Cat-scratch Habaki

vajo · February 21, 2022

Some of mine out of the box :laughing:

Bruce Pennington · February 21, 2022

6 minutes ago, vajo said:

Some of mine

Thanks Chris, quite a variety! The first turtle I've seen! And I particularly like the unique rain-pattern style, actually shows depth to the streaks of rain.

vajo · February 21, 2022

On the turtle i think it is damage. Someone tried to remove the habaki from a sword and hammered on it. Its sad.

The Turtle and the Horsedragon is the same habaki. The design is on each side.

Its the only Horsedragon i ever found. I see this creature not twice.

Or is it a Dragon with goat feet? :laughing:

In Bavaria we would say it looks like a "Wolperdinger"

Bruce Pennington · February 21, 2022

1 hour ago, vajo said:

Dragon with goat feet?

I found some online vague references to a pig-dragon. There is a goat-dragon, but it has goat horns. Maybe someone more versed in Japanese mythology can help us!

suketaka · February 22, 2022

Yes.

This Wakizashi was polished in Japan and the Saya and Habaki made at the same time.

I think about to sell it in the near future.....

Michael

suketaka · February 22, 2022

@Bruce Pennington

i was a bit late with my answer to your post..

Michael

Bruce Pennington · February 22, 2022

43 minutes ago, suketaka said:

Saya and Habaki made at the same time.

Thanks Michael. Looked like a modern update to the boar's eye theme. Good luck, if you sell.

Bruce Pennington · February 25, 2022

A unique variation on the rain-pattern. At an auction, so not listing (link will go dead sometime from now).

Bruce Pennington · March 1, 2022

Wonder who, if it was a single craftsman or just a number of them, was etching mon into silver habaki (aluminum?). They seem to have all the right lines, but no inner detail to make the art stand out. This one, for example is the 3-bar in circle mon, but without some sort of texturing, either of the bars or of the spaces, it only looks like 6 lines.

Bruce Pennington · March 17, 2022

Haven't seen this before. Can't tell if it's new or old. The civil fittings are mixed with old and new, so I'm thinking this is something newly made. Nice look, though. Found at this auction, so pics may not be available in the future:

Mark S. · April 25, 2022

Hit the lottery!!! Had a wakizashi that is in shirasaya with wood habaki as a part of the shirasaya, so it didn’t have a real habaki. Figured it should have one, but what are the odds I could find one and blade probably wasn’t going to be one of those that warranted a custom order new habaki? I’m walking around the Chicago show and nothing was fitting when lo and behold I came across this copper habaki (amongst a huge batch) in the following pictures!!! With some educated (and kind, patient) help, and few well placed taps with a mallet by a gentleman qualified to do so (not me!) and viola!!!!!!… a perfect fit!!! Anyone want to guess at design. Stone work?