tater134 Posted April 13 Report Posted April 13 I had originally posted photos of this Wakizashi over on a WW2 Japanese collectors page and it was suggested that I post photos here for more information. I acquired it as part of the estate of a militaria collector who's father served in the Pacific during WW2. I suspect this Wakizashi was one of his bringbacks but it could have been acquired later. The blade condition is unfortunately poor as it's been abused in the past but I'm curious if anyone can tell me more about it. I was able to disassemble it with some effort as someone had glued the Tsuka back together which in turn glued it to the tang as you can see from the glue residue The piece actually holding the Tsuka to the blade was the small square mekugi and upon further examination the round mekugi were just fillers in both sides of the handle. The hole in the tang only barely lines up enough for the small square peg to fit through. Where the filler round mekugi were is about a 1/4" off or more from the tang hole so they were hiding a mis-drilled hole. Here are some pics of everything taken apart. I'm really stumped by the wide gap in quality between certain parts of the sword and I'm not sure when it was put together and by whom. I'm also curious about how old the parts are as the Tsuba appears to have some age to it. Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated! Quote
Rivkin Posted April 13 Report Posted April 13 I feel this is "last ditch" item where a shirasaya is re-interpreted as koshirae with extra canvas (?) protector. The nakago looks Edo period and more shinto than shinshinto. Sugata is not very common with o kissaki. There is some sori and uniform width, which likely excludes kambun. I would vote this is early shinto piece. Unfortunately it is very uncommon for a top quality period waki to be unsigned so I would not expect a treasure. 1 1 Quote
tater134 Posted April 13 Author Report Posted April 13 Some additional photos were requested I'll add them below. I was able to carefully remove the majority of the glue from the tang. No signature that I can see. Quote
tater134 Posted April 13 Author Report Posted April 13 Tsuba side facing away from the blade Tsuba side facing blade Edges Quote
tater134 Posted April 13 Author Report Posted April 13 Some additional photos. Apologies for the quality. My phone camera has a scratch on the lens and it's giving me trouble. Quote
2devnul Posted April 14 Report Posted April 14 Hi, My guess is late Shinto Mino Den (Sugata, Nakago, Mumei). As for the rest, that is IMO end of the line for this sword. I doubt you can sell it or 'fix' it. What is left is just keep it as it is, as a souvenir. Tsuba seems Edo period, maybe bought and added later by the sword's owner. Saya seems to not be from Shirasaya, as it has spot (missing) for Koiguchi. That whole 'Koshirae' is a freaking Frankenstein if you ask me 1 Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted April 14 Report Posted April 14 Hi Nathan! Here's AI's definition of that big term: "Shinto Mino Den refers to a style of Japanese sword-making that originated in the Mino region during the Shinto period (1596-1868). This school is known for producing high-quality swords characterized by their robust blades and unique designs, influenced by the historical context of warfare in Japan." The white cord reminds me of something we see on swords carried back on navy ships. The sailors braided cords and wrapped their war trophy swords. No way to know how the chips and bend got there. It often happens from people trying to whack stuff. Here's a link on care and cleaning: Japanese Sword Care - Japaneseswordindex.com 1 Quote
tater134 Posted April 14 Author Report Posted April 14 Thank you everyone for the replies and information! And thank you to Bruce for directing me to the forum. I agree it's a real shame that this blade is such bad shape, especially now that you've given me a rough idea of its age. Since I'm not in it for very much I'll add it to my collection of wartime Japanese items. Being that the whole piece is a bit of a Frankenstein is it possible that it was assembled as souvenir for occupying US forces? The cover on the saya really has me stumped. I'm assuming it doesn't match up with the style of the "combat cover" we see on Type 95 and Type 98 swords? Someone on another forum suggested it was made from the outer casing of a firehose but I don't agree with that based on how tightly stitched and well fitting it is. If I'm feeling brave I may slip the cover off to get a better look at the saya. Quote
ROKUJURO Posted April 14 Report Posted April 14 Unfortunately, the TSUBA is a cast copy. You may brush off the red rust without fear of damaging the patina. (Photos are upside-down) Quote
2devnul Posted April 15 Report Posted April 15 10 hours ago, tater134 said: Being that the whole piece is a bit of a Frankenstein is it possible that it was assembled as souvenir for occupying US forces? We can only guess. To me it looks like home made/assembled with random parts. Was it done in Japan or USA, I don't know. 1 Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted April 15 Report Posted April 15 There are plenty examples of swords covered with canvas. I’ve never seen one made out of this fabric, though : 1 Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.