Trav4ever

@ROKUJURO for whatever reason, it isn’t letting me upload any images. The site keeps declining them. However my very first post created on NMB I posted a lot of pictures of the Waki. A few people chimed in as I asked if it was real or a fake. I think if you are interested you can click my account and open it as I’ve only posted two threads. Would love to hear your opinion on authenticity as well. It was a gift from my significant other on vacation. I have $0.00 dollars invested in it at this time. Ok I take that back probably $50.00 invested from the cleaning kit, but that’s it.

@ROKUJURO

@ROKUJURO this is everything it came with. Nothing fits tightly, meaning everything is loose on the Waki. None of the pieces really match each other either. That’s why I suspect what I suspect.

@ROKUJURO thank you for the insight on the Tsuba. As long as the Waki is authentic that’s currently all I care about. Nothing about the Waki I received makes much sense in terms of the furniture it came with. I think someone just put a bunch of extra parts they had laying around to make a complete sword.

@ROKUJURO it’s 100% cast iron. You were right. I did some research and discovered why they carry little value. This is the Tsuba that came with the Waki I was gifted. I actually found an identical Tsuba online for 109.00 on a popular auction site and many more similar designs on different style Tsuba styles and sizes. I almost wonder if this is actually an Edo period Tsuba or a modern one. I’m not sure.

@ROKUJURO I understand what you mean via the photos. I took about 30 photos at different angles under light and those are the best I could manage. It’s more noticeable to the naked eye, but still difficult to decipher if it’s an old signal or as @Bugyotsuji said may be Gimei that has possibly been hammered off. I’m still learning about Japanese swords as this is my first, but I’m greatly enjoying learning the subject and wish I’d gotten into it earlier. The Wakizashi was a gift and was bought at an antique store a couple months ago. Unfortunately it was not only neglected, but someone has obviously attempted to sand rust off the blade at one point which has left a lot of scratches. It then re rusted over pretty bad. I bought a cleaning set for it and have been letting it soak a few minutes here and there with Choji oil. Also using powdered antler and gently wiping the blade down over and over a lot of rust and what appears to be build up old oil has come off and it’s much nicer looking now. The Hamon is visible on both sides however you have to have it under light to be able to really see it well enough to see what it used to look like. Regardless I’m pretty happy with the sword especially since I didn’t have to pay for it. The Tsuba on it is a dragon motif which I quite like. Especially after I was able to scratch away the massively built up rust that was also hiding a lot of detail. It was almost like an excavation on the Tsuba. Where it looked smooth was actually rust and grime filling in lines and pockets. After scraping those out and discovering what was underneath I’ve really become interested in collecting Tsuba now as well.

@Bugyotsuji my mistake. I meant oiling with choji oil.

I had this newly acquired Wakizashi apart for some piling and noticed in the lighting faint markings. Moving the handle around under the light made it look like there is just hints of a signature. Unfortunately nothing I can make out to confirm it’s actually a signature or just unusual markings in the steel. What are your guys thoughts? This is my first sword and I am very much an amateur.

That seems to check out. From the camera flash you can certainly tell someone has scratched the surface of the blade quite a bit. Maybe it’s able to be fixed with restoration, but I’m not sure and at 109.00 an inch it’d be quite a bill.

That’s interesting about having probably examined it before. Your information seems to line up with what I know. It was purchased at an antique mall in Williamsburg. The seller has a lot of civil war era knives, swords, and even a few firearms from what I understand.

Thank you for all the information you provided. I’m south of Pittsburgh, about the same distance from Washington.

Thank you Grey, I be diving into the information you provided.

I appreciate your input. Thank you very much.