Nagamaki or Naginata

[pcfarrar]

I've have an o-suriage wakizashi and I wondered if it may have started out life as a nagamaki or naginata.

 

It has the faint remains of the top of a hi in the nakago on one side. The hamon is a Bizen like choji midare with wide nioiguchi, it has long wide finger like streaks of choji that come out of the main hamon reaching the shinogi. The ji is full of small tobiyaki. The mune is quite narrow but on reaching the monouchi flares out to become wide. Sorry for the poor images but I think it gives a general idea.

 

Thanks,

 

Peter

 

 

[Ted Tenold]

Pete,

 

From what I understand, the difference between Nagamaki and Naginata, actually lies in the mountings and not the blade shape. Nagamaki meaning "long wrap" elludes to the ebu (shaft/haft/pole) being wrapped much like the tsuka of a sword, while the Naginata is mounted unwrapped. I think Guido found some article about this a long time ago as I remember some discussion of it on another forum. I see them documented or referred to by both terms somewhat interchangably, unless they are obviously of later period Naginata style with the beveled shinogi and naginata style hi.

 

  Quote

The hamon is a Bizen like choji midare with wide nioiguchi, it has long wide finger like streaks of choji that come out of the main hamon reaching the shinogi. The ji is full of small tobiyaki.

 

Yeah, might wanna get that one checked out. It sounds very Ichimonji-esque! Hope it's a winner!! :D

[pcfarrar]

  Ted Tenold said:

Yeah, might wanna get that one checked out. It sounds very Ichimonji-esque! Hope it's a winner!! :D

 

Thanks Ted! What period does this shape of naginata generally originate from?

 

Also the hamon has areas with crab claws would this be more indicative of a muromachi period Sukesada or the like?

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

According Knutsen's book, there are two categories of blades.

 

The first of these is the regular naginata form where part of the back or the blade is thinned in section between the lower groove and the kissaki; secondly, the nagamaki form where the shinogi, the central ridge of the blade, continues ininterrupted to the kissaki or the actual pôint. The nagamaki blades usually lack any grooved horimono.

[Jean]

Perhaps Nambokucho (look at the nakago)

 

http://www.aoi-art.com/sword/katana/08452.html

 

May be sue Muromachi

[Ted Tenold]

  pcfarrar said:

Thanks Ted! What period does this shape of naginata generally originate from?

 

The long extended shapes with long reaching kissaki emerge in the Kamakura period.

 

  Quote

Also the hamon has areas with crab claws would this be more indicative of a muromachi period Sukesada or the like?

 

I'd agree that the crab claws and any really togari based hamon point to later work. Lots of odd and naoshi *looking* shapes were done in late Muromachi and Momoyama, so it's easy to suspect later period on some of these, but still worth checking out.