A mistake 2 - Kizu

[kissakai]

Hi

I said I would put the Wakizashi I bought at the same time as my Katana (previous post) so here it is.

 

With this one I have found a crack so I’m unsure how bad this is.

The crack is ringed in yellow so you can see there is some depth to it.

The translation was proved by Morita and is Seki Kanemitsu - 関兼光

I have no idea is this can be attributed to one smith or even if a date is possible

 

Any information would be appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grev UK

[kissakai]

I forgot to add the sizes:

 

Dimensions

Full length in shirasaya 76cm 30”

Blade full length 66.8cm 26”

Temper length 51.2cm 20”

Sori 1.7cm ½“

Width 2.7cm 1”

Thickness 0.7cm ¼"

 

 

Grev UK

[J Reid]

Supposedly cracks on the nakago are a tell tale sign of retempering...

Sorry bud.

 

Best,

Josh

[Brian]

That doesn't look like a retempering crack to me..more like a forging flaw. Perhaps nakago weren't always subject to the same forging care as the blade.

Opening doesn't look like it is through the nakago. I wouldn't stress too much about it.

 

Brian

[kissakai]

Thanks Brian for your comment I must admit my spirit did drop

I wouldn’t like to disagree with Josh but I believe there are some pointers to saiha

There would be a change to the patina nakago, the hamon near the habaki and loss of shape to the nakago and sori. In general it would have looked wrong. To my untrained eye everything looked reasonable

If I assume the crack (there is depth to it – about a 1/3rd to ½ way through nakago) was formed at the time of forging would this have been acceptable? I would wonder how the sword smith felt about this.

 

If possible I would still like some general points about the wakizashi and its maker

 

 

Grev UK

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Grev,

No smith will let out of his shop a sword with this crack; he certainly wouldn't sign it. Maybe the crack developed later; maybe the crack developed above the machi and the blade was greatly shortened with a new nakago to hide the crack. I think the flaw is fatal; sorry.

Grey

[kissakai]

Hi Grey

I put up this Wakizashi for discussion/comments, good or bad

At the moment it is 2-1 for a serious flaw so I can live with that and I did find it difficult to see why it was signed if there was a flaw at the time it was originally made

 

I was a bit disappointed that no one has given me any real info on this Wakizashi

It seems in the main to be only the good and the bad that generate the most info and the middle of the road stuff hardly gets a mention

I have another couple swords and as they are nothing special it hardly seems worth adding the posts/images

I know we rely on people who voluntarily contribute so maybe it is to be expected

 

 

Grev UK

[Jean]

Grev,

 

I am too lazy to search but, in your opinion, is it koto or shinto or shinshinto?

 

To help you find the answer, look at the yasurime, the nakago jiri.

 

Other path to follow, how many smiths from Mino have begun their mei by Seki.

 

 

BTW, the crack is serious. I never would have signed such blade were I the smith.

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Grev,

I think the lack of commentary on your sword has to do a lot with the fact that there isn't much to be said about it. Nothing special, has a bad flaw, the nakago looks like what I'd expect on a Seki Gunto (perhaps it is o-suriage with a gimei and patinated nakago to move the flaw to a less conspicuous place). Also, it is hard to say much about a sword with only a few pictures to go by. I don't think anyone is withholding information.

What else were you hoping to hear?

Grey

[Jean]

Grev,

 

If it is possible, i would like a clear picture of the sword from the machi upto the mekugi ana, both sides.

 

I tend to approve Grey comments.

[cabowen]

Grev-

 

Here's my take-

 

This is a shinto period Mino blade-the Meikan lists a smith from Mino signing Kanemitsu working around Kanbun. Most likely him.

 

It looks to be of average quality.

 

The flaw in the nakago is due to an incomplete weld. From what I can see in the photos, It does not go through the blade but is rather a skin layer than runs longitudinally a millimeter or so within the blade. While far from desirable, I wouldn't call it fatal. It is not likely to effect the structural integrity of the blade in a meaningful way but it is something most collectors would discount heavily.

[Brian]

That's how I saw the flaw too. Not all that uncommon, but not desirable. You can see more than one of these openings on that nakago.

At a time when weapon was more important than art, I think they would have accepted this more readily than later times.

 

Brian

[kissakai]

Grey are you thinking it is WWII as you mentioned ‘Seki Gunto’?

 

Jean

I’ve just found out the following but this will be nothing new to you. I only have Robinson’s ‘Arts of the Japanese Sword, the NMB, and the internet for research. So I need to spend more time looking up these details. Also attached pictures as requested

 

Yasurime - File marks on nakago - Mine are about 30° crossed. Diamond shape (Higaki)

 

Ubu Nakago Form (Futsu Gata) - This general form is the nakago type which occurs most frequently.

 

Kengyo tang style.

 

Name Hawley Province School Province

Kanemitsu KAN1464 Mino Seki 1381

Kanemitsu KAN1499 Mino Seki 1394 - 1428

Kanemitsu KAN1502 Mino Seki 1532 - 1555

Kanemitsu KAN1480 Mino Seki 1864

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry I was a bit pointed but where else can I get such good information. There is no need to spoon feed us just some pointers such as Jean made

Maybe we need a section for the notice to ask for advice. That way there is no embarrassment in posting some of no so good stuff

 

 

Grev UK

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Grev,

I don't think this is Gunto or Showato or Gendai; I also think this is Shinto. What I said was the nakago looks less than wonderfully done: the yasurime are a bit sloppy and the mei looks more like bad Showato chisel work than a competently cut Shinto mei. I was suggesting that possibly the crack developed above the machi sometime after the sword was made and the blade was shortened to hide the crack under the tsuka. Maybe the mei was cut to match the work in the sword; it looked like a Mino blade so they gave it the Seki mei.

I don't know this to be the case; I think it is a possibility. To me this seems more likely than that a smith made the sword with the crack and then signed it.

Nothing but conjecture on my part and I am often 100% wrong. I am no where near being an authority; I'm just a beginner.

Grey

[Jean]

The blade is not so old, (meaning not Koto) and the quality is mediocre at most: the crack and the very crude yasurime witness it. Now the nakago jiri is not typical to Mino (though it is found) but rather typical of Hokurikudo provinces (Kaga for example). I have no track record of a smith signing directly Seki+name, generally, shinto mei are rather long. I have just checked with Markus'book. So an unindentified blade with a very unusual signature, it is very difficult give an opinion. perhaps Shinto.

 

Edit to add: Kanbun wakizashi have generally a nagasa between 51,5 and 54,5 cm and a sori of 0,9 cm (Guide to Nyutatsu Kantei). The sori of this wakizashi is too deep for Kanbun, could fit Genroku but the nagasa is too small (should be 54,5 cm or above).

 

The yasurime are not only crude but curious, on the mune they look Keisho (started in Shinto)

[Jean]

I shall add that seeing the nakago mune, the blade does not seem to have been polished a lot.

[kissakai]

Wonderful - Some great comments that give me so much to look into

Before I had no idea what I had but now it is much easier for me to be more specific in my searches

I put it on the HMB hopefully for a bit of direction and why I was a bit disapointed when the only comments where on the crack which was an obvious fault

For most of us we will not own a sword that is top class but are still hungry for information, not necessarily praise.

 

 

Grev UK