Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very attractive Japanese Edo period short sword, best described as a small Wakizashi or Ko-Wakizashi, complete with traditional mountings, black lacquered wooden scabbard, fitted Kogatana utility knife, and black Sageo cord. The blade measures approximately 12 ¾ inches, placing it at the very short end of the wakizashi range and close to tanto length, while its pronounced Shinogi-Zukuri construction gives it the profile more commonly associated with longer Japanese swords.

Wakizashi (脇差 "side inserted / companion sword") is a general term for a sword with an edge between one and two shaku long (30 cm and 60 cm), predominantly made after 1600. Generally it is the short blade that accompanies a katana in the traditional samurai daisho pairing of swords, but may be worn by classes other than the samurai as a single blade, also worn edge up as the katana.

This very nice example dates from the Edo period (江戸時代, Edo jidai) or Tokugawa period (徳川時代, Tokugawa jidai) of Japanese history. This is the period between 1603 and 1867, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional daimyo. As the blade length is close to that of a tanto, some would term this an "Ko-Wakizashi" (小脇差). It does have the standard Shinogi-Zukuri (鎬造) shape, standard for Katana and other blades, which is usually not seen on such short Wakizashi.

This example has most likely been remounted several times, as was common for Japanese blades. This completely removed the YASURIME (鑢目 - file marks) on the tang, and it looks like it was cleaned. There is some past patinated oxidation, a sign of great age, and there are what look to be two KANJI characters on the tang, however they are nonsense characters. As there is no correct maker name on the tang, this blade is considered 無銘 (mumei), or "anonymous".

The two characters are an attempt at “false attribution”, or GIMEI (偽銘 - false name). This is normally an attempt to enhance the value of lesser smiths or unsigned MUMEI (無銘- anonymous) blades, and the more famous the smith, the more likely a signature is to be false. However in this case we would wager it was inscribed relatively recently to increase the value.

Aside from this however it still has all the following period correct features:

- Folded steel blade (fold lines are evident on the spine and body of the blade)
- hole (mekugi-ana) in the tang is punched and not drilled
- Visible temper line ("hamon") on some parts of the edge.
- Blade wounds (kizu) or lamination artifacts are present on the blade. Both ware (lamination lines) and fukure (carbon pits) are visible, only possible on traditionally made blades.

Offered in very nice used condition, the blade is still relatively sharp, but shows that it has seen a good amount of use since the last polishing, and may not have been properly cared for in the meantime. The polish is degraded from being cleaned with UCHIKO powder, and the geometry of the blade is no longer sharp from repeated cleaning. There are also numerous small dents and chips on the edge present. The blade length is approximately 12 ¾ inches and overall length is 18 ⅞ inches. The wakizashi has a traditionally handmade blade with a FUTSU 普通 (regular) NAKAGO (tang) with an HAAGARI (刃上がり- asymmetrical rounded) nakago-jiri (tang tip). It has a gilt copper "rain" pattern habaki, very popular during the EDO period, which shows a good amount of wear to the gilding.

Due to the condition of the polish, the HAMON (刃文) temper line is only visible on part of the edge in the right light. The KISSAKI (切先 - tip of blade), the YOKOTE (横手 - transition to the tip) is clearly visible, and the BOSHI (帽子 -tip temper line) are no longer distinct. We can see some blade wounds (傷 - KIZU) such as WARE (割れ- lamination lines) and very small FUKURE (脹れ - Carbon pits). These are only possible on true traditionally made blades. We were not able to make out any clear HADA or grain pattern.

The TSUBA (cross guard) is of the MARU GATA (丸形 - round shape) type, and is made from well patinated iron with embossed tree landscapes on both sides. It has two HITSU-ANA cut outs, one for the KOZUKA handle of the included KOGATANA, and another for the KOGAI hair ornament, which is not included in this setting. There are two brass seppa around the crossguard, which are are intended to keep the tsuba from wobbling, however due to wear of the central slot on the tsuba it still wobbles quite a bit. The FUCHI (grip collar) is made from iron, and has some traces of past gilt designs, and the KASHIRA end cap is also brass, with copper fittings for the wrapping. The stinrgray skin (SA-ME) grip is fully intact, and is definitely made from real ray skin, and has black ITO grip wrapping holding brass turtle MENUKI grip ornaments in place. There is a single MEKUGI peg present, which looks to be a replacement.

The KOGATANA knife is very nice, measuring 7 ⅛" in overall length with a 3 ¼" long blade. It has a brass KOZUKA handle embossed with blacked tree decorations with gilt highlights, though it is possible that it was originally all blacked brass. The blade shows past oxidation, and does look to be quite old. It is relatively dull at present, and there are some partially worn away kanji, which we were not able to read.

The sword comes in a a well fitting wooden scabbard (SAYA), which has a black gloss urushi lacquer finish, and is a simple design without any metal fittings around the throat or tip. It has a slot for the included KOGATANA knife, while other side has a lovely KURIKATA (栗形 - knob), which has an installed black SAGEO (下緒 - sword cord), which is hanging loose. It does show wear and loss of finish, and there is splitting along the seam near the end, and the edges are no longer quite aligned.

For the collector of Japanese swords and Edo period fittings, this example offers a particularly attractive combination of age, traditional construction, and completeness. The short Shinogi-Zukuri blade, false tang inscription, gilt rain pattern Habaki, landscape decorated iron Tsuba, turtle Menuki, complete Kogatana, black lacquered Saya, and surviving Sageo make it an excellent study piece. The degraded polish, blade flaws, chipped edge, loose guard, replacement Mekugi, and scabbard seam separation are all fully disclosed, while the sword retains the layered character expected from a Japanese blade and mounting that have clearly seen a long working life.

Specifications (Wakizashi):-
Blade Length: 12 ¾"
Blade Shape: Shinogi-Zukuri (鎬造)
Handle Length: 5 ½"
Overall length: 18 ⅞“
Scabbard Length: 15 ⅛"

Specifications (Kogatana):-
Blade Length: 3 ¼"
Overall length: 7 ⅛“

It has been over one thousand years ago that the art of making swords appeared in Japan. The swordsmiths of the time may not have known it but they were creating a legendary sword. The Samurai sword has seen combat in many battlefields. From the early days of the Samurai warrior to the fierce battles in the South Pacific during WWII.

Each hand-made Japanese blade (日本刀 - Nihonto) is unique because it is forged from multiple pieces of folded steel stock. A tremendous amount of work is dedicated to creating these pieces. They were an instrument of war as much as a beautiful artifact to adorn a room.

The traditional Japanese blade and mountings have grown to be one of the most highly desired military antiques.