Trying To Get Info About Age/provenance Of My Wakizashi

[jschiek]

On my twelfth birthday, my grandfather gifted me a samurai sword that he had long owned and that I had long coveted. He himself had received as a gift from someone who had picked it up while visiting Japan. Up to this year, I had assumed it was a World War II era blade, however, looking at such swords, my own did not seem to fit, leading me to the assumption that it might be much older than previously thought. The sword and saya are in rough condition. The mekugi has been missing these many years, leaving me to wonder why someone would ever drill a whole in the handle--you can see how little I know about samurai swords, but I am learning quickly. It has what appears to be a dragon menuki on both sides. Alas, I could not remove the tsuba in a manner I considered safe to maintaining the integrity of all pieces inherent thereto. I can say though, that it features the Tosa mon of the Yamauchi clan, twice on the pommel and once on the tsuba. I have taken pictures for consideration. And, as per guidelines, I would like to say up front that I am not interested in financial gain by selling this sword. It is very important to me, and something I would like to know more about. Final details: The sword is just over 30" with the blade measuring 22". The saya has a place for a small knife, but that had been removed before my grandfather received the sword many, many years ago. Having owned it now for 23 years myself, I feel a deep guilt that I did not seek out information sooner. Any and all opinions are welcome. Thank you in advance!

[Brian]

It's real and it's old. Average fittings. But poor condition. That's about all you will get on it until you are able to remove the handle. Most of what we need to see lies there.

Nice gift. Make sure the blade is oiled and wiped a few times.

[drdata]

I'll chime in for starters. Looks like a real nihonto. Congrats. You will need to remove the handle and get some pics of the tang/nakago, tip of sword pointing up, to get better opinions as to possible age/maker. Gets shots of both sides. Given you say the pin is missing the handle should come off with some light tapping using some wood to prevent any marring.

 

A light coat of oil is all for now. Do not try and polish or clean the blade/tang in anyway. Read the blade handling and care/etiquette link:

 

http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/faq.html

(care and maintenance section)

 

You will want to make a peg/menugi from a chopstick or such ASAP. The wooden pin is what keeps the blade in handle and prevents the tip/kissaki from impacting at bottom of scabbard/saya and chipping, which judging from the pics is something that may have already happened.

 

HTHs, and welcome.

 

PS> We ask a first name here, either in signature or handle, so we can address appropriately. You can set a sig in the profile that adds this automatically.

[jschiek]

Thanks for the replies. I have replaced the missing mekugi. I will surely oil it up and reply with more pics when I get home tonight. Thanks again, and my name is:

 

Jeremiah

[jschiek]

Still working on safely removing everything to reveal the signature. All the same, any guesses as to the age, based off of what is available? I'm just wondering if it could be pre-1868, or perhaps after. As it is apparently just a wakizashi, it makes me wonder if it was once part of a daisho, or if it was a sword fashioned for a merchant to carry. Your responses so far have been very educational and exciting. I don't know if this sword is something I would or could ever part with. And as much as I want to know everything about it, I want to also be worthy of owning it.

 

Jeremiah

[Brian]

Jeremiah,

I think it's safe to assume it is pre 1868. Everyone wants to believe their sword was carried by a Samurai, but the truth is that many (most?) were owned by merchants and lower troops and there is seldom any way to know who owned it. Can't know if it was once part of a daisho, but the odds are against it.

[jschiek]

Certainly, and really, all I've been interested in was confirming that it is indeed nihonto, and discovering its relative age. Anything else I discover, as far as I'm concerned, is really secondary to those two things. Again, I appreciate your information and what you've been able to appraise/ascertain from the small amount of information I've been able to provide so far. Thank you!

[SteveM]

On the fuchi and kashira is a family crest of triple oak leaf in circle (丸に三つ葉柏).

It is the crest belonging to a number of family names in Japan (eg. Makino, Yamauchi, etc).

Alas, these names are very common, so I'm afraid you couldn't pinpoint the original owners by looking at this alone.

(But perhaps it is some indication that the person who ordered the koshirae was a person who had a bit of disposable cash and could spend it on bling. I think the gold-lacquer tipped saya also is evidence of this.). 

[jschiek]

Steve, I should mention that the tip appears to be either copper or brass overlay. Of all the saya I've seen, most tend to be flatter on the end whereas this one is more tapered.

[jschiek]

Tried tapping the tsuba and tsuka with a piece of wood with minimal results. That tsuka is really on there. Unfortunately, during my attempt, the sword slipped off my workbench. Instinctively I caught it, but did so with my thumb on the blades edge, the full weight of it rotating to slice into the fleshy pad of said thumb. The pain is dampening to a dull, tingly throb, and is wrapped in a bandage while I contemplate whether or not to get stitches. I now wear my idiocy on my thumb, apparently. But, once bit, best forget. I'll try another day.

 

Jeremiah

[Brian]

Join the club. Thumbs only last at most about 100 years....swords can last 1000 years. So I usually sacrifice flesh for art 
Make sure there is nothing in the mekugi ana...no remnants of a peg. Make sure there is no other peg lower down anywhere.

Then lay the sword flat on a towel on a table with the tsuba just off the edge. Another towel on the blade, then a block of wood against the tsuba (not the habaki which can deform)

Then a few taps with a mallet against the block of wood. Nothing too severe, but a few taps. It should move. If not, it is glued in there or something. Then you will need to get it to an experienced collector.

[jschiek]

The mekugi hole is clear, and unless there's a second hidden behind the tsuka wrappings or menuki, it should be good to go. I doubt very much that it is glued--I hope to God it isn't!--but I wouldn't put it past my grandfather to do something like that before handing the sword over to a twelve year old. I'll ask him, when I get the chance. He's still around, and as I'm discovering, he had no idea what he had and thus neither did I. I would have handled things very differently up to now, sort of pun sort of intended. Domo arigato for your comiseration, Brian!

 

Jeremiah

[sean]

It is an uchigatana from the 1550's is my guess, based on the tip and the length. It's small because it's a "qiuck-draw" sword. One handed sword. One movement pulls it out and strikes. You just can't move the same the same way with a 27 inch blade. Muromachi period...1392-1573 a.d. 

[sean]

Never glued. They get stuck over time.

If you want to try to remove the handle the traditional way, here's how i learned.

Pin's out.

Grab the bottom of handle with your whole left fist, so the bottom is flush with your fist...without hitting the tsuba, or hand guard, hit the back of your left fist evenly with your right bottom fist, between the thumb (where the joints form) and 1st finger. Repeat. This might take 10 try's. Really hit hard! This will dislodge a stuck blade without banging on any part of the blade/fittings.

Do this in a safe place for the blade to fall if needed. Keep it away from your face at all times.

Good luck!

[Jean]

Last time I did it, I had to have my left hand plastered. I prefer using the wood device.

 

http://www.ksky.ne.jp./~sumie99/tools.html