Classic Uchigatana or short katana?

[Lewis B]

Definitions seem to overlap so wondering if its more one than the other. My feeling is that uchigatana is more appropriate give the blades slender sugata

 

 

Nagasa:     62.3cm

Sori:   1.3cm

Motohaba: 2.57cm

Sakihaba:   1.61cm

Kasane at the mune:   0.57cm

Kasane at the shinogi: 0.72cm

Sakikasane: 0.46cm

Ko-Kissaki: 2.7cm

[Benjamin]

The nakago shouldn't be shorter for an uchigatana ?

[Shugyosha]

It's going to depend on the age of the blade - do you know when it dates to?

 

If koto, it might have been a katate uchi that got machi okuri to take a longer tsuka but the overall shape and patina on the tang tend to suggest a shinto blade to me at first blush, if it is, then it's just a short katana I think as uchigatana date to the period where the tachi rather than the katana were the primary weapon.

[Lewis B]

According to Nakayama, uchigatana started to appear from around 1429. This blade is Yamato Senjuin (possibly Senjuin Yoshihiro) from late Kamakura, early Nanbokucho. The nakago is over exposed and is much darker in hand. I'll post a pic later this evening.

[GeorgeLuucas]

Is the blade in question suriage? 

[Lewis B]

0-suriage, probably lost 10-15cm. All the pieces of the puzzle point to a shortened katana rather than an uchigatana from moment of manufacture. 

[Jacques D.]

Cannot say if it's suriage or not based on this unique photo but the sugata looks Kanbun shinto, it seems having a high shinogi which could lead to Mino or related school

[Lewis B]

It passed TH Senjuin in 2022. Attribution confirmed by Tanobe in the Sayagaki. Mino Senjuin would be recorded in the NBTHK attribution and quality of those blades is questionable. I've yet to see a mumei Mino Senjuin pass TH. 

[b.hennick]

There is a mumei juyo Senjuin wakizashi. 

[Lewis B]

4 minutes ago, b.hennick said:

There is a mumei juyo Senjuin wakizashi. 

Later Mino Senjuin? 

[GeorgeLuucas]

Could it be an O-suriage tachi? Early Yamato den tachi can have a shallow sori toward the kissaki, and when suriage they can look pretty straight and slender.  

 

Here’s your sword over a couple ko-senjuin blades I found online.
 

Not my photos and I scaled to the best of my ability. I am not saying anything for certain, just proposing an Idea for food for thought. 

-Sam 

[PNSSHOGUN]

Further reading regarding Uchigatana Koshirae, which is generally how one determines what to classify these if not signed:

 

https://nihonto.com/uchigatana-koshirae/

[Lewis B]

Thanks Sam, certainly food for thought. The kaki-toshi bohi would support such a hypothesis.

[b.hennick]

There is a mumei juyo Koto Senjuin wakizashi. It is not Mino. If I remember correctly it had a sayagaki to Norishige. 

[KungFooey]

IMHO it's a tachi cut down to a katana.

The overall shape, position of the 3 peg holes and the 'run-through' grooves all point to that. Finally, the tang would have been cut down much shorter if it was ever intended as uchigatana. And hey, why even bother when Mino and Bizen were churning them out in the thousands? This has been cut down way later to conform to katana standards.