O-wakizashi, gimei Tomonari — what can be said about the blade itself?

[Updowncakes]

Up front: this is a family piece and it is not for sale. Nothing from this thread will be used in a listing or for any commercial purpose.

This is a follow-up to my translation thread rather than a cross-post — different question, and I'm posting it here because it belongs here:

 

The mei was read there as 永延三年二月日 / 友成 and called gimei. My thanks to YourBabyBjornBorg for that — it's a clear answer and I'm not looking to relitigate it. What I'd like to know is what the blade is once the signature is set aside.

Measurements (taken by hand, please correct my method if any of these are clearly wrong)
- Nagasa: 55.2 cm
- Sori: 16 mm
- Kasane at base: 5.9 mm
- Motohaba at base: 27.9 mm
- Nakago: 16.2 cm, two mekugi-ana
- Mune: peaked, two facets
- No stamps anywhere on blade or nakago

CONDITION
Out of polish. Someone worked the ji with abrasives at some point well before my time. I have no plans to polish it, and I haven't cleaned or oiled the nakago.

What I'm hoping to learn:

1. Anything the sugata and what's visible of the hamon suggest about period and tradition.

2. Whether the nakago has been shortened. Two mekugi-ana and what looks to me like a longish tang for the blade length made me wonder about machi-okuri, but I don't know how to read that.

3. Whether the koshirae is likely original to the blade. There's a tsuka with same and black ito, an iron sukashi tsuba with sekigane in the nakago-ana, and a brass habaki with diagonal file marks. I'll post a shot of the tsuka mounted so you can see which hole the mekugi passes through.

4. Whether the orange on the nakago is active rust or stable patina. Currently storing it dry with silica gel and leaving it alone.

Photos:
Original Album: https://ibb.co/album/n6Kd5b
Some additional images: https://ibb.co/album/vsgS7k

Provenance is a 1945 bring-back. My grandfather's unit was redeployed from Europe toward the Pacific and Japan surrendered while they were en route; the family account is that swords were handed out to the men. No documentation.

The writeup was assisted by AI. All measurements are my own, taken by hand off the actual blade.

Thank you so much for any assistance you can provide.

Chris J

Edited Friday at 09:37 PM by Updowncakes

[Geraint]

Dear Chris.

 

As Joe suggested in the other thread takanoha yasurime and a slightly pointy gunome suggests Mino den, ie inspired by the tradition from Mino.  Smiths from this group spread widely after 1600 so the style could be produced pretty much all over Japan.  What I can't find in your images is one showing the whole nakago which woud be helpful in answering some of your questions.

 

As for thwe koshirae, well a nice sukashio tsuba, niju or two part habaki, the saya has a kurikata and the leather cover has a slot to accomodate that.  I note that both seppa are together on one side of the tsuba in one picture, should be one each side of the tsuba and usually there is some indication of one seppa fitting against the habaki.  So far what we have is an older sword fitted with a combat cover.  If the sword has been shortened or is machi okuri then the koshirae should have been made to fit the blade at that point, even if not then koshirae tend to need replacing during the possible several hundred year life of the blade so this is not likely to be original to the blade unless the blade was made in the realtively recent past, ie Shinshinto.

 

That picture of the nakago from tip to just above the machi would be a help.

 

All the best.

[Updowncakes]

I got a picture of the nakago. I tried getting it all the way to the machi with the habaki removed but I couldn't easily get the habaki off so I didn't want to force it. I also noticed there appears to be some ink or writing on the end of the tsuka. It's really hard to make out so I tried to take some various exposures and stack them. One is Gemini trying to stack them (so take it with a grain of salt, it could have dropped or added parts, but it doesn't look like it did anything too crazy that wasn't there)
Another is a python script trying to stack and do some photometry on them. I didn't nail focus and my tripod moved a tiny but so it's not perfect. 

https://ibb.co/album/ckKXCH

Thank you so much for all the information you've provided already though!

Chris J

[ROKUJURO]

Chris,

inscriptions in the NAKAGO were chiseld and are read in tip-upwards orientation. Nakago photos always without HABAKI. It didn't grow there but was pushed on, so push it down carefully with the helo of a piece of wood or soft plastic.

Best to upload photos here on the forum. All photos made on a plain dark, non-reflecting background for good contrast.