HELP with Japanese wakizashi.......

[oristt]

Hello to all

 

First off can i say great forum, there are some knowledgeable people here.

 

I am fairly new to the world of Japanese swords so go careful with me! :D

 

I have owned a wakizashi for some time now and was looking to learn some more about it, I don't know if i'm posting this in the right section of the forum as it is my first post.

I have attached some pictures of my sword (the photos are very vague i know sorry about this) and as you will notice there is a signature on the tang which i was hoping somebody would be able to translate, or point me in the right direction. Any help would be much appreciated. Also if any one knows or can tall me anything to do with the general history of this sword or its origins that also would be helpful.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this and hope you enjoy.

 

Kind regards

 

Kyle

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

It seems signed Sukesada 助定.

[oristt]

Excellent thanks for the fast reply. I have been trying to find that info out for such a long time now thank you. is it possible to retrieve any more information about the sword from the photos i provided, i.e. age, condition and quality of blade.

 

Any information you give me will be very helpful. thanks for taking the time to help me learn about my sword.

 

Kind regards

 

Kyle

[Brian]

Kyle,

Deleted the other topic so there is only one.

Search the forum for Sukesada and you will see there were over 70 of them, and it is difficult to assign it to one of them. One of the most common signatures found. Also, check out the article on Sukesada by Darcy at http://nihonto.ca/yosozaemon-sukesada/index.html

He wrote:

The consideration of mei is particularly important in Sue Bizen work. There are various forms of signature that one sees in the Osafune smiths. One tends to see the nijimei signatures, and signatures of the form Bishu Osafune Smith in the earlier Osafune periods.

 

In the Sue Bizen times, a tradition began to be held on the signatures which can indicate the quality of the work. Using Sukesada as an example, lowest quality would probably be mumei, and then Bishu Osafune Sukesada, which are often considered mass produced works (kazu-uchi "mass produced" or taba-gatana "bundled swords," from being sold wrapped as a bundle rather than individually). They will most likely not have a date associated with them. As the signature becomes longer, moving to Bizen Kuni Ju Osafune Sukesada (Saku). These will usually have a date. The highest form will combine this signature with the name of the person ordering the work to be done, and these are considered chumon uchi (ordered works). They will most often have a date. Often on these, or without the client's name, one will see a zokumei (personal name), in the case of this smith it will read, Bizen Kuni Ju Osafune Yosozaemon no jo Sukesada. Sue Bizen swords with zokumei are almost always considered chumon uchi, and almost always will bear a date. Generally, the rule of thumb is that the more information there is on the nakago, the better, when it comes to Sue Bizen smiths.

 

Is this a 2 character signature? If so, it might be one of the earlier Koto Sukesadas?

 

Brian

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

Something seems odd; i've never seen a Bizen Sukesada written 助定.

Ordinary there are written like this 助貞 or 祐定.

[Nobody]

  Jacques D. said:

Something seems odd; i've never seen a Bizen Sukesada written 助定.

Ordinary there are written like this 助貞 or 祐定.

Here is an example of Bishu Sukesada (助定) which is thought to be made in Bunmei era (文明: 1469 - 1487).

 

Ref. http://blog.goo.ne.jp/5232_2006/e/8888e ... 5db22e659c