Help ID this based upon shape-naginata?

[stevel48]

A real interesting one here. Could i be a cut down kamakura naginata or waki from bizen muromachi? 

[Geraint]

Dear Steve.

 

It is indeed and interesting sword and looks like a re purposed naginata.  In hand are you seeing a thinning of the blade toward the mune and what happens to the boshi?

 

All the best.

[paulb]

Hi Steve,

I don't think your sword is a cut down naginata from the Kamakura period. in the later Muromachi and well in to the shinto period smiths made swords in this form to resemble naginata or nagamaki naoshi blades. Things that suggest this is the case here (to me) is the presence of a yokote which I would not expect to see on a modified naginata and the lack of a naginata-hi. As Geraint says it is an interesting sword and some very good blades were produced in this form. It deserves further investigation.

[PNSSHOGUN]

There is a glimpse of a Hamon that reminds one of Naoe-Shizu, or other related early Mino work.

[16k]

Can you see a Kaeri (turn back)?
 

If not, it was probably forged that way and isn’t a naginata naoshi. Beautiful blade by the way.

[Rivkin]

Personal potentially erroneous mumblings:

Definite no on Kamakura.

However it can be a very much cut down (thus no hi) Nambokucho shape of 1360s (below). I am a bit worried about it retaining such large sori if its so cutdown though.

But indeed the shape is not unique and even occasionally in shinshinto you see "reproductions". This would put the issue of age towards the work itself. One thing that makes me a tad optimistic is that hamon is narrow. Edo period was not fond of those, old blades often are. Also, I think boshi shows some wavyness so its not strictly suguha (needs confirming). If its true, then shinto is unlikely.

Overall, a closeup good picture of the work can reveal more - Nambokucho or not. As valid alternatives I would say Momoyama - they actually made wakizashi purposefully shaped like this. Maybe shinshinto.

 

 

[Jussi Ekholm]

Can you provide the measurements of the sword (blade length, blade width and curvature)? I can dig some reference examples after those. Also some closeup pictures of blade details would be helpful. With just those 3 pictures it is very difficult to say much.

[Tengu1957]

Just a guess but I am thinking a repurposed Nagamaki from mid Muromachi that was suriage in early Edo/Momoyama . Not a Naoshi. 

[stevel48]

All very interesting and informative responses.  Sorry for the delay in responding. No thread notifications made it to me.  This was a study piece that i was interested in purchasing somit was not in hand. I believed it to be a naningata from the muromachi but it was sold while i was investigating. It was an interesting piece that I would have liked to own for a while. Thanks to you all.