Help with evaluating wakizashi for a new member

[EvolEd]

Hi everyone,

 

I am new to the study of nihonto and fully acknowledge that I need to study a lot more before making any further purchases. I come from a background in biology and collecting fossils and was unprepared for such a tremendously steep learning curve! I've also been a lifelong martial artist so naturally I am fascinated with weaponry and since discovered the beauty and depth of nihonto. 

 

I have a wakizashi that I purchased through a reputable auction house but have since discovered the incredible detail and knowledge involved with studying and purchasing nihonto. I can spot poor quality fossils, fakes, alterations, etc. but this is something beyond my realm of expertise (but I'm learning!). The following blade was sold as a 17-18th century o-suriage wakizashi. It is mumei and the nakago has mekugi that appear to be punched and not drilled. As far as I can tell, the hamon is choiji and I rather enjoy it but I can't judge the quality of it or whether the blade has been polished recently as it is the first nihonto I've seen in person. There are no major dents, scratches, or fatal flaws as far as I can tell. The nagasa is about 44 cm (17.5") with a total length of about 56 cm (22"); sori ~0.8 cm; hamachi width 2.7 cm; kissaki width 1.8 cm.  Boshi is present but hard to photograph. I took these photos with a cell phone but I can try with proper photography equipment if more details are required. I've never photographed a sword and the shape/length prove perplexing! I apologize for the quality of the photos due to size restrictions.

 

I like this wakizashi but I would really appreciate it if anyone could add anything else to its story. I don't mind if it was gimei once upon a time just not shinken  And I promise to make more responsible purchases in the future, ideally with papers. For peace of mind (and so I don't feel compelled to immediately purchase a papered wakizashi), I'd just like to know what I actually have here so I can make more educated comparisons in the future. It would be nice if it's not a dumpster fire of a sword as I find it quite pleasant to study but I will leave that up to the infinitely more experienced to judge. 

 

Thanks so much for helping someone grow in their fondness for nihonto. 

 

Regards,

 

Marcus

[Geraint]

Dear Marcus.

 

Welcome to NMB and the fascinating world of Nihonto!  Now to get the ball rolling.  First of all it is a real Japanese sword and as it has no mei it can't be gimei.  Bear in mind that it is hard to tell very much from photographs and that your sword is not in polish, (don't attempt to do anything to it yourself in the way of cleaning, just a wipe with some light oil).

 

You might compare with this one, just to see the difference between a proper Japanese polish and your sword, https://www.aoijapan.com/wakizashiizumo-kami-fujiwara-yoshitake-first-generationnbthk-tokubetsu-hozon-token/  Click on the photographs to enlarge them.  

 

If your photo of the boshi is clear then it is very narrow which suggests that the tip, kissaki, has been reshaped quite a bit.  It is a sugu boshi which, in combination with the midare hamon, suggest Shinto as a period.  There is no yokote as a result of the poor polish.  

 

Most of your photos appear to show that the tang, nakago, is o suriage, in other words all of the original nakago has been removed.  I'm a bit puzzled by the look of the nakago mune, the back edge, so hold that thought.  I wouldn't get hung up on drilled/punched nakago ana as a point, have a close look and see if you can see any sign of yasurime, decorative file marks.  If none then probably o suriage.

 

Assuming what I have said is correct then what you have is a shortened Shinto sword in koshirae, mounts.  Having the blade properly restored is almost certainly not worth it so study it for what you can see, read some books and compare with your sword, enjoy it for what it is and start saving for the next one.

 

Feel free to keep asking questions.

 

All te best.

[Baba Yaga]

1 hour ago, Geraint said:

Dear Marcus.

 

Welcome to NMB and the fascinating world of Nihonto!  Now to get the ball rolling.  First of all it is a real Japanese sword and as it has no mei it can't be gimei.  Bear in mind that it is hard to tell very much from photographs and that your sword is not in polish, (don't attempt to do anything to it yourself in the way of cleaning, just a wipe with some light oil).

 

You might compare with this one, just to see the difference between a proper Japanese polish and your sword, https://www.aoijapan.com/wakizashiizumo-kami-fujiwara-yoshitake-first-generationnbthk-tokubetsu-hozon-token/  Click on the photographs to enlarge them.  

 

If your photo of the boshi is clear then it is very narrow which suggests that the tip, kissaki, has been reshaped quite a bit.  It is a sugu boshi which, in combination with the midare hamon, suggest Shinto as a period.  There is no yokote as a result of the poor polish.  

 

Most of your photos appear to show that the tang, nakago, is o suriage, in other words all of the original nakago has been removed.  I'm a bit puzzled by the look of the nakago mune, the back edge, so hold that thought.  I wouldn't get hung up on drilled/punched nakago ana as a point, have a close look and see if you can see any sign of yasurime, decorative file marks.  If none then probably o suriage.

 

Assuming what I have said is correct then what you have is a shortened Shinto sword in koshirae, mounts.  Having the blade properly restored is almost certainly not worth it so study it for what you can see, read some books and compare with your sword, enjoy it for what it is and start saving for the next one.

 

Feel free to keep asking questions.

 

All te best.

Agree with everything you said with the exception of "study it". If a person wants to "study" everything that's wrong then this is a good example. Studying good examples in hand with a proper mentor is really the only way to learn. If a person doesn't have that opportunity then collecting Nihonto may not be a wise move. This is what makes this hobby obscure and the amount of collectors so small. This shouldn't be a deterrent, but a moment for collecting clarity .     

[EvolEd]

On 8/22/2022 at 12:24 PM, Geraint said:

Dear Marcus.

 

Welcome to NMB and the fascinating world of Nihonto!  Now to get the ball rolling.  First of all it is a real Japanese sword and as it has no mei it can't be gimei.  Bear in mind that it is hard to tell very much from photographs and that your sword is not in polish, (don't attempt to do anything to it yourself in the way of cleaning, just a wipe with some light oil).

 

You might compare with this one, just to see the difference between a proper Japanese polish and your sword, https://www.aoijapan.com/wakizashiizumo-kami-fujiwara-yoshitake-first-generationnbthk-tokubetsu-hozon-token/  Click on the photographs to enlarge them.  

 

If your photo of the boshi is clear then it is very narrow which suggests that the tip, kissaki, has been reshaped quite a bit.  It is a sugu boshi which, in combination with the midare hamon, suggest Shinto as a period.  There is no yokote as a result of the poor polish.  

 

Most of your photos appear to show that the tang, nakago, is o suriage, in other words all of the original nakago has been removed.  I'm a bit puzzled by the look of the nakago mune, the back edge, so hold that thought.  I wouldn't get hung up on drilled/punched nakago ana as a point, have a close look and see if you can see any sign of yasurime, decorative file marks.  If none then probably o suriage.

 

Assuming what I have said is correct then what you have is a shortened Shinto sword in koshirae, mounts.  Having the blade properly restored is almost certainly not worth it so study it for what you can see, read some books and compare with your sword, enjoy it for what it is and start saving for the next one.

 

Feel free to keep asking questions.

 

All te best.

 

Hi Geraint,

 

Thank you so much for the information! It is a relief knowing that it is a genuine Edo/Shinto wakizashi. I thought it might be gimei because maybe part of the tang was just cut off. I don't see decorative file marks. The very end isn't as clean as some other suriage blades I've seen so I'm not entirely sure what kind of modifications were made, why, or when. The boshi isn't as narrow as the photo might suggest and slightly curves back but it is on the fainter side and the tip was definitely reshaped at some point. 

 

I've been following aoijapan and keeping my eye out for something new but I'll continue to learn more. I'm not sure what the price of polishing would be but I like the sword well enough as is. It wasn't overly expensive and given the fact that I purchased it with basically no up close pictures (in ignorance of the entire field of study that is nihonto) I'd say it turned out better than expected. I'm assuming this is considered a "poorer" sword by elite standards? Coming from a field of collecting where things are preferred natural and old, I had no idea that Japanese swords were preserved to such a degree of precision and maintained in the way they are (I've been oiling it no worries!) That's incredible and I can see why there's such an obsession in the collecting community for perfection. At the same time, it's sad to read that a wakizashi like this is viewed by some in this community (based on other threads) as seemingly unworthy of preservation or admiration. We treat each fossil as a unique snapshot of history; a thing far rarer than any human made creation. Perhaps more people would appreciate swords of this nature if they saw the bigger picture. I have several stone tools from Neanderthals and Homo erectus, and I'm sure craftsmen then varied in skill and access to raw materials. And while the price tag on those pales in comparison to the world of nihonto's elite, they're no less beautiful and judged far less harshly. 

 

Thanks again.

 

Marcus

 

 

[Apercus]

Sometimes an opinion about whether to “preserve” a sword by having it professionally polished is influenced by the perspective of value added for resale. A proper polish for your wakizashi would run $2000 or more and would not increase the value by that amount. The polish on it is good enough now to see most of the details so the suggestion to leave it as it is and maintain it with care is good advice. That being said, I have had a sword polished that I knew was not a good investment for making money. I don’t really buy any swords to sell or turn a profit and liked it well enough to pay for a polish just to see more detail and enjoy it more. You need to take the time to learn more and decide what you like before you start investing a lot of time and money in polish. I waited and studied my first blade for six years before I decided to get it polished. Don’t be in a hurry. Take time to learn and enjoy along the way.

[Katsujinken]

Geraint is spot on. I would emphasize that the kissaki has definitely been reshaped, and not particularly well in my opinion. 
 

And Marcus your eyes were sharp enough to see that the finishing job on the nakago is poor (or it was damaged at some point).
 

I like your sentiment about unique snapshots of history. I own and regularly handle elite blades and would tell you to ignore the elitists. Your sword may not win any awards but it is a piece of history decently preserved and for that we should be thankful. 
 

Welcome!

[EvolEd]

5 hours ago, Katsujinken said:

Geraint is spot on. I would emphasize that the kissaki has definitely been reshaped, and not particularly well in my opinion. 
 

And Marcus your eyes were sharp enough to see that the finishing job on the nakago is poor (or it was damaged at some point).
 

I like your sentiment about unique snapshots of history. I own and regularly handle elite blades and would tell you to ignore the elitists. Your sword may not win any awards but it is a piece of history decently preserved and for that we should be thankful. 
 

Welcome!

Thanks so much for welcoming me Michael and for appreciating a different perspective. I think it's crazy how I can own the hip bone of a Jurassic dinosaur, a much rarer event in history, for a fraction of the price of even a lower tier nihonto  It doesn't mean that I don't see the beauty in nihonto or that I'll stop searching for a possible new addition but it's a very counterintuitive exercise in rationalization for me personally. Even if we look at stone age tools, they can no doubt vary in preservation as well as the skill level used to manufacture them. I wonder if museum curators covet the handiwork of the best Homo erectus craftsman from France to put on display or are we admiring the work of the most common of commoners and just don't know it? Either way, thank you for your words of encouragement. 

 

Regards,

Marcus

[EvolEd]

5 hours ago, Apercus said:

Sometimes an opinion about whether to “preserve” a sword by having it professionally polished is influenced by the perspective of value added for resale. A proper polish for your wakizashi would run $2000 or more and would not increase the value by that amount. The polish on it is good enough now to see most of the details so the suggestion to leave it as it is and maintain it with care is good advice. That being said, I have had a sword polished that I knew was not a good investment for making money. I don’t really buy any swords to sell or turn a profit and liked it well enough to pay for a polish just to see more detail and enjoy it more. You need to take the time to learn more and decide what you like before you start investing a lot of time and money in polish. I waited and studied my first blade for six years before I decided to get it polished. Don’t be in a hurry. Take time to learn and enjoy along the way.

Wow. I had no idea that was how much a polish would cost! That's a lot and yes I most definitely would not be spending that much money to do that (or attempting any hack jobs myself). I am not in this to flip swords or look to profiteer either. I just thought I'd expand the human wing of my personal little museum and somehow stumbled onto nihonto. I had no idea it would be this engrossing or require years of patience and planning on purchases. It's kind of insane but I've never been conventional and I'll try and build a very modest diversity of Japanese weaponry. I find them all quite beautiful and unique. I'm not looking for anything at the top of the line but simply pieces that capture some aspect of warfare. I love the armour as much as the blades so there is much to study and search for within the range of affordability. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. 

 

Regards,

Marcus

[Alex A]

It may have been a Katana at one time, thats the impression i get anyways.

 

Saying that though, very difficult to judge shape accurately in images.

[EvolEd]

50 minutes ago, Alex A said:

It may have been a Katana at one time, thats the impression i get anyways.

 

Saying that though, very difficult to judge shape accurately in images.

Yeah I'm not sure how best to photograph something of this shape but if it was once a katana, I'm pretty satisfied with that; gives it more of a story. Thanks so much for responding