Showa Wakizashi with arsenal stamp?

[Brian]

An acquaintance popped round recently with 2 swords he purchased, and asked me for any info.
Can't sit at the pc for long enough to have a go, so am asking the members if they don't mind assisting?
Bit unusual because we don't often see wakizashi with a Sho stamp. I assume that is what the partial stamp is. Also, is that tsukuru kore? So not just bar stock.
Anyways, it had what appears to be a very controlled sanbon sugi hamon. Can anyone assist with the mei?

[Mark C]

Hi Brian,

 

Could be:

 

Suikosai Kaneaki tsukuru kore wo

 

Japanese Sword Index has an example under Oshigata of Showa swordsmiths

[uwe]

“粹光斉兼明造之”

[Bruce Pennington]

I agree that it's a partially struck Sho stamp.

[Brian]

Thanks all. So one of the scarce wartime wakizashi made as such and with arsenal stamp. I do find them uncommon...most being earlier blades.

[Bruce Pennington]

I wish it were dated.  We have 1 Showa stamped blade from 1935.  The rest are 1938 and beyond.

[Bazza]

If I could simply ask - are the pictures above of a wakizashi??  Looks like a katana nakago to me and I've never seen (that I can recall) a wakizashi with two mekugi ana spaced so far apart??  What is the nagasa of this wakizashi??

 

BaZZa.

[Brian]

Bazza, it is indeed. I think it was 55cm nagasa. I'll have to get pics from him.

[Babu]

I see what you mean it might be a reshaped sword fitted for WW2.

I think very little would have been thrown away if if decent length .

It's certainly looking way too long for our usual expectations.

[mtexter]

 

On 8/25/2020 at 1:45 AM, Bazza said:

Looks like a katana nakago to me

+1 for this, as far as my amateur eyes can tell

[tbonesullivan]

On 8/25/2020 at 1:45 AM, Bazza said:

If I could simply ask - are the pictures above of a wakizashi??  Looks like a katana nakago to me and I've never seen (that I can recall) a wakizashi with two mekugi ana spaced so far apart??  What is the nagasa of this wakizashi??

 

BaZZa.

 

Do Wakizashi use different shaped Nakago than Katanas?  Or is it just because of the two mekugi ana? 

 

I dealt with an O-wakizashi with a nagasa of 22 1/4" or 56.5cm, and the sugata was pretty much identical to a katana.

[DoTanuki yokai]

I think its about the nakago size compared to nagasa.

Also i think its more intention of the smith what a blade is and not more or less then 60.6cm.

I think some titled by dealers 59cm nagasa wakizashi are real Katana.