Looking for some help with identifying a sword

[PeterGB]

Hi everyone, 

 

I'm hoping someone might be able to help me with identifying this sword.

 

It was gifted to my mother around 40 years ago by a family friend who, in turn, had it in her possession for a number of years. It is now mine and I'm hoping to learn about it. 

 

I believe the friend had a contact in Japan but unfortunately she has passed on and I'm unable to find out any history on how she got it.

 

I have been reading through some websites and am keen to learn but being new to this topic there is quite a steep learning curve and I'd appreciate any information or advice anyone can provide to get me started.

 

I have attached some photos below and uploaded more photos to this imgur link (due to being limited on how many photos I can upload to the forum) which I hope will help.

 

Thank you

[ChrisW]

You have what appears to be an older, traditionally made wakizashi. A wakizashi is a blade that is shorter than 24" but longer than 12".

However, for more to be gleaned, we would need some close up shots of the activity in the metal. Specifically, closeups of the kissaki (pointy end), the nakago (the part that goes into the handle), and shots of the hamon/side of the blade that shows details in the metal.

[PeterGB]

Hi Chris, 

 

Thank you for your reply, much appreciated!

 

Here are a couple of photos of the kissaki (thank you for clarifying the terminology)

 

I'll post some additional photos in another comment shortly.

[PeterGB]

The nakago...

 

[ChrisW]

Can you slide the metal collar (habaki) off? That should help too. Gut feeling is that the blade is an older, possibly Muromachi era blade. But I would wait to hear from more experienced members here.

[PeterGB]

Hi Chris, 

 

With regards to the habaki, I'm not sure how to remove it. It won't easily slide down as it tapers in at the top.

 

I can try and force it but it might bend the habaki? 

 

Below are some photos which I hope explains what I mean...

[Shugyosha]

It looks slightly deformed anyway. Try something like WD40 or 3 in 1 oil under the habaki. That might help to lubricate it and will ease it if there is any corrosion underneath. Go easy with the quantity and keep it off the tang. Don’t clean the tang. 

[PeterGB]

Thank you Shugyosha. I'll protect the tang while trying some WD40. I'll post back once done.

[PeterGB]

Got it! Thanks for the tip Shugyosha. It came off with a bit of WD40 and knocking with some wood and a rubber mallet.

 

Here are the pictures...

[PeterGB]

If I may ask some additional beginner questions (I'll try and use the appropriate terminology, apologies if I make a mistake)...

 

1. Am I correct in thinking that the blade may not be the same age as the Saya (scabbard), the Tsuka (handle) and the Tsuba (guard)? If that's correct, what normally determines the change of these fixtures over time?

2. Judging from the end of the Saya (scabbard) it looks to be missing something (photo attached) is that correct?

3. The Tsuka Ito (photo attached) isn't perfect. Is this something that can or should be repaired?

4. Is there anything I should be doing with it, maintenance/care wise?

5. Is the repair around the hole in the tang common? Does it imply/suggest anything?

6. Is there a book that is generally recommended for complete beginners?

7. Looking at prices of certified Wakizashi's online, they aren't cheap but they aren't insane money considering the craftsmanship and age ($5k or so) compared to a vintage guitar etc this seems very fair. I'm presuming mine won't be near that in value, but if it's worth over $1k then I should probably add it to my home insurance, is that what most people do? Or is it too difficult to insure if it's not certified etc.

 

Thanks in advance for any guidance with any of the above.

[Shugyosha]

Hi Peter,

1. Yes that is the case so: wear and tear, fashion if the owner is wealthy or status if a particular style of fittings was required for a particular duty. 
 

2. Yes it’s called a kojiri. It could be replaced if you wanted to. 

 

3. Up to you. Having the thread redone is relatively easy but there’s some damage to the ray skin underneath. There’s a guy in the UK who does good work and could perhaps do a wrap that would cover that damage. 

 

4. Keep the blade dry and maybe lightly oiled, particularly if you’re by the sea. Lacquer can be sensitive to temperature so keep it in a room that has a fairly constant temperature. Don’t oil or clean the tang - the patina is an indicator of age and should be left alone. You can touch it with your bare hands but avoid touching the blade as oil from your hands will corrode it. 
 

5. It’s not uncommon and isn’t something to worry about. It was probably done to adjust the fit of the peg, maybe on a different tsuka. 
 

6. Yes, there are several: - off the top of my head: The Samurai Sword a Handbook by John Yumoto is popular and The Art of the Japanese Sword by Kapp and Yoshihara. 
 

7. Give your insurer a call. My policy has antiques up to a certain value covered. Tell them you own an antique Japanese sword from the 16th or 17th century (finger in the air I’d guess it is pre 1600, but it’s hard to tell from here). I’d give it a value around £1,200 and see what they say. You’d probably have to pay something like that to replace an unsigned, mounted, koto wakizashi from a dealer. 

[PeterGB]

Hi Shugyosha, 

 

Thank you so much for your reply.

 

I will get those books you mentioned and look forward to learning more.

 

(PS as a gesture of gratitude for the help I have received, I have made a small donation to the forum)

 

[Brian]

[ckaiserca]

Hi Peter,

 

Your saya is also missing the Kurigata (栗形): The kurigata is a knob on the side of the saya for attaching the sageo (下緒). The sageo is the cord that is used to tie the saya to the obi (belt).

[PeterGB]

Hi ckaiserca, 

 

Thank you for pointing that out. 

 

This raises a few further questions, if that's OK...

 

1. With regards to the kurigata, after reading your comment I read an article which said that the kurigata was normally stuck to the saya with a traditional glue and that you can re-stick it using wood glue (or even gorilla glue) - is that true?

 

2. If the above is true, does that mean I could try and acquire an Edo period kurigata and fix it to the saya myself?

 

3. I'm wondering if the kogatana is not the right size for the saya. It's not flush and is slighter wider than the groove. Also there is a crack on the saya which could be because the kogatana is too wide. Is that correct? If so, is the kogatana also something I could replace? I have attached some photos for reference. (If it is the wrong size, I wonder why someone would have done that)

 

4. Is it considered bad practice to replace parts? I guess I'm unsure as to the relationship between the all parts, are they all independent or should they be kept together as a set? 

 

On a semi-related note, I ordered The Samurai Sword a handbook by John M Yumoto; as suggested. I'm looking forward to reading it.

[Geraint]

Dear Peter.

 

From your pictures it is clear that this wakizashi should have an implement called a kogai here, not a kozuka.  You are right, this one does not fit, best keep it separate.

 

As regards a replacement, these are not standard parts and fitting  new one would be quite tricky.   If you notice there are almost what looks like two spaces, the larger would be where the kurikata fits, the smaller would be a little piece that forms and protects the mouth of the kogai slot.  These are often made of horn and its loss has probably contributed to the slight splitting of the saya.

 

As to why someone would stuff an obviously oversized kozuka into the kogai slot, well, sometimes by accident; parts get mixed up and whoever puts them back together doesn't know what goes where, sometimes a collector or dealer will spot a nice kogai and sell it off and then stick something in it's place to make the whole thing look more complete.

 

One more observation, the lower end of the nakago seems to have some fire scale on it, this is not a good sign and might men that the blade has been in a fire at some point which would remove the hardened edge.  

 

All the best.

 

 

[PeterGB]

Hi Geraint, 

 

Thank you for your comments. It's good to know that a kogai would have been there originally and the possibility of it being in a fire is very interesting.

 

Now I can see that its missing some parts and has some damage, it slightly bugs me (ignorance is bliss). 

 

If replacing the parts is impractical, especially for a novice, then I'm in a bit of a quandary as to what to do with it (in terms of how to best care for it). Perhaps for the time being I will leave it alone and just admire it as I read through the handbook to get more acquainted with the basics.

 

However, if you or anyone else has any ideas on what you think I should do with it, or what you would do with it if it were yours, those ideas would be very gratefully received.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jean]

Peter,

 

Except for high grades ones, koshirae are considered as expendable. Nihonto is probably one of the Art field where restoration is often necessary, polishing a blade, replace koshirae fittings when lost. Along centuries a blade has had several koshirae and not necessarily custom made, pick up a koshirae and try to adapt it was a common thing. It is not rare to have a blade with a borrowed koshirae having 3 to 5 seppa….

[ckaiserca]

Peter,

 

If the blade were mine, I would not worry about the koshirae too much. I would focus on the sword itself. For many collectors, it is not at all important to have koshirae for a blade, as it it the blade that is the artwork that is important. Many collectors will only have the blade in a shirasaya (白鞘) or white scabbard, which is a very plain wooden saya made specifically to store a sword over the long term. Ideally, sword blades and koshirae are stored separately as they really require different environments. Sword blades need to be keep away from moisture to prevent rusting, and koshirae need some moisture to prevent splitting and other damage. I know of collectors who have climate controlled storage for the various parts of their collections.

 

There is nothing at all wrong with taking the fittings that you have and removing them from the saya and tsuka altogether and displaying them is a kiri box on their own as a set of Tosogu. I have attached an example below.

 

In the end, it will all come down to what you want, and what you can afford. When it comes to Nihonto, the old adage "You get what you pay for" is very true. You can even end up causing more damage than you fix if you go with untrained people to do work on your sword. You probably don't have access to the resources to repair the damage to the saya and tsuka on your own. The art and craft of making and maintaining the furniture of the Japanese sword is highly specialised.  The saya that you have seems to have quite a bit of damage as it is missing some parts, and it is starting to split. The tsuka is also damaged. I can't 100% tell from the photos, but it looks like the menuki are missing and that there is damage to not only the samegawa (rayskin), but to the wood that makes up the tsuka as well. 

 

Having a professional do the work can be quite expensive. Having a new tsuka and saya made can cost around $2000.00 if you already have all of the fittings (which you seem to have aside from the menuki). Just rewrapping the tuska if it is possible will cost around $200 to $300. In the case of this blade, I don't know that it would be worth all of that expense. If anything is done, I think that It would be far better to spend any money on having the blade polished.

 

Even the expense of a polish might not be worth it depending upon the quality of the actual blade. If you do have the blade polished, then it would be vital to have a shirasaya made for it. The cost of the polish and the shirasaya, plus a new habaki (which the blade is almost certain to need after polishing) is going to be several thousand dollars. I am nowhere near expert enough to give you advice on whether or not your blade is worth polishing, but I know that others on this group can give you a far more valid opinion.

 

 

[PeterGB]

 

Hi Jean and ckaiserca, 

 

Thank you for the detailed information and advice, it's so helpful.

 

ckaiserca - 
 

Quote

 

The tsuka is also damaged. I can't 100% tell from the photos, but it looks like the menuki are missing

 

 

With regards to the menuki there is only one, I have attached a picture below.
 

Quote

 

Ideally, sword blades and koshirae are stored separately as they really require different environments
...
There is nothing at all wrong with taking the fittings that you have and removing them from the saya and tsuka altogether and displaying them is a kiri box on their own as a set of Tosogu

 

 

Considering your message along with the missing parts to the saya, the damage to the tsuka and the irregular kozuka; the idea of removing the fittings and prioritising the care of the blade seems like an appropriate course of action.

 

Realistically, unless there is a pressing reason I'm unlikely to try and get the blade polished in the immediate future. I'd imagine this is something I will consider once I have learned more and, as you say, only if it makes sense to do so.

 

Of course, to make things more complicated, in order to remove the fittings I'd need a shirasaya made to store the blade and after googling for a few hours it seems that finding someone to make one is a non-trivial task.

 

So I'm thinking that for now, while I find someone to make a shirasaya it will continue to live in its saya as it has been for the last few decades, but now on display in my living room as opposed to in the bottom of a drawer.

 

Thank you again for all your help.