Original Early 17th Century Japanese Wakizashi Short Sword with Handmade Blade, Gold Inlaid Fittings 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 example dates from the very early 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. It is around the middle of the blade length range, and has a “Shinogi Zukuri” shape, the most common shape used, and the standard for the longer Katana. Characteristics of the blade are distinctive of Bizen Province (備前国 or Bizen-no kuni), a major sword making center in feudal Japan, most likely in the early 17th century at the beginning of the Edo Period.

This example has most likely 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. Looking at the overall shape and the tang this blade was once slightly longer, and was cut down through the process of SURIAGE. If a blade is shortened, it can only be done from the tang end, to preserve the tip of the blade (kissaki) and tip temper line (boshi). The tang on such a blade is cut straight across at the bottom (kiri). This may have removed the name of the maker, and as it is unsigned, this blade is considered 無名 (mumei), or “anonymous”.

The blade has the following period correct features:

– Folded steel blade (fold lines are evident on the spine and body of the blade)
– Holes (mekugi-ana) in the tang are punched and not drilled
– blade has a temper line (hamon), which is faint but visible, with activity
– Blade wounds (kizu) or lamination artifacts are present on the blade. Both ware (lamination lines) and fukure (carbon pits) are visible.

The blade of this example is 20 1/4 inches long, and the polish on the blade is worn bright, showing much cleaning and use since the last time it was fully polished. This has made the temper line and other aspects of the blade hard to see. There are some nicks on the edge of the blade, which is still relatively sharp. Overall length of this wakizashi is 27 inches.

The hamon (temper line) is still faintly visible in the light, and looks to be of the SUGUHA (straight) type, or possibly NOTARE (billowing). There is a lot of lamination swirl and activity within the hamon area. The tang (nakago) is of the futsu 普通 (regular) style, with a Kiri (cut) nakago-jiri. There are blade wounds including ware (lamination splits) and fukure (Carbon pits). The sword has a plated copper Habaki (blade collar), which is typical of the Edo period.

The tsuba (cross guard) is made of iron and is of the Maru Gata (round) shape, and has some beautiful gilt designs inlaid on it. There are some butterflies or moths, as well as some vines with leaves and flowers. The handle side of the guard also has a lovely fan design. The tsuba has hitsu-ana holes on each side for accessories, however there are no slots in the scabbard, so the tsuba is much older than the scabbard. There is a single seppa on the blade side of the guard.

The fuchi (collar) for the tsuka (handle) and the Kashira (End Cap), are both also made of iron, with additional gold inlaid designs. There are two brass menuki grip ornaments present, which look to be cattle. The stingray (Sa-Me) grip is in very good condition, with a nice Ito (cloth binding), though it is torn where it goes through the kashira (end cap), so the cap can fall off.

The sword comes in a a well fitting black textured lacquer wooden scabbard (saya), which shows lovely embossed designs. The scabbard is in very good condition, with very little missing finish, though there is the usual splitting at the seams and some missing finish on both sides. It has a kurikata (knob) where the sageo (sword cord) would be attached, though there is nothing attached.

A nice early Edo Period O-wakizashi, complete with scabbard and ready to display!

Specifications:

Blade Length: 20 1/4″
Overall length: 27“
Scabbard Length: 22″

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.