Information Request - Wakizachi

[Vipage14]

Hello,

 

Seeking to learn more about a Wakizashi which was handed down to me many years back by my Uncle.  Believe he recieved the blade from a family friend who was in the Pacific during WWII so I can only presume this was a piece he brought home.  

 

A couple photos attached ot this post.  Also, here's a link to Google Drive with additional photos:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-0DMqMp0cC0PopDX1i11XgvsZfI54lA_?usp=sharing

 

Details from what I observe:

• The Blade itself appears to be hand forged and not a WWII military blade.  While my untrained eyes do not observe an obvious Hada, there is a clear and distinct Suguha Hamon.  There is significant dark rust on the Nakago and three Mekugi holes.  The fact that there are three Mekugi holes yet only two Mekugi pegs on the Tsukka implies to me this blade has been outfitted with at least two separate fittings in its life.  No observed signature or marks on the Nakago.
• The fittings on the piece seem to be rather nice, especially the Habaki which appears to comprise of an inner piece and outer decorative collar.  Unsure if the material is Steel or Silver.
• The Saya is a greenish-blue speckled lacquer which is presently covered by a leather protective sleeve, assumed to be original to WWII.  The Saya still has the cutout for where the Kurikata was originally placed but I assume the Kurikata was removed to fit the leather sleeve.  This implies to me the sword and its fittings pre-date WWII and the Saya was modified in preparation for war/field-use.  Note that the Same is missing from the decorative fitting at tip-end of Saya.
• The Tsukka is in great shape with intact Same and tight Ito.  Fittings and Menuki are all in good shape.  Tsuka is fit with two Mekugi pegs - one large and one small.
• The Tsuba is a really beautiful piece itself due to its simplicity and obvious age.  Subtle art of mountains, water, and trees on it.

So, if I had to guess, my impression is that the Blade itself is quite old, likely older than the current fittings, and the sword was owned by some Japanese man/family who, when WWII arrived, prepared the sword for war and carried it with him with the ultimate fate of it being surrendered/captured and transported to the US.  Now I seek to know more specifics about the blade if these can be determined.  Perhaps a better idea of the blade's age (my ignorant guess is shinshinto..) and/or any other interesting facts about it would be great.  Also curious to hear some ideas regarding the monetary value of the blade as I have considered taking an insurance policy out on it, if warranted.  Have also even considered donating to the local military museum....  I'm sure someone deserves this piece of history more than I do.  I've just tried to keep good care of it while it is in my possession.

 

Anways, very appreciative to hear your collective thoughts.  Thanks!

 

 

[Edward Mahle]

Definitely a older blade not WW2, may have been shortened at some point. Seems like a good quality set from what I can see in pictures. Suguha hamon is a very sought after hamon.

[Vipage14]

Thanks, Ed.  Appreciate your comments!  Just seeking to learn more however I can.

 

I added a couple additional photos to the Google Drive link with the whole piece reassembled and mounted.

[Brian]

Don't donate to any museum. Terrible idea, and frequently discussed on the forum. Rather find a collector.
Although we tend to think that many people took their ancestral sword to war, the fact is that as proven by research, thousands of cheaper swords were purchased by the Govt to outfit and sell to soldiers going to war. Quality usually mediocre, but many decent swords were co-opted into the war effort.

[Vipage14]

Thanks, Brian.  Interesting to learn, and thank you for your warning regarding donation to a museam.  From the photos I posted, can you (or someone you may know) speak towards the quality, likely timeframe, and/or estimate worth of my piece?

[Rivkin]

I have conflicting feelings about this package. There is ambition, but the quality is not the top notch. Interesting habaki.

There are not too many details seen in the blade, but I don't think its very old, more or less certainly pass Muromachi. It seem to have nioi based suguha hamon and lots of masame, an unusual combination pointing towards late production, possibly shinshinto. Its based probably on what Sendai Kunikane used to do, and the last generations had masame almost parallel to suguha without things like hotsure and their boshi has almost no kaeri, which is very unusual for the period. So I am very strongly suspect its either 11th to 13th generation of Sendai Kunikane.

Pricewise - very little idea, sorry.

[ROKUJURO]

Three MEKUGI-ANA, possibly not all drilled (can't see properly on these photos), considerably SURIAGE. Does not speak for SHIN-SHINTO in my opinion, but I may be wrong (as most of the time...).

[Rivkin]

And sugata is not an ideal match for shinshinto. Can be early generations of Kunikane, if one blames inconsistencies on it being out of polish.

[NewB]

Definitely not a modern sword! 

 

 

J.

[Vipage14]

Really appreciate the information guys.  Learning a lot researching the terms in your posts. 
 

Agreed with the nioi suguha hamon.  Not sure if hada is in fact masame as the grain appears to my eye to be primarily homogeneous… hard to tell.

 

Can you describe what is meant by “hotsure”?
 

Are there any specific photo closeups or angles which would help?  Let me know and I can add to the Google Drive link I included in my original post. 

Thank you all very much!  

[Vipage14]

A couple additional notes following researching the above comments:
 

- I believe sugata is Shinogi Zukuri.

- When I look at hada I see it as Konuka.

 

[Vipage14]

Hoping to learn more if anyone else has information/thoughts they can share.  Thanks!

[quoshy]

My 2 cents as an amateur collector and eager learner:

I also think the sugata hints older than shinshintou but there are other aspects like the nakago that make me think it's newer. For an estimate of worth, browsing ebay or other auction sites shows prices for similar items (mumei wakizashis) generally go for $500 - $1000 depending on condition and package.

[MHC]

Hello Scott,

 

In a general sense, I have to voice my concern with your statement about where to go for Nihonto value assessment.

 

Generally speaking...Ebay & Auction houses are not a good barometer for value.  A lot of merchandise on Ebay is incorrectly/falsely advertised, and auction houses may or may not have in-depth knowledge of all the items being sold.

 

Ebay & Auction houses often end up with final sales amounts that are inconsistent with true values, there are folks that in the heat of the moment, who end up bidding $5000 for an item, only to find out after the fact that it is a modern replica or inaccurately advertised. While others bid $500 and end up with a treasure. Neither result reflects an accurate portrayal of the actual real value of the item.

 

My .02 worth

 

Mark

[Surfson]

Vince, I think that it is unlikely to be a lost treasure, and is probably not worth submitting to shinsa to get an opinion as to school.  Kirill is probably right that it's late muromachi.  You never say how long the cutting edge is, but I am guessing under 20", is that right?  It seems to be in decent polish and the mounts are nearly all there (other than the kurikata), which means it could be enjoyed by an entry level collector and doesn't really need any serious restoration.  So, with no papers, and being a cut down wakizashi, I would estimate that it would bring $800-1200 or so at a sword show or an online auction, possibly more or less depending on the quality of the photos and listing.  

[Vipage14]

Very many thanks for the comments everyone!  It is really great to finally learn more about this item.

 

@Surfson  The cutting edge is exactly 20" in length.  Definitelly a detail I should not have omitted.  Thank you for reminding me.  Regarding the statement of it being 'cut down' (Similar to the earlier statement of SURIAGE by @ROKUJURO) I assume the give away are the multiple/spare mekugi-ana?  Would only the Nakago have been shortened for a shorter length Tsuka?  Or is it more likely the cutting edge length was also shortened as well?  I looked to see if hamon extended into the Nakago but hard to tell.  Typically, what was the motivation for reducing length of the blade?  Simple as customizing to the owner's taste or something more subtle?

[Surfson]

You are correct Vince, it may just be machiokuri, which is when the machi is moved up without shortening the end of the tang.  There is a little kurijiri on the end of the tang, so it is possible that it is the original jiri.