Unusual wakizashi

[Jean]

http://tsuruginoya.com/mn1_3/a00189.html

[Tcat]

nuki and noto must be a pain...

 

gift blade for a skilled carpenter?

[Jean]

Or for a forest guard/gardener

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Every blue moon this blade pops up for sale. Here and old pics of it :

 

 

 

Jean, as a french you should like "parure" (where goes the accent and which one?) so here the kogatana for it :D :

 

[Jean]

Hi Carlo,

 

I would put it in the category "garden tools" - Have you any description of its use (my Japanese is very limited )

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Hi Carlo,

 

I would put it in the category "garden tools" - Have you any description of its use?

 

Hi Jean, once Scott Irey told me, talking about the Kogatana, it was intended for fishing rather than gardening. To scale-out fish skin and eventually cut wet ropes or nets.

 

The big one is obviously too big for scaling-out but *if* it has a practical meaning it can be either for cut woods or wet ropes.

 

In nowaday's survival knives the serrated edge is very common, but the early utilitarian knives with such a feature I'm aware of were diving knives. If you get bound in a submerged net it

is very useful. The same if you have to cut wet ropes, but the shape of the serrated edge on the big one seems more suited to wood as you suggest.

 

Honestly I've not a definitive answer.

[Bruno]

Hi all,

 

Have a look at the bottom of this RS's page:

 

http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/unji.htm

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Yes, firefighter is another option, possibly as a gift for retirement or for an important rescue.

[Nobody]

Ref. Kaifu-To (海部刀)

http://trickmaster.orz.hm/katana/data/masayoshi2.html

http://d.hatena.ne.jp/machida77/20090922/p1

 

We have talked about Kaifu-to (海部刀) several times. But I can find only the following link for now. :lol:

Ref. viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4863&p=38813&hilit=kaifu+to#p38813

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Thanks Moriyama san :

 

http://translate.google.it/translate?js ... l=ja&tl=en

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jean]

Hi Jean, once Scott Irey told me, talking about the Kogatana, it was intended for fishing rather than gardening. To scale-out fish skin and eventually cut wet ropes or nets.

 

Cut wet ropes, perhaps, but due to the length of the blade, not practical - nets: no need to saw it off, a good knife blade can cut through - scale fish : the saw teeth are too sharp, I have scaled hundreds of fishes as a fisher and never use such a thing. A single knife has always been enough.

[Jean]

I have scaled hundreds of fishes as a fisher

 

I am bragging a bit, as most time I practice catch and release. But I have scaled fishes by tenth for sure, as well sea fishes as fresh water (graylings)

[Stephen]

You old hard core you, lol, bet you scaled them with your teeth.

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Cut wet ropes, perhaps, but due to the length of the blade, not practical - nets: no need to saw it off, a good knife blade can cut through -

 

I was referring to the Kogatana, for the wakisazhi type the caption of pic 20090922135116 (the one with two serrated swords) suggest it was used in the navy to cut ropes and perhaps as an engineer tool as were similar tools in Europe during WWI.

[Jean]

Hi Carlo,

 

My thoughts were on the kogatana use:

 

The saw is absolutlly not practical to scale fish, see a fishmonger scaling fish. They use something like a huge grater

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Hi Carlo,

 

My thoughts were on the kogatana use:

 

The saw is absolutlly not practical to scale fish, see a fishmonger scaling fish. They use something like a huge grater

 

Looking closer to the serration its similar to the Wakizashi one, so likely you're right : no fish under it. Just finer ropes or wood.

 

Modern version "italian style" :

 

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Searching material in my HD for something else I stumpled in this one that I forgot to have. Top is Western Han Dynasty, serrated. Lost any other detail.

 

[Basho12]

Interesting that the saya had a carpenter's chisel (nomi) and saw inlaid.

[ububob]

Jean, I am glad you mentioned catch and release lest I rain critcism upon your person.

On the spine of a knife it would pass for a saw. I have an old survival knife with just such a set up.

[kusunokimasahige]

Thank you for posting this Jean i had never seen such a sword before !! Reminds me a little of the sawback bajonets though for a swordfight this would be a very impractical weapon i think. WOW !!

 

KM

[Jean]

Bob,

 

I am better known along the river banks by my aka "Jean, the ripper"

[bluboxer]

Perhaps a bone saw for a combat surgeon,a hunter or a butcher.

[Lee Bray]

The offset teeth and smaller serrations are seen on saw blades, such as this one on a Leatherman multitool.

 

 

As for cutting ropes, that type of double edge and offset teeth jam up in rope. A single row like the one below cuts a lot easier.

 

 

I own both and use the second for rigging, my occupation.

I'd say neither the wakizashi nor kogatana serrations were designed primarily for cutting rope.

 

I don't know anything about Japanese saws of the period to comment whether they utilised this serration pattern at the time but given the carpenters tools inlaid on the saya, I'd think the wakizashi serrations are made as a wood saw. Maybe a gift for a retired carpenter?