Opinions please

[JamesH]

I came across this on flea bay, and was hoping someone could propose how such an unnatural looking (shape) nakago could have come about:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/E040-REAL-Japanese- ... 43a3b71318

 

will not mention the odd looking rust.

 

 

James

[Basho12]

I don't have an opinion on the nakago; I don't have enough experience and can't see it very well in the pictures. What struck me as interesting was the construction of the tsuka. Quality of the fittings and maki aside, the glue seam on the tsuka is symetrical, and it shouldn't be.

[Bruno]

Looks like a shortened and repolished Type 3 remounted in edo period wakizashi koshirae to me.

[moss]

Hello all,

 

What is happening on the kissaki???(The closup shot towards bottom of page)

Is it a crack?

Or is it just a piece of dust.

 

Moss

[Jamie]

Mos- that does look like a crack doesn't it (good eye). Could be a piece of string too though I guess.

[Curgan]

I recently got a low quality pair of showa fuchigashira from him for 60$ in order to mount on a Hanwei Bushido blade. It was a honest and smooth transaction though. I don't believe asking would hurt.

 

The nakago looks weird, but then the koshirae seem authentic...

[moss]

John,

 

I was not trying to cast any aspersions on the seller.

That said it is mostly lowwer end and there is a market for all levels of quality.

 

Just it looks like hagire!

I guess it could be a bit like when a seller photograph's a blade on the carpet with the tip of the kissaki buried....it makes the heart skip a beat

 

It would only be worth asking if you really wanted to buy this sword

 

Cheers

Moss

[Curgan]

It would only be worth asking if you really wanted to buy this sword

 

..or you are really curious...

:D

[raven2]

Looks like an hagire to me.

[Basho12]

Unless it's an artifact in the photo. if not, it looks like there may be two hagire in the boshi.

[Bruno]

Once again, the nakago looks like a typical late war pattern Type showato. The swords seems to have been shortenes, repolished to fit this older wakizashi koshirae. These king of WW2 swords were laminated not hand forged, so why would one find a hagire?

 

Just asking...

[Basho12]

For the sake of my own education, I'll bite. It's my understanding that hagire can form from stress during quenching, but also from stress during use (and someone please correct me if I'm mistaken). It makes sense that a showato would be very unlikely to develop a stress crack at quenching since the temperature is lower and the steel is more uniform. However, any hardened steel will fatigue/crack under the right circumstances, so why is it impossible for a showato to develop hagire?

 

Just asking.

 

(And I'm not saying this one has. In one of the last pictures it looks like it, but you don't see it any of the other photos, or at least I don't, so I suspect it's an artifact).

[Tcat]

can anyone suggest a date for the tsuba...?

[JamesH]

Wow US $1,036.00 ... I guess someone really took a liking to it.

 

After having a closer look at the shape, I must agree with others than it looks like a 1944 gunto blade. One thing that still gets me though, I have never seen a katana shortened into a wakizashi in this way. Shouldn't the nakago have been shortened?

 

Having studied some martial arts and swung a few blade I wonder, wouldn't this upset the balance of the blade?

 

 

James

[Tcat]

I started a thread regarding the tsuba here: /viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9187

if anyone is interested.