What do you see?

[SwordGuyJoe]

All,

I am taking a crack at this based on some very initial learnings, so please bear with me. Based on the shape of this wakizashi, Shobu-zukuri, and the temper pattern, hitatsura in Nie, I am guessing this is a Muromachi period blade from the Sagami School.

 

Also has itame hada if it isn't coming through in the pics and tough to see, but Kiri yasu-rime on a Kiri (or horizontal nakago).

 

Ignore the red box in some pictures, something was on my scanner.

 

More pics to come...

[SwordGuyJoe]

A few more left

[SwordGuyJoe]

So what do you think? How far off am I? I have never seen a hitatsura blade in full polish, what is your opinion on whether this blade could handle a polish? Seems pretty healthy to me, but would appreciate the opinion of those more experienced than me. Thank you in advance for your insight.

[Gunome]

Hi,

 

IMHO looks like a naginata naoshi, suriage.

I am not sure of what I saw : I didn't saw an hitatsura hamon, I saw masame in the hada.

 

Sébastien

[SwordGuyJoe]

Okay. So what style of hamon is this then? What era? Guesses on school?

Agreed that it is a naginata naoshi, but it is Shobu-zukuri shape right?

 

Now you say suriage, but cut down from what? Katana? Nagamaki, Naginata?

[Gunome]

Hello,

 

It looks like notare.

Yes, Shobu-zukuri shape is right; probably cut down from naginata.

For area or school, I haven't enought knowledge to help you.

[Ted Tenold]

Joe,

 

I don't have a good impression of this blade. What you see as Hitatsura, looks hajimi throughout to me. Even in hitatsura there are distinctive habuchi and patterning that define and deliniate hardened regions. The hamon on this sword looks cloudy, dead looking, and unnatural. The jigane also looks loose and lackluster. I suspect this blade has been retempered or yakemi.

[SwordGuyJoe]

This is unfortunate to hear. Is there a way to know for certain? While I have only been collecting for a few years, I have held - and unfortunately owned - dead blades as well as some that just don't feel or look 'right'. This one doesn't to me. The hamon may not be hitatsura, but there is a clear and distinct delineation when in hand.

 

I am sure you have been collecting longer than I and in no way do I mean any disrespect, but I would like to understand a bit more how to know.

[Ted Tenold]

Joe,

 

I would never tell you to take my opinion as gospel. Absolutely get some other opinions, and looking at swords in hand certainly is better than on a computer monitor. So we're all at a disadvantage here already. However, when I view images and see things I don't like, I take them at face value. Unfortunately I don't have photo editing software, so I can't illustrate what I'm seeing to you on the pictures.

 

The diffuse nature I'm talking about appears to begin about the monouchi, and extend into the boshi with the appearance that the heat treating in this area is particularly chalky or muddy looking without distinction in pattern. Perhaps it's nie fukai or nie kuzure, but from the images it looks almost as if the hamon sort of blows up.

 

From the shape of the sword and the nakago in particular, this sword appears to be Osuriage, but the width of the yakiba becomes suddenly and drastically narrower as it reaches the hamachi instead of maintaining the width through the togi damari (polish in the habaki area) and continuing into the nakago.

 

The munemachi also looks angled and offset from the hamachi which documents alteration.

 

The color of the yakiba looks dull and opaque, rather than bright. Also the ji looks gray and chalky. Again, computer images don't always do these things justice, but for the exercise this is what I'm seeing.

[loui]

Looks like someone has acid treated it, hard to say what it would really look like after a polish. Hard to say from the pictures though.

 

Regards,

 

Louis