Need Help with Wakizashi Identification

[outlier48]

I recently inhereted a wakizashi and would appreciate any assistance I can get identifying swordsmith, date, etc. and any help with translation. I only have photos of the nakago, bonji and horimono. I will add photos of the other key elements of this sword as I take them. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[Nobody]

The smith’s name may be Toshihide (利英). The date and other information are inscribed on the other side of the nakago, but they cannot read because of the low quality of the attached picture.

 

The characters on the blade are “x 無二無三 (something + muni musan)”. “muni musan” seems to be a Buddhist term, which means "only one way".

[IanB]

Koichi San, The character above the muni, musan is a bonji - maybe Kannon.

Ian Bottomley

[Stephen]

is a bonji - maybe Kannon.

Ian Bottomley

 

Ian could it be Fudo?

[outlier48]

Thanks to all for the input. Getting a good clear pic of the inscription has been a real challange. Hopefully I will succeed this weekend. The nakgao is obviously not clean so the characters tend to disappear or become blurry. Even seeing them clearly requires moving a light source around to examine each character carefully. Any suggestions on how to best photograph this would be appreciated. Also, I could have the characters transcribed and post that copy if anyone thinks this would be of value in identifications. Thanks in advance!

 

Charlie

[outlier48]

Here are new pics of the inscription on the nakago. The first pic is of the entire inscription. THe next three are the top, middle and lower parts of the inscription. One translation (from my wife) is, in part, that the sword was made in the 11th month of the 10th year of Kansei. It was very hard for her to read, however, and I am wondering if this blade may have been made in the Kan-ei era. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

 

Charlie

 

If you are going to climb a mountain, begin at the top!

[Ludolf Richter]

Hi,your Toshihide with date Nov.1798 (or 1799 or 1800,there may have been one or two horizontal strokes destroyed by the hole!) is either Hawley's TOS 20 (Chikugo,Kanbun era) or a successor,

not yet in the books.He and his father (TOS 19) used to add a figure showing what generation they were,beginning with the famous Nobukuni from Yamashiro (NOB 300,about 1350).I cannot read the respective characters,it should be more than "20".Ludolf

[reinhard]

your Toshihide with date Nov.1798 (or 1799 or 1800,there may have been one or two horizontal strokes destroyed by the hole!)

 

The addition of tsuchinoe-uma makes it Kansei 10th year for sure.

 

reinhard

[Nobody]

寛政十戊午歳十一月吉日 – A lucky day in 11th month of 1798 (as already translated)

為鈴木姓重代信國源美直 x 之 – For successive generations of Suzuki family, Nobukuni Minamoto (no) Yoshinao (made??) this.

 

I do not know the connection between Yoshinao and Toshihide.

[outlier48]

Ludolf, Reinhard and Koichi, I very much appreciate your expert input. Since I can have my wife carefully examine the nakago, I can have her draw the kanji that Koichi represented with an "X". I will submit it as soon as I have it. Perhaps it will explain the connection between the two (apparent) swordsmiths. Thanks again,

 

Charlie

 

If you are going to climb a mountain, begin at the top

[Ludolf Richter]

Hi Charlie,my best guess now is,that Yoshinao (Nobukuni group from Chikuzen,Hawley YOS 1209) made the sword and Toshihide (Nobukuni group from Chikugo,TOS 20 or successor) made the horimono.Ludolf

[Nobody]

Hi Charlie,my best guess now is,that Yoshinao (Nobukuni group from Chikuzen,Hawley YOS 1209) made the sword and Toshihide (Nobukuni group from Chikugo,TOS 20 or successor) made the horimono.Ludolf

I agree with Ludolf’s guess.

The second last kanji which I was unsure may be 雕 (kizamu = carve).

[outlier48]

Hi Ludolf and Koichi and everyone else who assisted in helping identfiy the smith and horiomono carver - thanks for all your input . Koichi, I think your guess on the kanji is probably correct. The kanji looks like 雕 to me. This definitely is literally "carving".

 

Since I am so new to all of this I hope you don't find this next question silly. Is it possible that Yoshinao carved the horimono and that Tohsihide forged it?

 

Also, I found Hawley's TOS 20 but was unable to locate the reference to YOS 1209 Where do you suggest I look for the best on-line reference of Hawley's listings?

 

Lucky me - I just discovered a plain wooden scabbard (shirasaya?) with writing on both sides! Actually, I thought is was a child's toy and just set it aside. It seems to be made for the wakizashi I inherited. I'll post some photos soon. I noticed that the top of this shirasaya is split through vertically for about the first 6 inches. Any suggestions on repairing this?

 

Thanks again for all the info.

 

Charlie

[outlier48]

Hi all - Attached are pics of the shirasaya. I again find I am in need of the assistance of the memberso of this board. I am wondering if the writing indicate it belongs with the wakizashi I inherited? Thanks in advance for your kind assitance.

 

Regards,

 

Charlie

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Charlie,

Here's a quick, easy, and totally reversible method to temporarily fix the saya. You will need masking tape and white paper. Cut a strip of paper about a half inch wider than the tape and long enough to go around the saya about 1 1/2 times. Wrap the paper around the saya below where you want it to be, and tightly wrap the paper with the tape. Now push the tape/paper up towards the top of the saya (koi-guchi). Since the diameter of a saya increases as you approach the koi-guchi, as you push the paper up it will tighten. You might have to try a time or 3 before you get it right and maybe you'll want a 2nd paper/tape below the top one, but once in place the saya will be as tight as when new. What's more, since the tape isn't touching the saya no damage will be done; the paper can be slid back down when necessary and it won't leave a mark.

I do this to shira-saya whenever I ship a sword, whether the saya's split or not, just as insurance against a split developing due to a bump in transit.

You can do a permanent fix of the saya with rice glue if you know how, but this is probably best left to someone with experience fixing sayas. Whatever you do, do not use any other type of glue.

Grey

[outlier48]

Grey - thanks for the advice. Makes perfect sense.

 

:D

 

Charlie

[reinhard]

Hi Charlie,my best guess now is,that Yoshinao (Nobukuni group from Chikuzen,Hawley YOS 1209) made the sword and Toshihide (Nobukuni group from Chikugo,TOS 20 or successor) made the horimono.Ludolf

I agree with Ludolf’s guess.

 

Probably the other way round. TOSHIHIDE made the blade and YOSHINAO carved the horimono. At least that's what the saya-gaki says. BTW, it dates from Showa Kinoto-I (10th year, which is the equivalent of 1935 AD). Obviously it belongs to this blade. Nagasa of this wakizashi should be: 1 shaku 4 sun 7 bu.

 

reinhard

[outlier48]

Hi Reinhard - thanks for the input. All this is fascinating! In addition to John Yumoto's book, what other books would anyone care to recommend to a complete novice with a budding interest in Japanese swords? It seems like the deeper I dig the more there is to learn - each answer brings with it several new questions!

 

I have tried to take pics of the blade and of its key aspects but with very poor results. When I do get something worth posting I will.

 

Thanks again to all of you who have so gracious with your time and knowledge and so patient with a this "newbie".

 

[Nobody]

Hi Charlie,my best guess now is,that Yoshinao (Nobukuni group from Chikuzen,Hawley YOS 1209) made the sword and Toshihide (Nobukuni group from Chikugo,TOS 20 or successor) made the horimono.Ludolf

I agree with Ludolf’s guess.

 

Probably the other way round. TOSHIHIDE made the blade and YOSHINAO carved the horimono. At least that's what the saya-gaki says. BTW, it dates from Showa Kinoto-I (10th year, which is the equivalent of 1935 AD). Obviously it belongs to this blade. Nagasa of this wakizashi should be: 1 shaku 4 sun 7 bu.

 

reinhard

Of course, Reinhard is correct about the smiths. I merely misread the guess about the two names.

 

BTW, as far as I can read, the sayagaki says as follows;

筑州住利英 – Toshihide in Chiku-shu

鎬造表梅木裏梵字無二無三彫有之 – Shinogi-zukuri, there are carvings of a ume tree on the front side and “Bonji + 無二無三” on the back side.

彫物信國源美直作 – The carvings are made by Nobukuni Minamoto (no) Yoshinao.

長壹尺四寸七分強 – Length: a little more than 1-shaku 4-sun 7-bu

松山 x x 主人遺愛 – an item treasured by the late master of Matsuyama x x (or Matsuyama x x = the late master?)

昭和乙亥冬日 – a winter day in 1935

x x x x x 記之 – x x x x x wrote this.

[outlier48]

Hi Koichi - thanks for the translations of the sayagaki. Clearly I owe all of you who have helped me a great deal. I hope that I can help another newcomer someday in the same way.

[reinhard]

In addition to John Yumoto's book, what other books would anyone care to recommend to a complete novice with a budding interest in Japanese swords?

 

Hi Charlie,

 

For someone with a general interest in Japanese swords at the very beginning of his search I recommend :

 

- "The connaisseur's book of Japanese swords" by Nagayama Kokan

- "The Japanese sword" by Sato Kanzan

- "The craft of the Japanese sword" by Yoshihara Yoshindo, Leon and Hiroko Kapp

 

Having read those I'd suggest:

 

- "Nihon-To art swords of Japan" by W.A.Compton, Homma Junji, Sato Kanichi and Ogawa Morihiro

- "Japanese swords and sword furniture in the museum of fine arts Boston" by Ogawa Morihiro

- "Selected fine Japanese swords" published by NBTHK's European branch, Solingen, 2002

- "The influence of MASAMUNE" by NBTHK's American branch in 2003

- "Meito and Yagyu tsuba" by NBTHK's American branch in 2005

 

If you have a particular interest in army swords (GunTo):

 

- "Military swords of Japan" by Richard Fuller and Ron Gregory

 

If you have a particular interest in polearms:

 

- "Japanese polearms" by Roald M. Knudsen

 

Last but not least there are some books I advice NOT to buy/read, for they are completely outdated and/or contain many mistakes:

 

- "The Samurai sword" by John Yumoto

- "The arts of the Japanese sword" by B.W.Robinson

- "The Japanese sword" by Inami Hakusui

 

A word about Hawley's compilations: Willis M. Hawley collected an enormous amount of information during his lifetime and we owe him gratitude for this achievement alone, but his ratings are still quoted nowadays by many sword dealers and collectors even on this board and this is nonsense, of course. He never really managed to organize the wealth of information he collected in a reasonable way. His books are good points to start a search from. Infos about some long forgotten smiths can be found, but they represent the beginning of a search, never its end.

 

From there on only Japanese literature will help you any further

 

reinhard

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

I would add

 

Samurai, The weapons and spirit of the Japanese warrior by Clive Sinclaire

Cutting Edge, Japanese swords in the british museum by Victor Harris.

 

If you can read french.

 

Nippon-tô - Les sabres shinto - Les sabres Koto. Both by Serge Degore.

[outlier48]

Jacques D. & Reinhard

 

Thanks for the recommendations on the reference books.

 

Probably (hopefully) all are available through Amazon.com

 

I'll place my order today!

[Stephen]

Yes some mistakes in The Samurai Sword by Yumoto....still a good primer IMHO

[outlier48]

Hi Stephen - Don't know why but I already have John's book. I found it a bit hard to follow in parts. Perhaps the other texts will give me a rounded and strong foundation. Thanks.

[outlier48]

Thanks to all who helped with their input! As a complete novice I have begun to do a bit of research, starting with your ideas and translations.

 

I have been focusing on the smith. Maybe this is too naïve, but I am wondering if the smith is Hawley's TOS 22. From what I have found, his signature matches the one on the nakago and he is the only Toshihide (that I could find) who had a two character signature. Of course, this would mean that Yoshinao carved the horimono and bonji at a later date (atobori). Does this make any sense, or am I just making a beginner's mistake?

 

BTW, still trying to take half-way decent pics of this wak! I think I need a different camera - or photographer!

 

Charlie

[outlier48]

Finally got access to a flatbed scanner and got (half-way) decent images of this wakizashi. I hope some day to be able to afford the polish it deserves. There are a few non-fatal (IMHO) flaws and clear signs of lack of care since the last time it was polished in 1935. Until then I will keep it properly oiled and learn what I can from it.

 

Charlie Brashear

[george trotter]

Hi Charlie,

I have just had a great viewing of a great coillection of nihonto...many with recent polish (within the last 15 years). From what I saw there and what I see on your blade now (from the pics only), I would advise you to go slowly and not jump immediately into a re-polish. Your polish looks pretty good to me...better to have a 1935 polish with a few slight blemishes than to rub out all that professional pre-war polish (IMHO). From the number of lines (11?) marked on your sword by the polisher, it might be an Honami polish...I stand to be corrected, but I remember reading somewhere that Honami polish was marked with 11 or 7 lines (called nagashi). My advice is to certainly use choji oil and uchiko for a while and just enjoy the blade until you get to know it properly...then decide. Just get your books and do your research as you enjoy the blade...never be in a hurry if the blade is not threatened by active hungry rust...and yours does not seem to be.

regards,

George.

[outlier48]

Hi George,

 

Thanks for the kind advice. I am doing as you suggest and each time I learn something about nihonto in general or this blade in particular I smile a bit and enjoy all of this even more.

 

Charlie Brashear

[k morita]

Charlie san

 

Are you still owning Toshihide sword and Shirasaya?

 

Former owner is a VERY BIG NAME.

Did you know?