Wakizashi with "kiku"

[katonk66]

Hello everyone. Here is an interesting wakizashi I own. Interesting that it doesn't have a mei, with a supposed kiku on the nakago.

1)Can I make an assumption that the kiku was added after the sword was made?

2)Is this sword early Edo?

 

https://imgur.com/ga...ry/wakizashi-EkLCyXj

 

Blade length:58.78cm/ 23.14 inches
Curvature: 1.21cm / 0.47 inches
Total length: 89.0cm/ 35.03 inches
Blade Weight: 650.0g
Total Weight: 1092.0g

 

Thank you

 

Henry

[Toryu2020]

Very interesting. Perhaps you'll be able to match this to a known artist...

 

-t

[Rivkin]

Most likely it is early Edo, but boshi would be helpful and hadori is so heavy one can't see the hamon unless its photographed at an angle, not from the top.

Kiku mon was likely added at about the same time as when the sword was made.

I don't feel its a great sword so it might be there is no perfect explanation why its just kikumon and no signature.

 

[katonk66]

1 hour ago, Rivkin said:

Most likely it is early Edo, but boshi would be helpful and hadori is so heavy one can't see the hamon unless its photographed at an angle, not from the top.

Kiku mon was likely added at about the same time as when the sword was made.

I don't feel its a great sword so it might be there is no perfect explanation why its just kikumon and no signature.

 

Can you imagine, if groups like the NBTHK were able to take a time machine to the land of my ancestors back in the Edo period. Basically judge various swords and tell the swordsmith, "Yeah, not a great sword". I wonder what their reactions would be. LOL

[lonely panet]

i dont like that nakago at all,  warning bells,  alarms,  peaple scrambling for cover.....

 

i think that nakago has be put on after the fact

[Pincheck]

I can’t imagine why someone would go to the trouble of carving a kiku mon and then not sign it, but anything is possible. It could be that someone has removed what they thought was a gimei signature and repatinated the nakago. It looks like there might be a slight divot, a different texture and maybe a change in colour where a signature might have been. But that is pure speculation. Whatever it is, I like it. 

[Bruce Pennington]

That's pretty cool, Henry!  

 

Don't know if you know, the the sakura pattern on the tsuba and seppa are of the Gunzoku.  So a member of the civil branch of the military carried this during the war.

[katonk66]

2 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

That's pretty cool, Henry!  

 

Don't know if you know, the the sakura pattern on the tsuba and seppa are of the Gunzoku.  So a member of the civil branch of the military carried this during the war.

Thank you. For me at least, I don't want to make any assumptions, but yes...with the exception of the menuki, the theme of the day was sakura.

[katonk66]

6 hours ago, Pincheck said:

I can’t imagine why someone would go to the trouble of carving a kiku mon and then not sign it, but anything is possible. It could be that someone has removed what they thought was a gimei signature and repatinated the nakago. It looks like there might be a slight divot, a different texture and maybe a change in colour where a signature might have been. But that is pure speculation. Whatever it is, I like it. 

 

Thank you. Someone else I know that deals in in nihonto, said it "appeared" to be repatinated, after a possible gimei was filed off. But that is just speculation.

[Bruce Pennington]

2 hours ago, katonk66 said:

but yes...with the exception of the menuki, the theme of the day was sakura.

Wow, that tsuba is unique!  The kabutogane and fuchi are normal fare for Gunzoku though:

 

The tsuba normally look like this:

[lonely panet]

can peaple seriously look past that weilded on nakago??