Wakizashi Kirikomi

[Prewar70]

Thought I'd post some pics on a sword that has seen some battle time. It's ubu and mumei. I was wondering if kirikomi is more often seen on katanas or wakizashis? It really makes the mind wander....

[Grey Doffin]

Hi James,

I think the majority, and especially those in the edge as opposed to the mune, were caused by westerners playing sword fight.

Grey

[ggil]

Yep, I have a young coworker that recently informed me about his grandpas 3 blades that he and his cousins used to play fight with. I gotta convince him to break them out so we can kantei them.

[Prewar70]

I have no idea how you would be able to tell the difference.

[ggil]

I wouldn't either. it's just a theory, knowing that blades came to the states in abundance, and the owners mostly had no idea of the value and so damage via kids playing pirates or something is quite prevalent.

[hxv]

I have no idea how you would be able to tell the difference.

 

Because you parry the strike, not block it.  If you absolutely had no choice, you would block with the mune, not the ha. Of course, no one knows with 100% certainty what happened in your case, but if I were a bettin' man, I would bet Grey is correct.

 

Hoanh 

[Prewar70]

There are a couple very good mune strikes and the one on ha, well who knows what you would do when a crazy person was coming at you swinging a sword! I'm guessing you would block it anyway you could.

[Alex A]

Anyone more convinced about kirikomi on tsuba?

[DirkO]

Anyone more convinced about kirikomi on tsuba?

 

Hi Alex - this will provide some more insight on that:

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/7699-nicks-on-tsuba-mimi/

[lonely panet]

^{check the knotch caused by the blade strike, if it catches on the saya going in and out. Its modern damage,}

 

 

^{If its flush with the rest of the surface of the mune, this means its been corrected by stone by the samurai or togi of years past. making it real}

 

^JmIHO

[Chango]

Just for fun :

 

http://www.emuseum.jp/detail/100511/001/002?word=&d_lang=en&s_lang=en&class=6&title=&c_e=&region=&era=&cptype=&owner=&pos=65&num=2&mode=detail&century=

 

Question:

 

I recently bought a Kanemoto blade that also has lots of kirikomi on the mune and shinogi ji + a moderately chipped up ha. I think it will polish OK and that the ha can be restored but most of the other kirikomi along the mune is probably too deep to polish out.

 

I gather that serious collectors aren't impressed by kirikomi (and for good reason... should have seen what I did with reproduction swords when I was a kid!) but when it's pretty obviously damage from another sword in the right location(s) does kirikomi actually hurt the value of an otherwise good sword?

 

Would it ever actually add value if it wasn't historically documented damage? Some dealers seem to hype kirikome as a sales point, kinda feels like it's just a hook to fish for starry-eyed newcomers to the hobby...

[Alex A]

^{check the knotch caused by the blade strike, if it catches on the saya going in and out. Its modern damage,}

 

 

^{If its flush with the rest of the surface of the mune, this means its been corrected by stone by the samurai or togi of years past. making it real}

 

^JmIHO

 

Does it make it real?, it would make the damage old damage, but not necessarily a genuine kirikomi. People have always been the same, take gimei swords as an example. Only way you will ever know if a kirikomi is genuine is to invent a time machine, or have some written account dating back to when it happened maybe. Its interesting to assume they are real though

[Alex A]

There are a couple very good mune strikes and the one on ha, well who knows what you would do when a crazy person was coming at you swinging a sword! I'm guessing you would block it anyway you could.

 

I would agree with this in certain circumstances, battle maybe, someone comes running at you with a menacing looking Dotanuki, you think holy ---!!, step back, trip over someones leg (without the body), end up on your ass. The last thing your going to think about is sword protocol.

 

Ps, no expert on blade dings, but James sword doesn't necessarily look like the one doing the blocking (dent in hamon), is it possible someone blocked (parry I should say) a strike from his sword causing the dent?