Type: Broken Wakizashi Period: Late Edo (19th century) Signature: mumei (unsigned) Length: 7.5 cm remaining Hamon: suguha midare Polish: good
This is the remnant of a wakizashi blade, preserved in an elegant late-Edo koshirae. The remaining blade is a gorgeous robust shinogi-zukuri form with a gentle iori-mune and moderate motohaba. Though the cutting edge terminates abruptly at the fracture, the surviving portion shows a brilliant suguha midare hamon in nioi-deki with traces of nie and a smooth, tight grain in the ji. The tang is unsigned and shows a single mekugi-ana with a natural, unaltered patina. The steel has a subdued grey tone from age and light oxidation, with the ji somewhat clouded from an old polish. No fatal flaws beyond the obvious break are evident.
The koshirae is well-made, representative of late-Edo aesthetic restraint. The fuchi-kashira are of shakudō with gilt accents in a bamboo theme, with lakeside reeds on the fuchi and a playful figure among them —an elegant but lighthearted theme that continues in the menuki, which show turtles among stylized grasses, rendered in copper. The tsuka is wrapped in black silk ito, but appears amateur rewrapped in something approximating tsumami or hira maki. The ito itself is in poor condition as well. The tsuba is a plain round copper form, unadorned and lightly hammered, of the understated type often used with civilian mounts. The habaki is a two piece design, foiled in silver and gold. The saya is a highlight of the piece: black ro-iro lacquer scattered with fine gold flakes (nashiji-nuri), evoking a night sky. The lacquer is mostly intact with a few light scuffs and handling scratches but retains an attractive deep gloss. The overall effect of the mountings is quietly luxurious, harmonizing dark materials with delicate gilding.
