Where to find a REAL kogatana?

[Battara]

Greetings folks,

 

This is my first post on this forum.  I recently acquired a Muromachi wakazashi but it is missing the kogatana.  What would be your recommendations to find a real kogatana of the same period?

 

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Jose

[Bugyotsuji]

Congratulations on your new acquisition,  Jose.

 

My first recommendation would be to take your time, plenty of it (no rush) and maybe see lots of 小柄 'kozuka/kodzuka' illustrations on the web, in books, in museums etc., to get your eye trained up. You'll see many examples of Saya with missing Kozuka. The filled ones you see around you often took months or years to source.

[Grey Doffin]

Morning Jose,

As Piers mentioned, you need both a kotsuka and kogatana.  Don't get too hung up on these being made in the Muromachi; while your wakizashi is from that period, its koshirae is most likely newer than that.  Lots of kotsuka online to choose from; I have more than a few on my website and would be glad to help.  Mark Jones usually has kogatana for sale.  You'll find both of us in the dealers section here on NMB.

Cheers,  Grey

[Battara]

Many thanks folks.  Very helpful information.  I will take my time and look on both your sites.  Grey I can get to your site, but what is Mark's site? 

 

By the way, I've seen some real and fakes ones.  Big difference!

[Bugyotsuji]

Are you saying you only have one hitsu-ana slot in the saya sheath, Jose?

Kogatana, kozuka, kogai...?

[Mark]

Jose

 

where in KY are you? I was in Louisville last weekend and could have brought all my items to show you.  Not all blades and handles fit all koshirae so sometimes the fit is  important if you need it for a particular use.

 

you can email me at  nixe@bright.net 

 

mark

[Mark]

I have to these 3. $150 plus post each. i also have a couple of polished blades in shirasaya

 

[Battara]

I may take you up on this.  Would these blades fit any kozuka?

 

Would they together fit any Wakizashi?

 

 

Jose C

[Fuuten]

I think the one way to find out is stick a piece of paper in, deepest point total length. I'm not entirely sure if they're simply squared out or rounded. Pretty sure they are not shaped to specific kogatana although who knows perhaps that happened at some time or another, not standard.

[Brian]

I would say usually yes. There isn't a huge variation in kogatana/kozuka sizes although there is some. But generally speaking they should work fine.