Original Edo Period WWII Reissued Japanese Wakizashi Sword with Handmade Blade and Leather Covered Scabbard Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Wakizashi (脇差 “side inserted / companion sword”) is a general term for a sword 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 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. We estimate it was from the early 17th century portion. Apparently during WWII it looks to have been put back into service, and mounted in a WWII style leather scabbard cover, which now looks to also have the remnants of a “capture tag” glued on, from when it was turned in after WWII.

This example has been remounted several times, as was common for Japanese blades. Looking at the overall shape and the tang this blade was once slightly longer, and was cut down through the process of SURIAGE. The tang on such a blade is cut straight across at the bottom. There are three mounting holes in the tang, with the lowest one probably being the original. 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). This removed the bottom part of the MEI on the blade, which would have been the name of the maker. All that is left is 藤 原 – FUJIWARA, an honorific title used by countless smiths. As the name is gone, 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)
– Multiple holes in the tang are punched and not drilled
– blade has a temper line (hamon), which is easily visible.
– 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 18 inches long, with the edge still well retained. There is just a bit of light denting in areas, though the tip has some more serious damage, and is missing the last 2mm or so. It has some staining and rust specking, but thankfully no “collector” has decided to polish them out, which should be left to trained TOGISHI (Japanese Sword Polishers). Overall length of this wakizashi is 27 3/4 inches.

The HAMON (temper line) is still visible, and is of the SUGUHA (straight) type. NIE Crystals are visible, and there is NIOI cloudiness visible in the hamon with lamination lines. The YOKOTE (division between the tip and body) is still fully visible, as is the BOSHI (tip temper line), which is a very attractive OOMARU (large turnback) type. There is visible HADA (grain) in the body of the blade, which is the standard MASAME (straight) type. The tang (nakago) is of the Futsu 普通 (regular) style, with a “kiri” (cut) tip, as is typical for a cut down blade.

The HABAKI (blade collar) is copper or bronze, very common on Edo period blades. The tsuba (cross guard) is made of blacked copper and is round, with brass flower and leaf inlays, and there are embossed dog designs on the blade side. It also has cutouts for a kogatana handle on each side. The fuchi (collar) for the tsuka (handle) is non magnetic, as is the Kashira (End Cap), and there are two menuki (grip ornaments) present, which look to be leaves or flowers. The stingray (Sa-Me) grip with complete Ito (cloth binding) is worn, but still in good condition. The handle is retained by a single peg, which is somewhat damaged.

The sword comes in a a well fitting textured black lacquered wooden scabbard (saya), which was fitted with a hanger ring and black leather field cover during the WWII period. It does have a cutout for a kogatana knife, which is unfortunately absent, and would not fit in with the hanger ring anyway.

A nice Edo Period wakizashi with lovely fittings, reissued for use during WWII, ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 18″
Overall length: 27 3/4“
Scabbard Length: 23″

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.