Please help identifying/dating this unsigned wakizashi

[vitamin]

Please help identifying/dating my unsigned wakizashi. 

 

The seller provided the following information:

 

• blade is from 1700s to 1800s (?)
• no papers
• tsuba/tsuka/saya came from other items, so not including them in the shots

 

Measurements:

 

• overall length: 22 3/8"
• nagasa length: 17 5/8"
• sori curvature depth: 1/2"
• kissaki length: 1 3/4"
• please ask for further measurements

 

Any information you experts might be able to provide about this would be greatly appreciated. I'm curious what the hamon style is called, what period it's from, any links to further historical context, whether it's worth getting papers for, etc Thank you! 

 

Please see the below photographs that I took of the sword:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An interesting dark eye in the steel:

 

 

 

 

Closeups of the hamon and hiraji with an extremely bright strobe setting and tiny aperture reveal interesting details:

 

 

 

 

The proximity of the strobe can bring out some of the imperfections quite clearly, which to the naked eye are quite subtle (as you can tell from the video):

 

 

 

 

Whether the hamon looks brighter than the hiraji depends on the incident angle of the strobes. Varying the angle brings out some interesting tonal variations that look quite different from the typical way that most sellers present their swords online:

 

 

There is a small chip in the cutting edge of the blade:

 

 

Some interesting wear patterns:

 

 

 

Closeup of the above image:

 

 

Some dark "eyes" in the steel:

 

 

 

 

Additional imperfections (perhaps from carbon deposits?):

 

 

 

The kissaki:

 

 

 

A crack in the shinogi-ji (evidence of a past repair?):

 

 

 

Additional photographs: https://imgur.com/a/t1eS9CY

 

These photographs were taken with an Olympus OM-D EM-1 and an EM-1 Mark III, FL-50R and FL-36R flashes, and OM Zuiko 50mm f/2 lens for FourThirds (plus the FourThirds to MicroFourThirds adapter).

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

[ChrisW]

The dark spots might be shintetsu (core steel showing), I can see several fukure along the mune too. This all speaks to what appears to be a tired blade.

[David Flynn]

Not Fukure (Blisters).   These are Ware.

[lonely panet]

IMHO sue kizu-uchi bizen?

[Bugyotsuji]

  On 12/21/2021 at 8:30 AM, lonely panet said:

IMHO sue kizu-uchi bizen?

Expand  

Kazu-uchi? Mass production?

Can we please see a shot of the overall section where the blade emerges from the Nakago tang?

[ChrisW]

  On 12/21/2021 at 7:52 AM, David Flynn said:

Not Fukure (Blisters).   These are Ware.

Expand  

 

You're correct, mismatch of terms, my bad!

[PNSSHOGUN]

The polish looks like an amateur one using acid.

[Nihontocollector752]

Flaws and old polish aside this could be a sword from the Edo, Bungo, Fujiwara Takada school or subsidiary offshoot, just an option. 

[vitamin]

  On 12/21/2021 at 8:43 AM, Bugyotsuji said:

Can we please see a shot of the overall section where the blade emerges from the Nakago tang?

Expand  

 

Please see the below images, thank you.

 

I've also attached a video from my iPhone that does a better job showing what the polish looks like to the human eye. (The macro shots from my Olympus E-M1 tend to overemphasize the defects.)

 

Thanks you for taking a look!

 

 

 

 

 

[ROKUJURO]

Jonathan,

it is a nice blade with an interesting HAMON.

Please do not handle a half-drawn blade! This will damage the inside of the SAYA! Drawing a sword has to be done in a way that the back of the blade (MUNE) slides gently on the SAYA (cutting edge upwards) without the sides of the blade touching the inside of the SAYA.

Once you have paid about $ 3.000.-- for a new polish you will understand immediately!

[Alex A]

Hello,

 

Acid polish (as mentioned) makes life a lot more difficult and obviously obscuring a lot of fine detail that would be there should it have been professionally polished in the first place.

 

Not sure whether that is core steel (dark patches) or something to do with the acid polish maybe. If it is core steel then that is something definitely associated with Kazu-uchimono. 

 

Although there are things about this blade that for me dont quite fit that catagory. The nakago looks quite well finished and the hada looks quite refined The hamon, blade length and yasurime are all asking questions (so to speak)

 

Appears to be nioi-deki, 

 

Still, reminds me of Bizen. Wouldnt be surprised if after polish it turned out to be something like Edo-Ishido, the nakago fits and if you look hard enough you will find examples where the hamon also matches.

 

What Jimmy said above too is worth looking in to as they Bungo Takada were know for making swords similar to that of Bizen but ive not looked at examples today.

 

Its difficult at times, you can sit here all day going around in circles, this is why signed examples make life easier and in the end are more desirable.

 

Your blade is not worth the price of a top polish but there are experienced polishers that will improve what you have with a traditional stone polish, you will then have a greater understanding of what you have.

 

 

 

[vitamin]

  On 12/24/2021 at 1:42 PM, Alex A said:

Your blade is not worth the price of a top polish but there are experienced polishers that will improve what you have with a traditional stone polish, you will then have a greater understanding of what you have.

Expand  

Do you have any recommendations for someone in the US, ideally west coast?

 

Thanks.

[Lewis B]

  On 6/12/2024 at 4:45 AM, vitamin said:

Do you have any recommendations for someone in the US, ideally west coast?

 

Thanks.

Expand  

Can't give you a direct answer but a message to Mike Yamasaki (tetsugendo.com) or Ray Singer might yield some options. Mike I believe is based on the West Coast.