Need Some Info For Wakizashi

[Lex Sakura]

Hello,

 

I've come across a wakizashi with nbhtk ozon papers but I'd like some professional advice if everything looks legit regarding the koshirae and the papers. Link included to the wakizashi :

 

https://www.2dehands.be/verzamelen/overige-verzamelstukken/leger-oorlog-marine/nbthk-certificaat-wakizashi-koshirae-403114918.html

 

Thanks

[Geraint]

Dear Lex.

 

Legit is an interesting choice of words.  The sword has papers for both the blade and koshirae.  I struggle to see enough detail on these images to tell very much but there are a couple of points to note.  The very nice saya is matched to some attractive fittings, some of the same is disappearing from the tsuka which could be restored but could also be left as it is.  One piece of the two piece habaki is missing, again this could be restored and is much more important in my view than the same as it materially affects the fit of the sword in the saya.  There is no shirasaya for the blade. I only see one seppa, if the sword fits the koshirae with only one seppa and a part of the habaki then sword and koshirae probably didn't start life together, you will only be able to tell that with the sword in hand.  Also possible is that a previous owner has changed the tsuba and removed a seppa to maker this one fit.

 

So, can you see the sword in hand?  If not ask some questions. If you like the answers then go for it, get the habaki repaired and enjoy what will be a nice sword.  Others will say that suriage Shinto swords are not good but that it a personal choice and I don;t think this is too bad at the price, however it won't want to go much higher.

 

All of the above are just my opinion and naturally the choice is yours, I'd be tempted.

 

All the best.

[Lex Sakura]

Thank you for your response ! The only thing I fear is to buy another katana/wakizashi that looks real and is signed but is in fact a fake ( happened to me 1 time but the katana didn't have any papers) I hesitate to go and take a look myself but are there, according to forum members, any signs of fake ?( fake signature, new saya,...) I'm still learning and I'm very interested in owning a katana/wakizashi that actually holds some history and where I could be proud to own. All tips and info from other members are more than welcome !

[Geraint]

Dear Lex.

 

Nothing to worry about, this is not a fake and neither is the koshirae.  Comments in your other thread are pertinent, if you like this and have the ability to have the habaki repaired it will be a nice and perfectly genuine Japanese sword.

 

All the best.

[Surfson]

I agree with Geraint, nothing fake about it.  As to collectibility, the price is low since it is a late suriage wakizashi.  

[Lex Sakura]

I'm so glad that forums like these exist and that there are so friendly people always ready to help ! thank you guys for the information. If the seller is right the Wakizashi is made between 1661-1673.

I'm currently informing myself with the seller for some other things and might go take a look soon.

[TheGermanBastard]

Solid workmanship in the blade!

[Peter Bleed]

Looks like a great deal. A decorative blade with legitimate history and a link to a well-known regional school. If swords like this a worth a grand, I think the market may becoming very soft.

Peter

[TheGermanBastard]

Peter: the market IS very soft. It is way too soft ... Only the top and bottom tier are stable everything in between is in the fall. I heared that the Tampa show was about half the size it still was last year. Maybe there will be no Tampa next year at all. Who knows. What I know is that all the old farts aren't getting any younger, neither am I ... so we will see more swords coming into the market from old collections with too few young collectors going for them. I think this is a logical step in a world of virtualisation. A world were there will maybe no more cash / physical money in a near future won't see that many young people hanging on collecting ancient coins ... a world with eMails makes stamps obsolete and something akward. My daugthers probably will love at me one day for keeping some music CDs somewhere. Who do you think is gonna stickl his heart, money and time anymore to collecting old records? Yes, a few nerds .. flooded by a market full of physical stuff that just makes no more sense to the vast majority of people.

 

Due to the internet we now have a great offerings of swords where the market was rather clsoed some 30 years ago - but while the offers have grown, the demand has decreased.

 

In the above example I see a blade which would cost way more to get restored / papered or even newly forged than the seller is asking. Still it may be a difficult blade to sell. As far as I am concerened I wouldn't buy it for being a) Wakizashi B) Suriage Muromachi or Shinto ... BUT still it is a great deal. By the way: I have some Suriage Shinto Wakizashis for sale! GREAT GREAT deals! ...

 

It is a pitty but it is the way it s.

[Vermithrax16]

Peter: the market IS very soft. It is way too soft ... Only the top and bottom tier are stable everything in between is in the fall. I heared that the Tampa show was about half the size it still was last year. Maybe there will be no Tampa next year at all. Who knows. What I know is that all the old farts aren't getting any younger, neither am I ... so we will see more swords coming into the market from old collections with too few young collectors going for them.

 

due to the internet we now have a great offerings of swords where the market was rather clsoed some 30 years ago - but will the offers have grown, the demand has decreased.

 

In the above example I see a blade which would cost way more to get restored / papered or even newly forged than the seller is asking. Still it may be a difficult blade to sell. As far as I am concerened I wouldn't buy it for being a) Wakizashi B) Suriage Muromachi or Shinto ... BUT still it is a great deal. By the way: I have some Suriage Shino Wakizashis for sale! GREAT GREAT deals! ...

 

It is a pitty but it is the way it s.

Probably worth an honest discussion in it's own thread. 

[Ken-Hawaii]

Lex, this is a good starter blade that you won't regret owning. But if you become a collector, & do some studying, I'll bet that you won't still own it 10 years from now. Why? Because it is a very typical starter blade, & nothing more.

 

For those of us who have been collecting for awhile, we're almost always looking for something unusual, & preferably unique. Shinto & Shinshinto blades weren't used in battle, unlike older blades, & that alone takes away some of its attractiveness. During the Edo period, Samurai were in large part underpaid policemen, & blades became rather flamboyant to catch their attention (& to show off), but they were seldom drawn to fight. So tosho (swordsmiths) put a lot of effort into making good katana & tanto, leaving even ubu (unshortened) wakizashi as a blade so common, that even some merchants were allowed to wear them.

 

Suriage (shortened) wakizashi like this one were almost always cut down from a katana, making them even less attractive to collect. But at least this one has origami (authentication papers) & is signed. Decent koshirae, too, although I strongly suggest that you invest in shirasaya (the wooden storage case) because koshirae are made for battle, rather than for long-term storage.

 

Lots of good info in what our members have shared with you. And if you haven't already bought this blade, Lex, I suggest that you look through the For Sale threads. If I were you, I'd save a bit more, & buy something like http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/24726-muromachi-period-ko-gassan-katana-in-shirasaya/ or http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/24903-signed-koto-tanto-in-silver-koshirae/  Blades for sale on NMB are probably about as well-vetted as they can be!

 

I trust that you've already invested in some reference books so you know what you're getting...right?