Hey im recieving a Nagamitsu Blade. Anyone can help with authentication ?

[jojo4u]

https://imgur.com/a/PEPil29 

 

 

 

Hey so i bought this sword in a auction. And i posted it on reddit to get more information on it . No papers for it seller said he sure its made by Tsuda Tōtoumi  Nagamitsu and that it could be a 13 century blade

blades cutting length is 21 inches

 sword in its handle complete length is 29 inches . I also apologize for misspelling using his/her words 

 

Thank you for taking your time to check this out 

[16k]

You’ll need to show much, much more to get an opinion. We can’t even see a Hamon here! 

[jojo4u]

RIp ): im waiting for it to arrive.. I will repost it in a week or 2 with better quality but theses are the only pictures i have as of right now.

[Geraint]

Dear Jojo.

 

It's a wakizashi, is it?  If so it will be less than 24" from tip to where the tang starts.  It is signed so we could assume that it was originally an inch or two longer.  First thing to say is that shinogi zukuri wakizashi are not a feature of swords from the 13th century.

There area a few smiths signing Nagamitsu and from what we can see so far this just might be a later one.  Last thing for now, someone, clearly not you, has done unspeakable things to the nakago with a file!  This is serious damage, don't do anything to this when you get it until you have taken a lot of advice and had some better opinions from learned people here when you post some better photographs.

 

Bet you are looking forward to opening that parcel!  Enjoy.

 

All the best.

 

 

[jojo4u]

The post says samurai long wakizashi katana

blades cutting length is 21 inches

 sword in its handle complete length is 29 inches 

 

Ah man im very hyped in opening it as its my first sword ever! 

 

Thank you Geraint! 

[16k]

Sorry, I didn’t see the link to imgur. Well, it certainly has some age to it. Eagerly awaiting for better pictures.

[jojo4u]

I promise when it arrives i post the best pics possible. 

 

Thank you Jp! 

[Ken-Hawaii]

Just FYI, there's no such thing as a "wakizashi katana." If the hacho is less than 2 shaku (24 inches or 60 cm), it's a wakizashi.

[jojo4u]

Hey Ken 

 

My bad brother i was gonna reply with my apology but i thought i do it when it arrives and time has came alot faster then i expected 

 

Anyways heres are some pictures lmk if i missed anything or if i should re try taking the pictures. Any advice is welcome and thank you for taking your time to help me.

 

 

[jojo4u]

[jojo4u]

[Mark]

signed katana mei. does not look 13th century

[jojo4u]

Heres some other pics just incase i missed out 

[jojo4u]

Hey Mark 

 

You think its legit signature and do you think its a pre 16 century ? 

Appreciate the comment 

 

Jojo

[Mark]

tricky. hard to know.  does the temper turn toward the ha at the machi? if so retemper or ubu and made to look suriage.  if not still maybe retempered, or might be made that way in shinshinto and made to look older.  Hard to know where the original mekugi-ana was, has it been cut off? i guess it could be O-suriage mumei with mei added later.  placement of the mei and the mekugi-ana that are there are problematic. It will take some in hand study, at least you have something to study and learn from.

[jojo4u]

Hey Mark my apologies for the late reply and tbh i have no clue if was longer and that it was cut off or not . And yea lots to learn about , to be honest i think no the temper doesnt go towards the ha at the machi i could be wrong 

[Mark]

where are you located in CA?  There are some groups north of the border and a number of NMB members.  Maybe some opportunity to meet (after covid)?

[jojo4u]

I am in Toronto and yeah i would love to meet up with some people or atleast go to there store to get more info 

[Mark]

i lived in Toronto when i was young. You are fortunate there is a active group there.  Maybe Barry H can let you know when things open up

 

[jojo4u]

Wow that's pretty cool and i really appreciate it 

[MHC]

I have avoided making any comment on this for days now, but can't stand it anymore.......

 

All things being of possible illusion, and I hope I'm way off base here...but my machinist eye cannot  stop seeing a distinct line running thru the Nakago right where the Habaki would conceal it, visible on both sides, but most discernable on the left side. The apparent line runs perpendicular to the longitude of the blade.

 

I can only guess, but it would appear that there is a possibility of the nakago being welded at this location. This would explain the heavy file marks(to cover up the weld repair) that do not match the original file marks, lower on the nakago, plus the distinct difference in the look of the steel both above the habaki area and below the possible weld area. Even the area of the Bohi looks tampered with and does not exactly match the bohi on the blade.

 

My observation could easily be incorrect, as making assumptions from small photos can lead one down incorrect paths.

 

Mark

[jojo4u]

Hey Mark idk you could be right. If you like i can take a couple more photos of the wakizashi from the tang towards the top of the blade.

 

Jojo

[Shugyosha]

I can’t see that but typically if it doesn’t have a big red neon arrow pointing towards it then I often miss it. That said it would be unusual to weld a filed tang to a blade as the filing flags an issue, but in this game there’s probably nothing new. 
My take is - it isn’t the big name nagamitsu - why sell it cheap and/ or why mess with the tang if so?  It might be a koto blade (pre1600) as what’s left of the tang patina might point that way but it’s an unreliable way to date swords. 
There’s been some care taken with cutting the grooves (if it’s the original tang) 😬 which might suggest some quality but, unfortunately, someone has filed the tang - maybe make it fit the shirasaya or to cover some other issue so it’s let down by that.
It needs a viewing in hand, perhaps after a bit of work with uchiko, which might reveal some detail, to see if what merit it has. 
 

[jojo4u]

I think the Bohi looks fine but you guys definitely know more then me 

 

Thank you John 

[jojo4u]

https://imgur.com/a/3untbqg I tried to most more pics but it didnt let me. ): Hopefully this is better 

[Shugyosha]

Mebbe - but you have it in front of you and pictures can be misleading. Have someone check it out at a (relatively) local club or send it off for an opinion, maybe to Ted Tenold a Japanese trained polisher in the USA: http://www.legacyswords.com

[jojo4u]

Yeah John you're are right. When things get better outside ill go in a shop and a hopefully a local club to get a better opinion. Thanks a million for the info