Mumei Wakizashi
SS0490
An ubu mumei stout wakizashi of undetermined age. Hawatare 1 shaku 7 sun 1 bu 9 rin. (52.1 cm / 20.51") Motohaba: 3.312 cm. Sakihaba: 2.666 cm. Kasane: 7.21 mm. Shinogizukure, slightly extended chukissaki, iroi mune. There is ububa. Hiri o-choji gunome haku midare ashi iri in nioi deki, nado The hamon pattern continues into the boshi ending in a komaru with a long narrow kaeri. The hada is tight itame. My apologies for the quality of the pictures. The overall scratching doesn't help get good resolution.
The fuchi-kashira are shakudo, the fuchi isplain, the kashira textured. Menuki are shakudo leaves and a copper fruit. The tsuba (6.94 cm x 6.653 cm x 2.77 mm) is an early Onin obviously cut down from a larger plate. Plain copper habaki. The black saya appears to be a single coat has some flaking,
My thought when I bought this was Muromachi Bizen, and paid accordingly. There are NTHK papers to a shinshinto smith, Horikawa Tadayoshi, dating it at 1868, although the Meikan has him working between 1850 and 1865. . Were the blade in polish, and my mind sharper, I might be able to determine which is correct. However,Having a couple of items needing to go to polish, and another in process, I think it better to just move this along.
$1,650
