First Real Wakizashi...trying To Find Info Out About It

[Taz575]

Yeah, but Kesho is usually 1 piece of the contrasting file mark, not like 2 or 3 full sets.  The tang looks to be modified; I will try to get pics whenever the sun comes out here next.  Looks like there is 1" or so of the tang that was filed more recently like the tang was lengthened by 1" at some point.

[Jean]

Tim,

 

From the beginning, it is obvious that the tang has been modified as this kind of yasurime are not classified. Now is it because it has been welded or not, I don't know. Could you post a picture of the nakago and mune machi from above,

[Taz575]

I found a pic of the area, but it's not the best.  I put the arrow in where I think the original mune machi was; the area to the left of the arrow is where the newer filing marks are.  The tang sides have the same slanting file marks until that area and it's where the weird kesho yasurime starts.

 

[Taz575]

I will try to get some better pics when I get home from work.  The Tsuba I got from the Classifieds here should be here today, so I will get some pics with that tsuba and better pics of the tang areas.

 

With the dimensions of this blade, it is over 3cm at the top of the Habaki, not the munemachi even, so it's a wide blade, tapers to 22mm, so it is close to 30% taper from munemachi to kissaki as I have heard was the norm tapering from some videos and I think one of the books I read?  I don't think it was a longer blade sword that was shortened because if it was, it would have been a very wide blade! 

 

Rewelding was often done to put a real signature tang piece on a cheaper sword from what I have read, but there is no signature on this one?  I will measure when I get home, but it looks like the current munemachi is a hair narrower than from what I think is the original munemachi, where it seems to be the thickest.  On the left side of the blade, there is an ugly section, maybe a forging flaw or something and I wonder if that was seen after a few (or original) polishings and the blade shortened by moving the munemachi forward so the habaki would cover the ugly spot?  I'm not seeing any mekugi ana holes welded up, either.  There is a different color to the rust/patina right at the edge of the weird file marks where it's more black than red rust and there are some deeper grooves along the edges of the file work, so I am not sure if thats the mark of rewelding or not?  It may have been where the polisher went past that area or something?  Maybe it had a longer tang that was completely reworked or another tang welded on to this one?  It doesn't show any re tempering signs and the hamon trails off the blade past the current munemachi area.

 

This sword has been a mystery, which was a bit of it's draw!  I am debating sending it to a Shinsa to find out the maker/time period, but if it's a re welded tang, I don't think they would be able to determine that, so I don't want to waste the money on it if that's the case!

 

Still really enjoy the blade, lots of activity to look at and study in the blade, which was the point of this one in the first place!

[Taz575]

Still raining, so I got a couple of inside pics:

 

 

Guessing that straight black line would be the weld line if there was one?  The munemachi isn't cut straight, either; it is at a slight angle (not perpendicular to the blade) and it's not as deep on one side, either. 

[Jean]

Yes, I think it has been welded

[Taz575]

That's what it looks like!  The next question is why weld an old, unsigned tang to a blade like this?

 

Did some more checking. Habaki fit is much tighter near where it looks like the orig mune machi may have been.  Also, where the yasurime is worn and the black line shows, its right under the very loose tsuba.  The tsuka core is a very tight fit to the nakago.

[Brian]

I do not think it has been welded at all fwiw.

No point, and all that has happened is it has been filed and maybe a little machi okuri.

[Taz575]

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/9648-yasurime-puzzle/

 

When searching "strange yasurime", this topic popped up.  Check out the hamon pic in post #6.  Mine is a bit taller, but looks very similar to this pattern.

[Taz575]

Working on a Kantei sheet.  So far I have:

 

Wakizashi, Mumei

 

Sugata Shingi-zukuri

 

76.5cm total length

50.7cm Nagasa length

Moto Kasane: 6.9 cm

Motohaba 3.1 cm

Sakihaba: 2.23 cm

Menuki ana:  1

Sori:  .8 cm  type torii-zori

 

Chu kissaki?  (around 3.18 cm long?)

 

Iori Mune

 

Boshi:  Yakizume

 

Hamon:  Choji?  Lots of ashi, ko ashi, some sunagashi, nijuba? (pools of nie above/below the nioiguchi line?).  Tobiyaki and yo inside of and above hamon, togari.  Utsuri and possible mune yaki as well.

 

Hada:  Masame on shinogi ji, possibly masame (may be sunagashi, hard to tell) at edge, ko itame in the middle?

 

Nakago:  Iriyama gata, but the top end is straight, but bottom piece is curved.  Almost Ha Agari Kurijiri?

 

Yasurime is Kesho, but strangely done.

[Taz575]

Looking at Shinto swordsmiths, I found a few that did a "double kesho":  http://www.sho-shin.com/osaka-tsuda.html  Sukehiro and Sukenao are the two swordsmiths listed that did the double kesho, so I am going to start with those and look for other related smiths to see if I can match anything else up. 

 

I need to go over my numbers again for length and dimensions.  Some were taken from the Ebay listing, but I think the blade length is longer than the 19.96" listed; I thought it was around 22" from tip to munemachi when I had measuring tape out at one point?  Yup, 22.25", 56.8cm tip to mune machi.

 

The 2nd wakizashi came in yesterday.  I will start a new thread for that one when I get home from work and take some pics.  First impressions; totally different feel than this blade!  Dimensions are close, but they each have their own personality.  The 1st one is beefy and hefty feeling, this one feels much more nimble in the hand.  The Shirasaya is so MUCH more robust than I had imagined it; the saya for this one feels thin and frail and the shirasaya feels very robust in comparison.  I can see the hada better on the new one, but the hada above the shinogi is very difficult to see and its nearly mirror finish.  The activity is a bit different in this sword as you see different activity when you shift the blade around and the overall polish is different, too.  Very happy with my first 2 purchases so far!

[Taz575]

After seeing how the Ebay measurements were off in the ad, I redid them all with the habaki removed.

 

Width at Munemachi: 31.14mm

Kasane at Munemachi: 6.65mm

Shinogi at Munemachi: 7.54mm

 

Width at the Yokote: 21.8mm

Kasane at Yokote: 5.5mm

Shinogi at Yokote: 6.01mm

 

Kissaki length is 29.7mm

 

Sori is 9.9mm

 

Weight of bare blade w/o habaki is 667gr.

[Markus]

Apart from the finish of the tang, the interpretation of the hamon in choji with some protrusions in combintion with the rather straight boshi and the jigane with masame all over the shinogi-ji woud speak for me for something in the vicinity of the Edo-Ishido School, although there might be a hint too much nie along the habuchi for that school. But that would be the first bid I would go for from a gut feeling and with not seeing the nakago...

[Taz575]

Yeah, there is a lot of Nie on the habuchi, but it may be partly because of the acid etched hamon?  There are little clouds of nie right on top of or below the habuchi, too, like in the straight section near the monouchi where it's a nearly straight line w/o any ups and downs; there is nie all thru that line.  I am on the wait list to get a better polish.

 

I've been going thru your books Markus!  I got the 4 Kantei books in paperback form and the E book of the hamon/boshi.  Hatakeda Moriie seemed the closest hamon wise, but I don't think the sword is that old.  Musashi no Daijō Korekazu and Dewa no Daijo Kunimichi were the next 2 I saw in the Hamon/Boshi Kantei book that were somewhat close.  I'm still working my way thru the Shinto and ShinShinto Kantei books and reading the descriptions to see what matches up. 

 

I picked up another wakizashi recently and am trying to pin that one down (http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/19554-2nd-ebay-wak/), too.  It's signed, but we think it is gimei (Bicchu no kami Tachibana Yasuhiro).  The kantei books have been a lot of fun!

 

The nakago is weird; not sure if it was a double or triple kesho to begin with and the polish went too far back, from the loose tsuba or something from when the mune machi was moved forward?

[Taz575]

Well, I worked a bunch of OT this week, so this one will be on it's way to Wally Hostetter for some work!  New Habaki, seppa, fitting an antique tsuba to it (not the one it came with), and either a new saya or repair/re lacquer of the old one and possibly a new tsuka/same/blue ito wrap!  He will be bringing it to the Orlando show to have the guys do the kantei on it if anyone wants to see it in person.