Naginata naoshi katana

[brentlewiis]

Hello friends,

 

I recently added an old sword to my collection.  It is naginata naoshi, with deep black rust on the tang.  Temper is generally narrow with many ‘irregularities’.  The blade is hard for me to read due to condition.  Nagasa is 24.5 inches.  The kissaki is obscured so I can’t tell if there is a boshi.  Please forgive my general lack of tech savvy.  Any thoughts/opinions regarding age/school?  A cut-down naginata or born this way?

[mywei]

Could this be naginata zukuri rather than naginata naoshi?

 

It looks ubu to my eyes and the naginata hi is complete and all above the nakago

 

Interesting

[brentlewiis]

I agree that it could also be Naginata zukuri.  There are some features that suggest it might be a copy of another, perhaps older blade—there is an area on the katana ura where the soe-bi has the appearance of having been polished away but I cannot perceive any corresponding  irregularity of the blade’s surface that would indicate the removal of a flaw.  The Bo-hi lack the curved foot and traditional point of Naginata-hi.  There is no sign of machi okuri.  If the nakago was shortened it was very long ago.  The overall impression is of an old sword that has not been terribly well cared for but has also not been chipped or nicked or significantly corroded.  If made as a katana, perhaps early nanbokucho?

[Jacques D.]

Have a look at Kanmuri_otoshi-zukuri or U-no-kubi-zukuri

[brentlewiis]

My initial thought was unokubi zukuri but there is no evidence of a yokote and something I read suggested that such blades were likely cut-down polearms or imitations of them.  Kanmuri-itoshi was not considered due to the point shape.  
 

I initially thought that the relatively short nakago might be the result of its having been shortened just above the original Ana.  In any event the rust on the nakago is very dark and consistent.

[Geraint]

Dear Lucian.

 

Start with what you have, as you say the hada and hamon are at best indistinct at present but can you make out the boshi by any chance?  The descriptions of sugata for swords are generally distinct but you do run up against variations so don't be too surprised that a sword has one feature that doesn't fit the classification.  You say that you have read that such blades were cut down polearms or imitations of them and therein lies the key.  You have considered the possibility that is is o suriage but there is nothing here to indicate that at present, the nakago is properly shaped with the nakago jiri intact and a single mekugi ana, so unless there is a feature that contradicts this it should be safe to assume that the nakago is ubu.  So the question is when was it common for smiths to produce this sugata just as it is?  

The soe bi fades out and you have concluded that there is no sign of distortion in the blades surface so this was not done in a patch to remove a flaw, so far so good.  Have you considered that it is just a weakly cut hi?

 

Is the condition of the nakago really old enough to support your Nambokucho suggestion, or could it possibly be that this sword is an early Shinto blade?  If we discount o suriage, in other words this is an ubu sword, then what should the length tell you about the possibility of it being Nambokucho?

 

Just some thoughts for you to play with, I like the sword and I hope that you end up getting it polished so that you can really see what is going on.

 

All the best.

[Jacques D.]

Lucian

 

A yokote is not mandatory on a U-no-kubi-zukuri blade. Could we have a photo of the kissaki (large) area  taken from above?

 

[brentlewiis]

Please forgive my poor photography.  My phone does not have macro capability 

[Jacques D.]

U-no-kubi-zukuri