Mumei Wakizashi w/3 Mekugi Ana

[harvg]

Hi, I just acquired this mumei wakizashi, and was told it could be Shinto/Hizen...? Supposed to be original furniture, but well beyond my knowledge set to make that call. Plan on taking this one to Chicago Shinsa....but would love to get any info I can in the meantime. Any/all help is as always greatly appreciated.

 

harvg

[Brian]

Afraid I am not going to be too subtle this time...I'm not mad about that koshirae. Everything about it seems a little amateurish.

Like it was put together by someone who wasn't a professional. The menuki aren't even menuki...they are of the "tobacco pouch ornament" grouping. Don't think that is a real kozuka either. Kogatana may be real. Tsunagi looks a lttle home made.

Tsuba.....not good from what I can see.

Sorry, have to say it as I see it. Hope the blade is better.

 

Brian

[harvg]

Hi, just acquired this wakizashi, and plan on taking to Chicago Shinsa. This came in Shira saya, with Koshirae as well. Any/all info/help, in the mean time, would as always be greatly appreciated! Cutting edge is 19" and overall length is 24 1/2". Shallow Sori of approx. 1/2". I have posted the furniture in the Kosogu forum as well. Thank you!

 

harvg

[harvg]

Hi Brian, welcome all opinions....good or bad. Just posted pics of blade in the Nihonto Forum, as I believed this forum was for just the furniture.

 

harvg

[Brian]

Harv,

Merged the 2 into one topic, prefer to keep one sword in one topic.

What you have here is a sword that has been "restored" by an amateur who thinks he can polish and put together a koshirae. The polish is typical of a Western amateur job using abrasives and an etchant. The shirasaya is also home made. The tang has been cleaned, which is really bad.

On the other hand, the hamon looks nice, but the whole sword needs a restoration to save it from the "restoration"

It is genuine though. But not worth a shinsa submission imho. Something to learn from, and in a few years you will look back and have learned a lot on how things should be done. We all went through it and learned from there, so you should be fine if you stick with it.

 

Brian

[harvg]

Hi Brian, I bough this thru an auction in the UK, so did not have the chance to see the tang. Shame someone tried to clean it! There does appear to be some old black rust left, and yasurime. The blade appears to be very well made...IMHO, and the amateur polish damage seems to be superficial. Was hoping to see if an opinion at Shinsa, as to attribution, etc......., would determine if it was worth a polish.

 

harvg

[Ken-Hawaii]

Don't waste your money on shinsa, Harv. No chance it will pass at any level.

 

And in the future, also don't waste your money on buying anything where you can't see the ENTIRE blade in enough detail to prevent occurrences like this one.

 

Ken

[Geraint]

Hi Harvey.

 

Always tricky buying a sword from a non specialist auction based on their opinions and images. I saw the sword in hand and didn't bid. You can pretty much forget the koshirae, some parts were once nice but alas...... As to the blade; well I was tempted as there is a subtlety about the hamon that appealed. In hand Hizen did not occur to me, chiefly because I considered the blade to be older than that. Someone had cleaned the nakago in my opinion, a shame. I suspect the blade is koto.

 

How do you like a challenge? An oshigata would show the blade in a better light I feel. Should you decide to submit to shinsa I would certainly like to know the outcome.

 

All the best.

[harvg]

Hi Geraint, wow...thanks for the 1st hand insight....what are the odds!!?? Actually, aside from the tang having been cleaned, the blade was much nicer than I had expected. I love the hamon and the feel of the blade.....I think it would clean up nicely....but I am a rank novice at this.

So, since I have never been to Shinsa....I was wondering why this blade would not have a chance of passing, as Ken stated? I thought as long as it was genuine nihonto, no fatal flaws, and not gimei, that a judgement would be given (school/smith/age attribution...etc). What else would disqualify a blade from passing?

Everyday is a school day...

 

harvg

[Geraint]

No disrespect to your photography skills Harvey but Ken is working off your images and they don't do the blade justice. Have a look at this site to see what can be done and good oshigata, http://www.aoijapan.com/

 

On the face of it you have just "another mumei wakizashi", of which there are many and most of little interest. Brian was pretty spot on with his assessment of the whole deal, non Japanese shirasaya, cobbled together mounts and so forth. And the nakago has been over cleaned. None the less I thought the blade had something going for it, hence my suggestion about an oshigata. Not sure where you are but if there is a sword club anywhere near then I recommend taking it along for someone else to have a look at in hand. I do happen to think that there is more to this sword than meets the eye from the images you have given.

 

Another idea is to see what a polisher thinks, please take advice on this as you really need a properly trained polisher. In any event if you are thinking of sending this to shinsa then a good polish and shirasaya would be a great start. For what it's worth I think someone who knows what they are seeing could give you great advice here, find a sword club.

[harvg]

Hi Geraint, just sent an email to Barry Hennick, to see about attending the next meeting of the JSSUS. Barry has looked at one other sword for me, and was a wealth of knowledge and insight!

 

harvg

[b.hennick]

The first few comments said all that needs to be said. I generally avoid repeating the comments of others.

[Brian]

Barry,

It's worth saying, if only to either confirm or deny what us "first responders" have said.

I am happy to be proven wrong, and it is always difficult stating those opinions that aren't too positive, but necessary. I await the next few comments to see if I was way off, or if others are seeing what I see.

I think for this reason, it is good for others to give their opinions even if similar to what was already stated. If only to re-assure the person who first stated his opinion that he is not delusional.

 

Brian

[Jean]

Always in the understatement, I must confess I have seen a lot of worse blades in this Forum

[harvg]

The reverse side of the Kozuka....

 

harvg

[1tallsword]

i agree with Jean, ive seen worse. although not stellar, it seems to be a good starter blade. i see a good hamon with nice nie crystals, hamon appears to extend past ha-machi. nakago appears to be o-suriage and nakago jiri seems to have some good age... lets get some more pics of the nakago jiri and nakago both sides. i had similar blades that passed shinsa when i first started out, one was a bungo takada and one yamato, blades condition were similar. one was o-suriage the other ubu.

[harvg]

Hi Jeremy, here are some more nakago pics......

 

harvg

[1tallsword]

thanks harvg, gives us all a better look, it has age for sure, very unfortunate as others mentioned about the condition of the nakago, but hey what can ya do, whats done is done and enough said. im leaning towards 16th century, possibly Eisho...

[harvg]

Well everybody, Shinsa has finally come and gone....great first experience. I did submit this sword......against popular opinion....lol, and to my surprise and pleasure......it passed with flying colours! It achieved a rating of 70! The little sword that could....... My other mumei wakizashi passed as well with a skin of the teeth rating of 60. Two for two though.....so I'm very happy!

 

Harvg

[Geraint]

Hi Harvey.

 

Congratulations, you must be pleased.  I take some comfort from the the assurance that there was something good in the blade.  The big question is to whom or to which school did they attribute it?

 

Enjoy yourself.

 

Geraint

[harvg]

Thanks Geraint, yes I am, and yes, you were of the minority that gave this blade a chance.....but in all fairness to others, you got to see it close up. The attribution is KaneTsugu of late Edo period.

 

Harvg

[Ken-Hawaii]

My humble apologies, Harv. Glad you stuck to your guns, err...sword!

 

Ken

[harvg]

Hi Ken, apology not necessary, but humbly accepted....and good on ya for that. Cheers.

 

Harvg

[Brian]

Glad to have been proven wrong

I am sure it will happen many more times.

Surprised to see that it did pass though, with all the emphasis that is placed on condition and nakago. But great result for you.

 

Brian

[harvg]

Thanks Brian, it does beg the question if this blade was in polished with patinated Navaho....would it received a higher rating than 70? I haven't had time to research the attribution of KaneTsugu of late Edo period, so can't say how important of a smith he was?

Everyday is a school day for me, especially in Nihonto!

 

Harvg

[harvg]

Please excuse the autocorrect......Nakago....not Navaho. Lol

 

Harvg

[harvg]

My 1st......

 

harvg

 

[harvg]

I think I have found the smith as  KAN2673.  Thoughts??

 

Harvg

[Geraint]

Looks right to me.  The Inshu Kanesaki smiths are a little difficult to track down it seems.  There is a tendency for them to use the Kanetsugu mei early in their careers before using Kanesaki, it seems.  Have a look at this one, http://www.nihonto.us/INSHU%20KANETSUGU%20KATANA.htm I think this one would be before yours but the later Kanesaki smiths seem to have produced hamon that show their Mino origins but in rather restrained style as far as activity within the hamon goes, whereas yours is much more interesting from that point of view. 

 

As far as I have been able to discover the school begins with Mino Kanesaki in the very end of the Muromachi period.  He seems to have moved around a little before settling in Inaba.  The lineage then runs through to the Meiji period.

 

Not directly connected to yours but the same school see this one, http://yakiba.com/Kat_Kanesaki.htm

 

If you find out anything more about them I would be keen to hear it.  I have been looking into them for some time.

 

All the best.

 

Promise I'll stop soon but here is another one of the lineage, http://www.to-ken.com/full.php?article=sr000090&type=swordRegister

[harvg]

Thanks Geraint...never too much info!  I see some resemblances for sure.  If I am interpreting the shinsa worksheet correctly.....Keiou could be Keio (1865), which is where I came up with KAN2673.

 

Harvg