Wakizashi in metal koshirae

[nektoalex]

Greetings to the distinguished assembly! At one of the Ukrainian auctions, an interesting version of wakizashi with an unusual kashirae came across. Interpreted as a premium kosirae, if any. I ask you to express your opinions on the attribution of Wakizashi and Kosirae. Material Kosirae brass - silver plated, gold-plated.

[Geraint]

Dear Alexsandr.

 

This sort of koshirae turns up from time to time, the mounts are usually made up of pressed brass plates, embossed with mon.  They are very late production, largely made to make swords suitable to sell to the foreign market at the end of the 19th century.  It looks as if someone has had fun silver plating the parts.  Certainly not a premium koshirae.  

 

Hope this helps.

 

All the best.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Agreed, not premium. I don't know what the blade attribution is, but the fact that it isn't signed should keep the price quite low.

[Grey Doffin]

A very inexpensive blade (unsigned wakizashi with a long ware' in the shinogi ji) was mounted in PDQ (pretty damn quick) but flashy koshirae.  As said above, this was put together to sell to western tourists, most likely, and would be called Hama-mono (Yokohama being the port of Tokyo, where tourists came & went).  Nothing very desireable, in my humbled opinion.

Grey

[nektoalex]

Thanks for the definition. Everything is clear with Kosirae. The blade obviously also belongs to the late eras, if it seems possible to determine from these photos?

[ROKUJURO]

Alexsandr,

the blade is OSURIAGE and might have been a good bit longer originally, so we don't know if there was a MEI or not. The patina on the remaining NAKAGO looks nice and has certainly some age to it. I am not so sure that it is a late blade. With good photos of HADA, HAMON and the whole blade without HABAKI (taken from above and not from an angle), we could try to say more about it.

What are the dimensions? SORI? 

[nektoalex]

Jean, thank you, I will try to get the desired size photos and publish here.

[Kanenaga]

I believe this style of koshirae is referred to as Ainu (with apologies to Peter B who may consider this an inappropriate appellation). I was told these were made in Japan proper for the Ainu market. There is a very similar one, though not as flashy, on permanent display in the Tokyo National Museum with a label "Ainu Koshirae."

 

Les

[nektoalex]

Les please share a link to the TNM exhibit Ainu Koshirae you mentioned

[Kanenaga]

Sorry Alexsandr, don't have a link, don't think it is online. I saw it in person at the museum, which is in Ueno Park and well worth a visit when in Tokyo. Andy Quirt had a similar one for sale about 2-3 years ago, but his link is no longer active.

[Kanenaga]

Here's a photo.

The label is out of focus, but it says "Sword Mountings, Hokkaido Ainu."

 

 

[nektoalex]

Les thanks.
 Perhaps our audience has links to similar options.

[nektoalex]

Sorry Alexsandr, don't have a link, don't think it is online. I saw it in person at the museum, which is in Ueno Park and well worth a visit when in Tokyo. Andy Quirt had a similar one for sale about 2-3 years ago, but his link is no longer active.

Andy Quirt     http://www.nihonto.us/AINU%20KOSHIRAE%20LD.htm

[nektoalex]

Looked in the archives - similar clothes http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/30920-tokugawa-tanto-new-images/