WWII bring back - ID help

[IJASWORDS]

True Bruce, I am not doubting this guy, glad he has come here to learn. Just making a general comment on provenance. 

[vajo]

Boshi looks nice. I would go for muromachi. Hada and hamon reminds me on wakimono.

[David Flynn]

I'll go along with Stephen, probably remounted from a Kyu Gunto. Still think it's no older than Shinshinto.

[16k]

I’ll concur about the remounting from kyu gunto. Hard to say about the date. Tank makes me go with Chris while the almost muji Hada makes me support David’s theory.

[alamo]

Here's a picture with most of it in the shot

[Bruce Pennington]

True Bruce, I am not doubting this guy, glad he has come here to learn. Just making a general comment on provenance.

 

It is a good reminder (especially for guys like me!).

 

Quite a beautiful blade! These older blades continue to amaze me that they maintain their shine and beauty for hundreds of years.

[vajo]

Tom did you have a picture of the blade naked without habaki which we can see the whole shape of the sword?

[16k]

Here's a picture with most of it in the shot

Not muji at all after all, so write me down in the Muromachi camp.

[alamo]

Tom did you have a picture of the blade naked without habaki which we can see the whole shape of the sword?

 

No, I haven't taken that off. I'll do it after work and take a picture

[Alex A]

Late reading through this, but used these pegs recently, for anyone interested.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-tapered-bamboo-meguki-sword-peg-Shinken-katana-iaido-Iaito-Japanese-sword/112007881291?hash=item1a1430a24b:g:ysQAAOSw2gxYy9sg

 

Bit of sanding, job done

[Dave R]

Late reading through this, but used these pegs recently, for anyone interested.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-tapered-bamboo-meguki-sword-peg-Shinken-katana-iaido-Iaito-Japanese-sword/112007881291?hash=item1a1430a24b:g:ysQAAOSw2gxYy9sg

 

Bit of sanding, job done

  

 I make my own, either from bamboo spatulas, or bamboo knitting needles either of which gives you a decent thick strong piece to work with. If I was cutting I would get the smoked bamboo from Namikawa. I cut them to a basic shape, and then put them in a drill chuck and file them down as they rotate, which gives a nice round section to them.

[alamo]

I decided not to take the Habaki off.  It didn't want to come off easily and there seems to be a split in it - I just moved it back as far as it would go. See the picture. 

 

Pictures of the blade are the same, just different sizes.

[alamo]

Here's 2 more pictures, a little lighter

[ChrisW]

A very handsome blade despite the nakago issue. I wonder what era/school it belongs to.

[Bruce Pennington]

Tom,

Good call on not forcing it off. I have a Koto era blade with a fat nakago. The fitters actually put the nakago on wide and tapped it down once in place to snug it up. It won’t come off now, either.

[16k]

I wonder if that Habaki is original to the blade. Looks way too small, hence the split.

[Dave R]

I wonder if that Habaki is original to the blade. Looks way too small, hence the split.

 

 This could be the case especially if it's a "bitser", however habaki often look as if they're splitting (usually on older blades) when they are not. A proper habaki, unlike the Chinese fakes and repro's is two pieces, the second piece being the machi-gane which supports the ha-machi from below. Some habaki have the ha split to accommodate the edge, and some are not. I prefer the kind without a split as I think it provides better protection for the delicate ha-machi, but the slit type give a nicer, snugger profile to the habaki at the ha.

[vajo]

Tom i have played a little with the settings of your photos.

 

I would say this is a koto blade or early shinto.

 

 

Nagasa 63,5 cm

 

Seems is has a lot of hataraki.

[alamo]

 

I would say this is a koto blade or early shinto.

 

 

 

Thanks Chris.  I'm not familiar with the various time periods.  I did find the below.   Which ones would you be referring to?

 

• early Koto 初古刀 938 ~ 1319,
• middle Koto 中古刀 1319 ~ 1460,
• late Koto 末古刀 1460 ~ 1596,
• Keigen-Shinto 慶元新刀 1596 ~ 1624,
• Kanei-Shinto 寛永新刀 1624 ~ 1658,
• Kambun-Shinto 寛文新刀 1658 ~ 1684,
• Genroku-Shinto 元禄新刀 1684 ~ 1764,
• early Shinshinto 初新々刀 1764 ~ 1818,
• middle Shinshinto 中新々刀 1818 ~ 1854,
• late Shinshinto 末新々刀 1854 ~ 1868,
• Gendaito 現代刀 1868 ~ today.

[vajo]

Something between late Koto and early shinto. Mino Influence i think.

 

Reminds me on that direction.