[TheGermanBastard]

Hello Lance,

 

I am not familiar with senkakukan.com ... they do not ring a bell with me. There is a couple of folks in the USA that is qualified to do proper restoration of swords. For example Ted Tenold, Bob Benson / Woody, Jimmy Hayashi and some more ...

 

What Ray suggest is to get a window opened. That is a polisher will perform a proper polish on 1'' or so of your blade. This will show the activity in your blade and allow to judge both the quality of the sword in particular as well as to give an assunption on what school / age it is from. In my oppinion Bob Benson would be your best bet inside the USA: You can find a linkt o his site in the top menue. I do not know what Bob presently charges butit should be about USD 200.00 to open that window (plus you have to pay the shipping to Hawaii). However if Bob may also tell you not to polish teh blade at all or to do a full polish straight away. You can trust on his advice. If Bob think the plishing is not economic he will tell you frankly and not lure you into burning your money. When doing a full polish it is were things get expensive ... expect about USD 1500 for polishing ... USD 350+ for a Habak if desidred and USD 450+ for a Shirasaya. When wanting to submitt the blade for Shinsa in Japan it will be atleast USD 600.00 for the lowest ranked paper. So all in all you are at close to 3k.

 

IF the blade is Miike school it may be worth it despite the crack. It is a highly ranked and thought after school.

 

Getting back to your initial question - while I do not know senkakukan.com I tend to believe they will not be your best bet on this road / approach.

 

For a start you can also post some more images of the blade here and wait what others have to say about your sword ... or you could visit one of the USA sword shows - the SF show - where you get all the usual suspects in one place. You can shop for cheap oppinions there all day then.

[PNSSHOGUN]

I suspect that link is for modern made martial arts swords, not Nihonto.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Interesting & very-large seppa, not one I've seen before.

 

Bob Benson is really your best bet, Lance. He has two of my blades for polishing right now, which can take several years, but he or Woody can probably do a window pretty quickly. Bob is very blunt on valuing a blade, too, so you'll get the worst-case reading on what it's worth. But if he offers to buy it from you, you can figure it's worth at least twice as much! 

[TheGermanBastard]

Interesting & very-large seppa, not one I've seen before.

 

Bob Benson is really your best bet, Lance. He has two of my blades for polishing right now, which can take several years, but he or Woody can probably do a window pretty quickly. Bob is very blunt on valuing a blade, too, so you'll get the worst-case reading on what it's worth. But if he offers to buy it from you, you can figure it's worth at least twice as much! 

 

I feel the Seppa could be homemade by a Gi ... The F/K is a mismatch ... I also think that we might see a Gunto Habaki and a later on added Saya.

[TheGermanBastard]

By added later on I mean that it is a modern made Saya in Showa times. It does not look Edo Periode to me ... and that is what puzzled me. My gut feeling is that someone assembled it who is atleast enough knowledgeablet to be dangerous .. and in this case we have to wonder why he may have passed on the blade? However I am just assuming a lot of things here, going by the images.

[TheGermanBastard]

PS: Bob "Blunt" Benson ... but he won't BS anybody. One may not alwayss enjoy his apraisal but it will always be a honest one

[nagamaki - Franco]

Hello,

 

Would add the possibility that the kissaki/tip has been shortened/altered at some point to this discussion. Unless this sword is nambokucho or older, a restoration would be based on personnel attachment, imo. An appraisal first, followed by a window, would be good first steps if keeping. 

When swords require significant foundation work, and I think this sword falls into that category, choose a polisher wisely. 

 

p.s. Northern California, you have an excellent club, sword show, and Jimmy Hayashi (polisher) in your neck of the woods.

[Marius]

Does waki-crack mean a side-crack? 

[Dr Fox]

Doing the best one can from images. I find I was bothered by little points that did not sit right.

So I am going to take a punt here, big guns get in on this.

 

The bo-bi is kaki-nagashi, on a long sword this is often seen, but only in some cases continues, almost to the end of the nakago.

This blade shows a continuance of bo-bi almost full length, it is also a very bold bo-bi. (to balance a wakizashi?)

The crack showing where it is seems odd, what stress forces are exerted there?

The mekugi ana shows a noticeable difference, either side to its relationship to the bo-bi. 

The nakago to me is not pleasing although it shows a regular nakago- jiri.

 

Here's where you can shoot me down: I thought that this is a shortened long sword.

And it was done to convert, and continue the blades service as a wakizashi.

Originally the crack was a ha-gire as it was in the ha, but shortening made it a crack in the nakago.

If I am right, then someone thought a lot of this blade.

If I am wrong, then the counter points will all aid to the pot of learning.

It would have been a help, to see the blade without the habaki!

[Marius]

Explanation - many people dislike those "abbreviations" like waki etc ("waki" is a word with its own meaning, BTW - google waki Goto).

 

It is a  matter of taste, in fact.  Since you call a wakizashi a "waki", how would you call a katana ? Ka? Kat? Kata? 

 

Tell you what... "waki" does NOT sound cool. Be cool, drop it.

 

I know, I am a bore. 

[TheGermanBastard]

I am a cool cat and call sharp things of great length heini.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Explanation - many people dislike those "abbreviations"

 

 

Words have meaning, and no where more than in the language we use to define things nihonto. I absolutely love it when a nihonto book or article takes the time to define and explain the meanings behind the Japanese terms. It completes the picture.

 

Additionally, being Italian, I find that there are times in which the improper use of Italian words borders on the offensive even though the speaker, sometimes an Italian American, is unwittingly doing so. So, I can only imagine much the same for a Japanese person. 

 

Laziness = ignorance.

[TheGermanBastard]

Well, let's get the topic back on track. I would like to ask Ford why he thinks the Kissaki had been fixed?

[Stephen]

Ford? 

 

My initial thought it was shortened as well the crack being a hagiri. 

[TheGermanBastard]

Sorry, Franco ...

[nagamaki - Franco]

Hello,

 

 

Sorry, Franco ...

 

 

Figured, thought I'd let you and perhaps Ford fret and suffer a bit first   , no worries.

 

 

 

Well, let's get the topic back on track. I would like to ask why [you] think the Kissaki had been fixed?

 

Immediately obvious is the length of the kissaki is shorter than its width, not proper. As to why that is needs to be determined, poor polish, boshi about to run off  :?:   This points out another importance of kantei. If we can determine who made this sword we can then look up good (similar) examples of this smiths work and determine what the boshi should look like for comparison. On the flip side the lack of a complete boshi could make it very difficult to confirm exactly who made this sword.

Edited April 9, 2018 by nagamaki - Franco