More information about this potential Nagamitsu?

[ZeroFlight]

To preface, I know very little about nihonto in the first place.  I only stumbled on this board while trying to research more in the first place and am now on a research binge.  So please forgive any cluelessness.  I've read up on Nagamitsu and have learned quite a bit but I'm still out of my depth here.

 

Now to the meat of it... my brother (no really, it was my brother not me) recently acquired this wakizashi.  The cert says Nagamitsu but I'd like to double check with you experts & see if you could tell me anything more.  If you need further detail on any images, let me know and I'll get my other camera that excels at macro shots.  I took about 20 pics to start with but am only posting a few, figuring it's better to go light and let you tell me what you need.  Each pic has been shrunk to fit the size limits; I can also share them via OneDrive.  It was hard to get the entire mei clear in a single shot so instead I split it into 2 pics.

 

To my amateur eyes, the mekugi-ana doesn't look drilled so much as forge punched, but that may just be from wear.  The thing that concerns me most whether this might be a reproduction rather is the boshi; I didn't think they were so drastic at that time!  I'll start with a close-up of a piece of the COA, showing just the Japanese section, but know that it's not the original.  I have no idea where the original original might be as it wasn't included.  It's from a copy on an English COA supposedly issued by what seems to now be called samurai-store.com  I've emailed them to see if they have any info or can point me to any resources like a database, since I have the potential registration number.  I can post the whole English version separately if you need.  So on to the pics.  Oh, and thank you so much in advance.  I really do appreciate your time.

 

 

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Dan,

The sword, which is 100% real, is signed Yamato No Kuni Junin Nagamitsu. The paper (I believe that's what you're referring to as COA) is the license every sword in Japan needs to have. It has nothing to say about authenticity, just that it is a sword and what the signature says. This Nagamitsu is most likely not the Nagamitsu you've been reading about. The wakizashi looks to be early to mid Edo period: 17th or early 18th century. Who ever the smith was, he isn't one of the important ones. Nothing wrong with that, though; looks nice.

Grey

[Bruce Pennington]

@Brian - might move this one to Nihonto forum.

[ZeroFlight]

Ah, thank you very much!  That helps a great deal.  I also finally got around to looking closer at the utility knife and it is clearly not signed the same.  But that's a problem for another day.  Thanks again! 

[Rich S]

The Kozuka (utility knife) were seldom made by the same sword smith. Nice Edo period wak; not the same smith as Ichihara Nagamitsu (gendai, WW  2).

A good first find. Much better than my first sword.

[ZeroFlight]

Unfortunately, the Kozuka (thank you for that) is not in good shape.  You can see the crease/bend and it shows on both sides.  Plus lots of scratching.  But it was utility after all... Any idea on the inscription?

 

 

[Jacques D.]

The nihonto meikan lists 4 Nagamitsu of the Yamato Senjuin school. Two of them worked during the Oei era (considering the sugata this sword can't be older). What bothers me however is that the nakago is typically Bizen and that the Nihonto meikan does not mention this signature.

[Bazza]

G'day Dan,

The 'kozuka' you refer to is actually called a kogatana (ko-katana - lit. a 'little sword'), while the decorative handle is the actual kozuka (ko-tsuka - lit. 'little handle').  The bent kogatana has very poorly incised characters that mean nothing at all, and in and of themselves suggest a non-Japanese blade.  There are literally thousands of reproduction kogatana many from the Philippines and elsewhere and almost as many worthless, genuine antique items.  If the wakizashi signature is not recorded, as Jacques says, it is called MEIKAN MORE -unknown smith.  It is of course a quite genuine blade of about the mid-Edo period, plus or minus!!  You may find a signature in an obscure Japanese language book.  In short, a real, ridgy-didge sword of no great quality as these things go, but certainly a worthwhile collectible.

BaZZa

(Melbourne, Australia)