Wakizashi help

[Mark C]

Hi Everyone,

 

Just picked up this Wakizashi and would like some help on it.

 

Nagasa=14"

Width at yokote = 15/16"

width at machi = 1 1/8"

kissaki = O kissaki (2. 1/2")

nakago = 4 1/4"

nakagojiri = ha agari kurijiri

hada =mokume/itame mix

hamon = possibly koshi-no-hiraita midare?

 

The person I got it from said that he thinks it is Echizen Shimosaka school work.

 

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

 

many thanks

 

regards

 

mark

[mike yeon]

Mark,

 

I once owned a shimosaka wakizashi made by kunitsuna (if you do a search for it on the forum you can see some pretty smart comments from forum members). Plus I've handled a few blades from this school. There's a bunch of styles these smiths incorporated into their works from soshu to yamashiro. I sold the blade before I fully researched it but here's what I can share:

 

One good kantei point is the turnback at the boshi. Should be long and sometimes goes past the yokote line. The hada is usually a fine ko-itame/mokume, and the steel is dark. Yasutsugu (the school's founder) developed what's called Echizen gane (very tight hada with some shirake).

 

The blade I owed was typical keicho shinto style (very wide and stout.) In some earlier works of this school you find the longer kissaki. The nakago will taper to a smallish end and the yasurime on the kunitsuna was katte-sagari.

 

Hope this helps. I like the o'kissaki on your blade. Good luck!

 

mike

[Mark C]

Hi Mike,

 

Thanks for that.

 

I did forget to mention that the turnback at the boshi is a long one, it returns an 1 1/2" past the yokote.

 

Again, thanks

 

Mark