Ubu-Ba On A Koto

[Jiro49]

Have any members ran into a muromachi jidai sword with ubu-ba?

 

Thanks!

[nagamaki - Franco]

Yes, and on shinto and shinshinto as well. 

[Fuuten]

Although even on shinshinto pieces its quite rare, on a muromachi period piece, I'd think its even rarer!

[Jiro49]

Ok, so it's not impossible...

 

I have a tanto I swear is koto but it's ububa so that threw me.

 

Thanks for the replies!

[Ted Tenold]

On an older sword, what could appear as ububa may be just an artifact of the entire hasaki having been reset as a matter of correction of curvature, and/or removal of chips.  You have to look at the sugata of the sword as a whole, the relationship of the yakiba width and shape in relation to it, as well as the togidamari to make any fundamental determination of ububa in a blade older than about Shinto period.  I would not say that ububa cannot be seen in Koto period swords, but just because the edge is unsharpened from the hamachi forward, does not mean it is actually ububa, from the time the sword was forged.

[Jiro49]

Thank you! I will check that now.

[Surfson]

What Ted said is valuable.  I have seen several swords where collectors/owners have filed the cutting edge to remove chips.  Blades chip at the hamachi often, and if that were done at the hamachi, it might make the blade look ububa.  You can also look for fumbari.  If the blade has fumbari and appears ububa, then the fumbari likely tells you that it has been polished many times and the ububa is misleading.