Japanese Tanto? Need help identifying...

[DJgunner]

I've had this in my closet for the better part of 20 years.   It was handed down to me,  but I've never really had a chance to research it. 

 

 

[DJgunner]

[DJgunner]

[PNSSHOGUN]

Yes it is a Tanto, and a good looking one too. If you *carefully* drive out the small bamboo peg you can remove the handle (with care) and there may be a signature on the tang.

[Brian]

That is very nice indeed. I like it a lot. Take out the wooden peg and remove the handle and post pics of the tang. That will tell more.
Send it to me and I'll gladly care for it for the next 20       

[Geraint]

Dear David.

 

Sweet little tanto!  I think the mekugi is of the pin in tube variety, two pieces which interlock.  From one of your photographs it seems that the pin part comes out quite easily, a narrow wooden punch in the other part should remove it without damage.

 

Looking forward to seeing what is revealed.

 

All the best.

[Rivkin]

From the general look of it, possibly late Muromachi. Koshirae is decent enough.

[Grey Doffin]

Sometimes these 2 part metal megugi are difficult to remove and the last thing we want to do is send David off on a mission to damage his tanto.  David, if you want to call I'll explain what you're up against and I'll tell you about the various techniques you can try and those you shouldn't attempt.  In the mean time, here is a care and handling brochure you should read:

http://nbthk-ab.org/cleaning-maintenance.php

Nice tanto.  Cheers,  Grey  218-726-0395 central time

[vajo]

Interesting blade. I'm sure many of us will see what treasure is in that tsuka.

 

[SteveM]

Looks promising.　

The signature on the little knife is 近江守久道 (Ōmi-no-kami Hisamichi), who is a well-known smith from the 1600's. But these little knives (kogatana) often carry signatures of famous names as an homage, or perhaps as a bit of marketing, so don't get too excited about the small knife. What might be more interesting is the name engraved on the back of the handle of that little knife. A better picture of that might help identify it. These handles are almost always more valuable than the knives inside them, and the artistry that went into the creation of these handles (kozuka) is a field of study unto itself.

 

The pommel/handle of the big blade itself carries a family crest: five bamboo leaves in bamboo circle, completing the overall theme of bamboo found in the kozuka, and the tsuba. 

https://kamon.myoji-yurai.net/kamonDetail.htm?kamonName=五枚笹竹の丸

 

The bling is of course secondary to the actual blade itself. Your blade looks quite interesting. 

[DJgunner]

I will delve into it a little bit more this weekend.  Thank you ALL so much for the information so far...  This is very exciting!

[DJgunner]

After carefully removing the pin,  abs disassembling the tanto,  these are the markings on the blade (included is also the markings on the smaller blade)

 

I did not try to clean the blade to see better...

[Brian]

Flip both the other way round.

[vajo]

[DJgunner]

Like this?

[SteveM]

Tanto is

岡山住逸見義隆　Okayama-jū Itsumi Yoshitaka. 

Itsumi Yoshitaka is a famous smith from before the Meiji Restoration, to the early part of the 20th century. He truly was making swords for the last samurai, and then made a few ceremonial swords after that, as well as swords for the imperial family.

 

The name on the kozuka I can't quite make out 

義時 Yoshitoki using a variant of 時, maybe?  

[DJgunner]

What is the Relative Value of a Tanto like this?

[SteveM]

A few thousand dollars. The better the condition, the higher the value. Good condition means unmarred by amateur polishing or grinding, patina intact, and no cracks in the steel. Small imperfections are to be expected. The condition of the furnishings is not as crucial as the condition of the tanto itself. In your case, your saya and furnishings look as a 150? year-old item would be expected to look. This is a long way of saying the condition of your item looks fine for now, so no need to do anything but protect it from moisture and fingerprints. Read the link that Grey posted. He's given his contact details as well, so you can check out his site and get in touch with him if you want a more detailed discussion. 

[DJgunner]

There were a couple of comments made about the mekugi, And whether it was metal or wood...  interestingly, it is a whitish translucent material...  my first thought was that it was maybe plastic,  or acrylic....  but Iv would think that witless mean it is not original to the piece,  given the time period...

 

Is there another option?

[ChrisW]

Probably some kind of horn would be my guess.

[Ken-Hawaii]

David, the chances of all the parts being original is near zero, but that isn't a problem.