Mei help

[Frankfurter505]

Hey all. I was cleaning out my friends garage again and I found this short sword wrapped in bubble wrap. It has some symbols on it and, since I don't speak Japanese, I'm not aware of what it says. If anyone could help me that would be much appreciated. If any of you need any more pictures, be it more up close or of the blade itself, just let me know and I will provide.

 

Thanks in advance

[Bugyotsuji]

Hōki no Kami Fujiwara Nobutaka

[Frankfurter505]

Cool! Was he just another guy, or was he well known? Also, I've seen on this forum of things called "gimei", do you guys think this is one of those, or the real deal? I asked my friend if they had any documents but they said they didn't have any, so I have no clue. I'm new to swords and nihonto, so I'm always grateful for any new information

[George KN]

I'm not the person to say whether the signature is gimei or not, but it's not a case of whether it's the "real deal" or not - gimei signatures were added for a whole bunch of reasons, and not just on bad swords etc - you can get some really nice gimei blades! They also don't tend to negatively affect value - from my experience a gimei blade is generally worth as much as one that is mumei (unsigned).

 

The important thing is that from the little we can see of the nakago (tang) it does look to be a genuine antique Japanese sword, and possibly with some very decent age  

 

It would be great to have more pictures of the blade and fittings though - having a few of the entire thing would be particularly helpful and might help us give a general date. (Removing the habaki (the copper collar) for this would also be useful)

 

In the meantime please don't try removing any rust or cleaning the blade (especially not the tang!)

 

And here's a site I found super useful when trying to learn more on the topic: https://www.Japanese...ndex.com/nihonto.htm 

 

 

[George KN]

If it is by Nobutaka there's a whole bunch of information from Stephen on this thread:

 

 

[Robert S]

Comparing the mei on this sword and the one in the 2017 post, it's clear they're not by the same person.  However, since there were multiple generations, that doesn't necessarily mean that one or both are gimei.  More examples would be needed to be sure.

 

[Frankfurter505]

20 hours ago, George KN said:

I'm not the person to say whether the signature is gimei or not, but it's not a case of whether it's the "real deal" or not - gimei signatures were added for a whole bunch of reasons, and not just on bad swords etc - you can get some really nice gimei blades! They also don't tend to negatively affect value - from my experience a gimei blade is generally worth as much as one that is mumei (unsigned).

 

The important thing is that from the little we can see of the nakago (tang) it does look to be a genuine antique Japanese sword, and possibly with some very decent age  

 

It would be great to have more pictures of the blade and fittings though - having a few of the entire thing would be particularly helpful and might help us give a general date. (Removing the habaki (the copper collar) for this would also be useful)

 

In the meantime please don't try removing any rust or cleaning the blade (especially not the tang!)

 

And here's a site I found super useful when trying to learn more on the topic: https://www.Japanese...ndex.com/nihonto.htm 

 

 

Wow! I didn't think there would be that much to swords, and you saved me from dunking the nakago in vinegar to remove the rust. I will have uploaded a couple more photos on a post below this in case you want to take a closer look and make a judgment. I think the gray line on the edge is the hamon correct? Thanks to you guys I know know what these words mean haha. 

 

P.s sorry if you guys can see my phone in the photos, the sword was very shiny.

[Frankfurter505]

I forgot to mention that the habaki was quite jammed in there so I wasn't able to fully get it off for the pic, and that I was not able to find any fittings or guards in my friends garage, only this wrapped in the aforementioned bubble wrap.

[George KN]

6 hours ago, Frankfurter505 said:

dunking the nakago in vinegar to remove the rust

Can't quite tell if this is sarcasm, but very glad I said something if not! The rust levels of the nakago are one of the most important ways of verifying a blades age, and removing it can easily reduce the value of the blade by half or more.

 

From the new pictures this does look to be a rather decent old wakizashi in a bit of a rough condition. 

 

It's always hard to be certain (and I'm very much a beginner myself), but I'm leaning towards it being a Koto blade (pre 1596) - which is odd because the smiths linked before seem to be Shinto (1596-1780)... Perhaps my gut is wrong?

 

Either way it is definitely worth treating with respect!

 

The red rust spots on the blade are a concern. I would get some oil (my personal preference is gun oil) on the blade asap, let it sit for a few minutes and then rub it in with a microfiber cloth (Avoid cleaning the tang though ). After many repeat cycles of applying oil and drying for a few days, some of the lighter rust should flake off, and the rest begin turning black (stable rust).

 

Please no sandpaper, stones etc. https://www.Japanese...rdindex.com/care.htm

[2devnul]

Hi, please treat my comment lightly. Just na amator opinion here. 

 

Sugata (overall shape) and kissaki (tip) suggests shinto IMHO. However, hada and nakago looks Sue bizen (koto). Maybe shinto hizen (sugata), but then nakago isn't matching.

[Frankfurter505]

Honestly, I believe it id maybe something that was made for the tourist trade since the alleged Smith doesn't match the style, but maybe it isn't, who knows, I'd need to study it a bit more to be sure, reference other works from this maker and such. Thanks for all the help everyone