Original 18th Century Edo Period Japanese Handmade Wakizashi Short Sword with Abalone Shell Inlaid Handle and Scabbard Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. 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.

This example has been remounted several times, as was common for Japanese blades. This has made the file marks (yasurimi) on the tang faint, and given it a lovely patina. There is a bit of oxidation, but no major scaling, so it looks like it was probably made during the later Edo period, circa 1800. There is no signature on the blade, so it is considered 無銘 (mumei), or “anonymous”. There are many smiths who did not sign all of their blades, and the lack of a signature is no indicator of original quality.

The blade has 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.
– Tang of the Katana shows significant age.
– Very faintly visible temper line (hamon) near the edge of the blade.
– 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 condition, the blade definitely shows signs of use, oxidation, and subsequent field cleaning since the last time it was polished. There are some nicks on the edge of the blade, and some past oxidation visible as well. The polish is definitely degraded, which makes it hard to see the aspects of the blade such as the hamon temper line.

The blade length is approximately 15 inches and overall length 23 inches. This classifies the sword as a long wakizashi (Japanese: 脇差, “side inserted [sword]”), which is a shorter version of the Katana, with a blade length between 12 and 24 in. Katanas must be longer than 2 shaku (Japanese: 尺), which is approximately 12 inches in length. The blade is the “Shinogi-Zukuri” shape, the same as the longer katana, which is a shape with a “Shinogi”, or blade ridge. The sword has a traditionally handmade blade with a Futsu 普通 (regular) Nakago (tang) and a Haagari (asymmetrical rounded) nakago-jiri (tang tip).

Due to the polish condition, we can only see part of the temper line (刃文- HAMON), which looks to be of the MIDARE (乱れ – irregular) shape. There are also KIZU (blade wounds), which include WARE lamination lines and FUKURE carbon pits. There are no fatal flaws such as cracks and other issues. The yokote and boshi on the kissaki are unfortunately not visible.

The tsuba (cross guard) is made of nicely patinated iron MARU GATA (Round) shaped piece, and it has hitsu-ana holes for both kogai and kozuka, so that their handles can fit through when the sword is sheathed. It is embossed / cast with landscape scenes on both sides, which are quite nice. There are two copper seppa around the crossguard, and the fuchi (collar) is made from copper, which looks to have plating peeling off. It has a copper habaki blade collar typical of the Edo period, which shows a nice pattern.

The TSUKA (handle) on this wakizashi is really something else, coated with black urushi lacquer that has inlaid star or flower decorations, made from multiple small pieces of abalone shell. The finish is still in great shape, and the kashira (end cap) looks to be made from copper or brass, and has an embossed beetle on the bottom. The handle is held in place by a replacement peg, and the handle is a bit loose on the tang.

The sword comes in a a well fitting wooden scabbard (saya), which has a very nice gloss black urushi lacquer finish. This looks like it may have been touched up during the early 20th century, but the correct material was used. There are not any major cracks along the seams. The scabbard has a kurikata (knob), which is where a sageo sword cord might be kept, and there is a brass shitodome fitting inside the channel. It also has as slot on the other side for a kogatana knife, but there is not one included.

A very nice Edo Period Wakizashi complete with some lovely aged fittings and a beautiful decorative tsuba handle. Ready to research and display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 15″
Blade Shape: Shinogi-Zukuri (鎬造)
Overall length: 23“
Scabbard Length: 16 ½”

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.