Tanto for your assessment

[Alexander_R]

Hello! I again asking for your opinion about my recent acquisition tanto/aikuchi. Nagasa length is 29 cm. No info available except is Edo.

[Alexander_R]

Hi, guys again. Could you attribute this tanto to school, Edo period? What the item on fuchi/kogatana means? Will be grateful for any comments

[ROKUJURO]

Alexander,

the photos are not good enough to say much. The KODOGU seem to be in SENDAI style, quite simple. The blade is in UNOKUBI ZUKURI.

[Alexander_R]

I post more photos. May be it helps? Thank you anyway!

[Rivkin]

Nakago photo with decent light would help.

[Alexander_R]

Tried to do my best. May be it helps? Another question. Tanto is not sharp. Is it normal?

[Bugyotsuji]

It is not normal if there is no sharp cutting edge. 

 

If the edge has been removed, it could be that the blade was not legally registered in Japan, and this was an attempt by someone to legalize it, or make it less illegal in case it was discovered in transit abroad.

[Rivkin]

It looks like nakago was patinated, yasurime is deep and well spaced, so its something recent, either shinshinto or gendai, which is consistent with the overall type, they are usually not too old. I would feel more comfortable with shinshinto but its hard to say.

The forging is traditional and there is an intention to have koto feel. If one wants to assign a school to it, "Mino" can be the case, but since its a late work this would be a stretch of sorts.

[Davis]

I once owned two tanto that were almost identical to yours.  Also over the years I have encountered a good number of others, very similar, almost generic.  I've concluded probably wrongly, that they were produced and put together in large numbers in a specific region during a very narrow time frame, (Meiji)?  With all the examples I've seen the hilts were beautifully wrapped and always very well preserved, perhaps indicative of age?

[Alexander_R]

Could it be late Edo? The auction description was as follow:

A TANTO IN KOSHIRAE, EDO 

Japan, Edo period (1615-1868)

The blade:
The slender, gently curved blade with unokubi-zukuri, ihori mune and a short ridge on both sides. The hamon is toran in nioi-deki with ko-ashi. The hada is ayasugi-muji, ending in omaru boshi. The mumei (unsigned) nakago with one mekugi-ana, the tip is haagari.

The mounting:
The sentoku hamidashi tsuba (with two open hitsu-ana), the fuchi, kashira, kogai, kozuka koiguchi, and kojiri each worked in silver takazogan and hammered decoration. The menuki depicting birds. The rayskin tsuka with a black silk tsuka-ito. The saya is lacquered in roiro and red with butterflies and a peony bloom.

NAGASA 29 cm, LENGTH 46 cm (total)

Condition: Good condition with minor wear and traces of use, the blade with scattered tiny fukure and shallow scratches. The mounts with few minuscule nicks.
Provenance: Hungarian private collection.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Unrelated but the title was rather unfortunately cut off: 

 

 

 

[Rivkin]

10 hours ago, Alexander_R said:

Could it be late Edo? The auction description was as follow:

 

 

Most likely yes.

[Alexander_R]

Tanto sharpness. The strange thing is that form kissaki 5-7 cm of the blade is medium sharp but the rest of the blade is dull. May be they saved money on polishing?

On 12/2/2023 at 1:30 PM, Bugyotsuji said:

It is not normal if there is no sharp cutting edge. 

 

If the edge has been removed, it could be that the blade was not legally registered in Japan, and this was an attempt by someone to legalize it, or make it less illegal in case it was discovered in transit abroad.

 

[Matsunoki]

Another possible reason for a blunt section on the blade is that it was very quickly reshaped to remove shallow chips without bothering to repolish it  properly. This late style of simple koshirae often utilised older blades (sometimes poor quality) that could be tidied up and sold to the sometimes over enthusiastic gaijin that were present in Japan in the Meiji period.

[2devnul]

"acquisition tanto/aikuchi"

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if it has tsuba, then it is NOT Aikuchi. 

[Ron M]

5 hours ago, 2devnul said:

"acquisition tanto/aikuchi"

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if it has tsuba, then it is NOT Aikuchi. 

You are correct. With a small tsuba it’s called Hamidashi

[Alexander_R]

If this version is true that means that the blade is made earlier?

[Alexander_R]

On 12/3/2023 at 7:46 PM, Matsunoki said:

Another possible reason for a blunt section on the blade is that it was very quickly reshaped to remove shallow chips without bothering to repolish it  properly. This late style of simple koshirae often utilised older blades (sometimes poor quality) that could be tidied up and sold to the sometimes over enthusiastic gaijin that were present in Japan in the Meiji period.

If it is the right version, we can suppose that the blade was made earlier?

[Matsunoki]

45 minutes ago, Alexander_R said:

we can suppose that the blade was made earlier?

In my opinion, yes, the blade is pre Meiji.