Birdman

So could the wakizashi I got from Mark Green, which is ubu mumei but has a 21-3/8" nagasa simply be an uchigatana made for a smaller bushi? Or is it just a rather long wakizashi?

So, would a blade from the mid-1500's, worn edge-up, with a one-handed grip, but rather long for a wakizashi/too short for a katana (21-23 inch nagasa), and made that size rather than being suriage, likely be a wakizashi or an uchigatana?

So it's more a matter of how it's worn, then?

Can anybody please tell me what, exactly, is the definition of "uchigatana"? Is it a matter of age, blade length, koshirae, or something else? One source I have read says that the uchigatana was the predecessor of the katana. I have seen long wakizashi for sale being described as uchigatana. So what exactly is it?

Nobody? That second kanji IS a bit odd... Be nice to know who made it, where, and when.

I tried to make a rendition of the mei in my "paint" program. Don't know if it helps or not:

I posted this in the tosogu forum; Jean said try posting it here. At first, I thought it might have been "Masashige", but then I realized that I had been reading the "shige" kanji upside-down. The other kanji MIGHT be "kuni". Here is the best enhancement I've been able to come up with of the mei (please excuse the wierd colors...): Here are photos of the entire tsuba: Thanks!

Looking at the kanji pages, I may have been reading it upside-down. Could the second kanji be "kuni"? I'm 99% certain the top one is "shige", though.

Yes, there are a few traces of lacquer on it. As for gilding, the small flecks of gold-colored metal on it might be gilding, or they might be small inlays like on another tsuba I have; I can't really tell for certain. The lacquer is heaviest on the rim and in the mei. I will try to play with my photo editor and see if I can get the mei to come out more clearly. Edit: Well, this was the the best I could do with the editor I have (Picassa). Please excuse the wierd colors, but it did seem to make the mei a bit more readable...

DUH Forgot I already had photos on my computer: Yes, I'm aware that it's not what you guys would call "art quality". It was an Ebay purchase, and my first antique tsuba. I'm just interested in knowing exactly who made it, where, and when.

I have a small, oval tanto tsuba with a mei that reads "Masashige". It has one hitsu-ana, and rather simple (as in not coveriing a lot of space) floral carvings that wrap around the edge to the other side of the tsuba. Can't take photos right now - I left my camera at my parents' place last time I was there. But I was wondering: were there many tsubashi named Masashige, and where can I find photos with examples of their work, so that maybe I can compare styles?

I hear you there, Justin! That's one reason I'd have to think about it before deciding to buy and use it: I'm allergic to poison ivy, and the active ingredient in urushi lacquer is the same thing that makes poison ivy itch - only more concentrated. I'd have to wear nitrile gloves, at the very least... I just got done talking to Randy Black a little while ago, and he says he even has problems when refinishing older saya, just in removing the old urushi, since the dust from sanded urushi makes him break out and causes sinus problems if it gets past his dust mask.

Nice blade! So a lot of it is proportion, then? If you hadn't told me the nagasa length, I would have taken it for a larger blade. Maybe not a katana, but a larger wakizashi. Interesting!

Is there a definitive way to tell whether a particular shoto is a "boy's sword" rather than a small wakizashi or a large tanto? I have heard of boy's swords, but have never seen photos of them, and no way to compare them to other shoto.

I dunno... sounds kinda KINK-y to me! Seriously, I did miss the link. Thanks! I also managed to contact A.J. Bryant, who has the http://www.sengokudaimyo.com website. Good site, with information on the construction of Japanese armor (and other info as well). He says that dome-headed rivets are perfectly acceptable on a hara-ate.