Mumei Wakizashi opinions please?

[CurtisR]

Greetings All.

 

I've recently been offered to buy this blade, found in nicely aged shirasaya, but it's giving me "mixed signals" and thought I'd run it by those here for some wisdom before committing.

 

it hasn't been treated terribly well but seems to have a genuine yokote & nice (although faded) hamon running to the Nakago. What's really throwing me is the apparent age of the nakago (mumei) vs. the condition of the blade itself. I know some can be falsely aged, but the wear/pitting is consistent on both omote and ura sides. The overall shape of the blade is attractive (to me at least).

 

Measurements are as follows: Nagasa = 65cm

Nakago = 15cm

Sori - 2.5 cm

 

Also, I'm wondering what would cause the black pitting (see photos) mid-length? Have seen this before on other blades and am guessing it wasn't properly re-oiled after being removed from the saya, since they appear to be in an almost straight line. Am I off base here?

 

Due to the copper habaki, shape of the kissaki and depth of the sori, I'm guessing either shinshinto or perhpas early to mid-edo?

 

Thanks and cheers!

 

Curtis R.

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Curtis,

The nagasa is about 50 cm. not 65.

Probably nothing special here. The kissaki may have been broken and badly reshaped (or maybe that's just the camera angle). If the black spots running down the blade are openings/pitting rather than just spots of corrosion this would be a great sword not to own.

Grey

[Marius]

this would be a great sword not to own.

 

Grey has summed up just about everything with this comment.

 

Let me just add that this sword has been polished down heavily. Definitely a no-go.

[CurtisR]

Thanks much Grey and Mariusz ~

 

Apologiez for the nagasa measurement (duh on my part). Two questions and I'll be done with this one, if you don't mind?

 

1. Do I have the period "possibly" correct?

 

and

 

2) I'm seeing that from the overhead shot, there is a lot of "meat" missing from the original width of the nakago, which would indicate it's been polished many times, correct? Well, in addition to the very indistinct hamon....

 

Just trying to verify what I'm learning...

 

No big deal on the period but am wondering if my guess is close to the mark.

 

Many thanks,

 

Curtis R.

[Marius]

Curtis,

 

the nakago shows age, or so it seems (nothing is certain in nihonto )

 

I would say, this is a late Koto, a late Muromachi ubu wakizashi. Yes, the nakago shows many polishes, you have identified this absolutely correctly. If we could discern yasurime on the nakago, I would expect them to confirm that this is a sue-Seki blade...

[Brian]

If it is a few hundred bucks, not a terrible purchase imho. Nice hamon, but only if that black residue is surface and not pitted. Might be touching the inside of the shirasaya. Hard to date...the nakago looks very dark to me. But probably at least a Shinto but more likely a Koto.

Dunno....it has been polished a lot, but someone thought it good enough to restore each time. If there are no openings, and the price is $200-400 or so...you could do worse and probably make a few bucks when you unload it on eBay later to upgrade.

 

Brian

[Marius]

If it is nearly for free ($200 or so) you might take it. But it might have a fatal flaw which you won't see. No more polish in this blade, even if we ignore the cost.

 

I'd say - let it be, save the money (this is a 100% sure saving, while any profit on this blade might be more or less illusory) and go for something polished. A polished and papered wakizashi (sue-Koto) can be bought for $1,200 or so... IT won't be a masterpiece and will have some flaws, but at least you will see the hada and nioiguchi :-)

[Veli]

The hamon makes me think this is an early Shinto Fujiwara Takada Wakizashi. It is also rather tired, based on the nakago thickness variation, as well as how the Hamachi and Fukura look like.

 

BR, Veli

[Geraint]

Hi Curtis,

 

Everyone has covered almost everything in your original enquiry. It just remains to say that dating a sword by the material of the habaki won't work too well. Habaki are obviously made in a wide variety of materials and techniques but there are no hard and fast rules that associate them with the age of the sword.

 

All the best.

[Jean]

The nakago is abnormally black as if somebody had put some antirust solution as Frameto, perhaps due to the picture

[Alex A]

Thats what i thought Jean, looks like someone as used KRUST or similar on the nakago and maybe on the blade...also the habaki looks like its got some black sludge on it. I know you shouldnt clean nikago, but is there a choice here?

 

Alex.

[CurtisR]

Thanks to all for the great opinions & advice. Seems I am learning a thing or two and after confirming my thoughts, will leave it be. I suspect the seller will want more than a couple of hundred $, but as long as it's not *my problem to re-sell, he can ask what he wants.

Sad that it cant be re-polished, but I examined the blade closely under a magnifier last night and found a bubble/indentation on each side of the blade.

Perhaps this is why it wasn't signed........

 

Best,

 

Curtis R.