Info on Wakizashi

[Hajime Saito]

Hi. I found an interesting blade but it's not signed and a can't say anything about it. I was told that it's from Edo period.

I wonder whether it’s authentic or not. I would be grateful for any opinions.

 

 

[Brian]

Janusz,

 

Another difficult one (what happened to all the easy ones? :D )

Just my novice opinion of course...

The fittings look good, and genuine. Quite nice too. Edo period.

The blade. Hmm. The blade looks original to me, although it looks to have been over cleaned and finished to be too bright.

What disturbs me is the nakago (tang) as it is just not right. The filemarks, shape, wobbly shinogi line and patina are just off. Doesn't look to have much age on it. Mekugo ana looks drilled too.

This makes me think of a longer katana blade that has been broken, and the nakago crudely shaped by someone not experienced in Nihonto. I don't get that feeling of "fake" but more "reshaped"

Perhaps it is just that...a katana blade shortened by someone not an expert. I could be way off the mark...but all free advice comes with a money back guarantee

The nice fittings and the lack of other damage on the blade might mean there is a fair sword in there waiting for some restoration. What say the others here?

 

Edit to add: Looking at it again, something is niggling at me, and I can't put my finger on it. Could this be a modern blade by one of the custom knife/sword makers in the West, that has been heat treated and put into older fittings? Or maybe it was polished by one of the knife makers. Just gives me that impression for some reason. Hard one to pinpoint.

 

Brian

[Markus]

I think, Brian is on the right track.

Looks like the tip area of one of the earlier generations Paul Chen "Shinto katana" to me (especially the shape of the kissaki with its monotoneous

boshi [not to confuse with original boshi of this kind], as well as the large o-maru).

Just some thoughts by me...

[Hajime Saito]

Interesting suggestion. I hope it's not Paul Chen. I'm still novice in nihonto so I can't even imagine how can you see such thing just by looking at blade. I'm waiting for books from satcho to arrive so i will learn few things.

Seller told me that Nawago could be new, modern times or pre war. Sword Length - 45cm, Width - 2,4cm, Thickness - 4mm

Sorry for that cheap description but for now it's troublesome for me to name correctly parts of sword. To tell the truth it will take some time for me to translate to my language what you just wrote. But thanks for opinion.

 

[Jean]

I agree with Brian and Markus, very stange nakago yasurime well spotted by Brian.

 

The blade hamon (quite difficult to see) seemd nioi deki, many blades were nie deki during shinto.

 

But, I dislike the Fukura, the yokote is almost invisibleon one side (perhaps the picture) but the shinogi at the kissaki level seems straight which is strange .....

 

Machine drilled Mekugi ana ...

 

Nakago colour is not right ............

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Whatever the truth about the blade itself, that nakago is a complete balls-up.

 

It's either been sanded clean or it's a DIY o-suriage (as others have already pointed out).

 

Strange to have taken such care over the fittings though. :?

[Andi B.]

Is there any Hada (visible steel layers on the surface) visible?

If not and judging only from the pictures, this could really be a broken Paul Chen blade...

Maybe made only to complete the Koshirae?

[kusunokimasahige]

I also have the feeling this is indeed a Paul Chen blade....

 

however the fittings are very nice and original in my view......

 

 

KM

[Jean]

Having neverssen a Paul Chen in my short life, but at it seems thera NMB members familiar with is work, I have a question :

 

Does he often forge sanbonsugi hamon?

[kusunokimasahige]

http://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/paul- ... words.html

 

you can find some reviews here..

 

KM

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Having neverssen a Paul Chen in my short life, but at it seems thera NMB members familiar with is work, I have a question :

 

Does he often forge sanbonsugi hamon?

 

Give them a stencil and they'll forge Jukachoji too...

 

Just now there is a flame-thread on another board because they

are advertising one of their swords line is made of Tamahagane.

One of the sellers arrvied to say that he has seen blades "with

Shoshu den features"... less then 2K U$ mounted.

[Jean]

Poor world : Quo Vadis :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Poor world : Quo Vadis :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

The more PC costs, the less competition for low-end collectors as me... :lol: Let him increase the prices a bit more...

[kusunokimasahige]

Personally i would never touch anything made by someone not using the proper techniques or not having been trained by a proper gendai smith...

 

not even for Iaido or Katori......

 

I like swords, not cutters........ that is why i rather practice with a proper gendaito in stead of anything in which in my view is fake, whatever high grade steel they use......

 

KM

[Hajime Saito]

I discovered one thing about Person selling this wakizashi. You mentioned about Paul Chens swords. Those are new swords and Seller is a sword smith. Hmm... He's making replicas of old swords.

Those are his earlier swords: http://www.katana.pl/miecze/index.htm

Now i have funny feeling about this. Is it possible that he could remake Chens katana to fit that Edo fittings ? Although i don't want to adjudge him. But it's little strange.

[kusunokimasahige]

If you look closely at your fittings and compare them to the ones on the site you showed us, and to a lot of newer replicas not made by artisans with a thorough understanding of the materials they work with you can see a very big difference.

 

the only ones making fittings that nice these days are almost all based in Japan, but i believe one of our forum members is also VERY good in making fuchi/kashira and tsuba!

 

your fittings and tsuba seem legit to me, however the blade seems not to be, nor its habaki..

 

however to be certain i would try to post some extra pictures of the tsuba and fuchi/kashira.

 

best wishes,

 

KM

[Brian]

As I can't read Polish, I can't understand the page. But if, as you say, he is a modern sword maker, than I think it more likely this is a sword he made himself, and not a shortened Chen blade. As I said originally, it gave me the impression of a modern blade made by a knifemaker and polished the way they do.

Is it possible he made the blade, and put it into original fittings?

 

Brian

[Hajime Saito]

Heh. He admited reforging few Pul Chens Sord to other ones but he states that it's not in this case and that it's authentic.

[Hajime Saito]

Another few pictures.

 

[Humbleshogun]

Dzien Dobroi John -

 

I think this is one of those things that if there is any doubt, then there is no doubt. I would recommend ordering a copy of the Connoisseurs Book of Japanese Swords by Kokan Nagayama. It has a great introduction and a wonderful section on flaws. This has certainly helped me out and I only wish I read it earlier. I think it's good practice for anyone interested in a real nihonto to read up on fakes and flaws. There is a link on this message board but for some reason the pictures are not available.

 

Any way to get that fixed?

 

Vsevo Dobrovo,

 

Paul

[Hajime Saito]

Yes i know that book. I have already ordered it. Pictures should work i don't know why you cant see them.

[kusunokimasahige]

Well...

 

tsuba looks real (maybe Milt can add to this)

 

Seppa near habaki looks WWII gunto.

 

fuchi/kashira on tsuka looks real, as well as the tsuka itself including the menuki.

 

saya i do not know about.

 

blade imho is a fake.

 

best wishes,

 

KM

[Brian]

Hi Paul,

 

Yes, I see what you mean about the pics on the Fakes page. The link is to the page which is hosted by Rich T on his site. I think he will see this and correct the page shortly.

 

Thanks,

Brian

[Hajime Saito]

So the blade is fake. What a pity.