£50 Tantō/Kaiken/Kitchen Knife

[Ghoul]

Hi guys,

 

I do enjoy my bargain hunting (or more specifically, saving things from people that don't appreciate them enough) - and I managed to buy this blade in a UK auction, for a full purchase price of £50 (including delivery):

 

 

It was sold as a Tantō, with absolutely no other information, in an auction that included 12+ Japanese kitchen knives. Concerningly, this blade also came with kitchen knife a handle (that doesn't fit!).

 

So my first concern, this isn't a kitchen knife right? I own a Katana and a Wakizashi, and have never seen a Tantō in person before. 

 

I can however tell whatever it really is, is handmade and likely genuine, with a beautiful hamon and hada - something I couldn't actually see properly in my other blades due to them being out of polish. The blade also has a rather obvious kizu, and the aging of the nagako nakago is also fairly telling (unsigned though):

 

 

 

Apart from whether this is a Tantō, a Kaiken, or a kitchen knife, can anyone tell me anything else about its age/design etc?

 

Thanks, and looking forward to hearing your thoughts,

 George

 

P.S. I also bought some Tsuba in the same auction, but I'll put those in a separate thread here: Bargain Hunt Tsuba

[ROKUJURO]

George,

this blade looks indeed more like a small TANTO or a larger KOGATANA than a kitchen knife, but the pictures do not allow me to specify manufacure or age. It could also be a piece of an authentic blade that was cut down by the police because it was not registered. The blade (sharpened edge) ist just 150 mm long which is exactly the allowed length of blades in Japan. These pieces can be bought online.

The patination of the (very long) NAKAGO (not Nagako!) is a bit strange so perhaps an amateur had lots of fun in transforming a piece of steel.

[Ghoul]

Thank you @ROKUJURO!

 

I'm still trying to absorb as much knowledge about Nihonto as possible, so please excuse if any of my questions are a bit stupid (and sorry about the typo ), but if it had been cut down from something larger, wouldn't the hamon be in a different place? It does seem to follow the curve of the blade at the very top (like you'd expect)...

 

And what makes you think the nakago is a bit strange? Thinking about it though, the gap from between the start of the blade and the top of the aging does look rather long...

 

I wonder if you are right about it having been shortened then - but rather than cut from the top, do you think they could have ground down the bottom part of the blade to make more hilt and less blade to put it under the limit? It would explain the length of the nakago, and why it is a little wonkier at the top there. The hamon does come down long enough for there to have been more sharpened/hardened area before:

 

[ROKUJURO]

George,

with the first set of images, I was only speculating. Your later photos look better and now it seems that is a small TANTO. But again, nothing definitive can be said without seeing it in hand.

You have a TOKEN KAI in GB, so perhaps it would be a good idea to get in contakt with these kind people. 

[Geraint]

Dear George.

 

From your pictures I think the original shape has been altered but from the tang end.  Forgive me if I state what is obvious to you but from your questions I am assuming that perhaps you don't know that shortening of Japanese blades is done from the tang/nakago precisely to preserve the hardened edge in the tip/boshi, which is what I think you are referring to.

 

As Jean suggest the nakago looks long, too long.  I think the machi have been moved and the nakago reshaped. Have a look at some tanto on line and you will see what I mean, I think just less than a 50p piece has been lost and you can see where the nakago swells at that point.

 

All the best.

[Ghoul]

I actually didn't realize the blades would normally be shortened from the nakago upwards, I kind of assumed they would have been done from the top and then blades possibly re-hardened. Thanks for correcting my assumption! @Geraint

 

And yes, the more I look at it, the more I think it has been altered there. 

 

Does this mean I'll have trouble finding a tsuka and other koshirae that fits now since the nakago is rather long?

 

(Also Jean, yes thanks, I will probably show it to my to my local To-Ken society when I get the chance, but they only seem to meet once a year or so)

[Bugyotsuji]

Agreeing with most of the above. It looks as if both Machi have been ground away to make the blade ‘legal’ (sub 15 cm) and to export it with no need for deregistration.
Notice how the yakidashi now starts from within the Nakago. The handle looks to have been added as a camouflage or a suggestion as one way to go (notice no mekugi hole) to resolve the issue.

If you were to go to the expense of providing a proper shirasaya for it, you could have the Nakago professionally shortened for a balanced Tsuka look.

 

Since you only paid £50, some would suggest this will all be money down the drain, but it really depends on your aim for this blade.

They have more frequent Tōken meetings in London but there are members in Wales or over the border who might be willing to take it in hand and give you advice.

[Geraint]

Dear George.

 

As each sword is different the chances of 'finding ' a tsuka and koshirae to fit are very, very slim.  Each is hand made to fit the specific blade.  Should you wish to find some fittings and commission someone to make a koshirae then this is likely to be an expensive project for this little one.  Shirasaya would be a good bet in this case, they can be made with an integral wooden habaki.

 

All the best.

[Ford Hallam]

My first thought was that this was a repurposed end of a broken blade. The polish looks to be an emery paper 'special'. The opening in the tip looks painful!

 

50 quid isn't a terrible investment on the learning path but I'd cut my losses at this point, pardon the unavoidable pun   It'd just be more good money after bad.

 

If you wanted to go the DIY restoration way I think you could do better in terms of blade

[Ghoul]

Thanks again for the thoughts everyone! 

 

I'm actually ok with it being a cut down blade, since to me at least it has value as a a hand-worked piece of steel, it still functions as a knife, and as a bonus if it is indeed part of an older broken blade, so who knows what history it has.

 

If I can I would at least like to give it some sort of Shirasaya, so it can at least be stored safely.

 

Still, this has certainly been a great learning experience, and I shall be very wary of blades 15cm  in length in the future - paying particular attention to extra long nakago... 

 

The hunt continues 

 

[Jon]

George, I can give you the details of a guy in the Uk who makes good Shirasaya…it will probably set you back three figures though.

 

with this one it may just be keep the blade as it is…an interesting  little piece to keep.