Lot 59
East Asia, Japan, Edo Period, ca. 18th century CE. An elegant samurai's wakizashi, the short sword made to accompany the katana. It has a slightly curved, single-edged blade and a saya (scabbard) made of highly polished wood. A beautifully woven navy blue ribbon is wrapped around the top of the scabbard. The handle (tsuka) is made of stingray skin with woven straps around it that probably once matched that navy blue ribbon but are darkened with patina from handling. The tsuka has a cast bronze menuki, an ornament designed to balance the grip, which is partially concealed by the straps but appears to be in the form of a long-tailed, dragon-like animal. The tang is unsigned. The top of the handle - the kashira - is made of wood, while the hand guard (tsuba) is made of iron in an openwork pattern. Size (without scabbard): 23.75" L x 2.75" W (60.3 cm x 7 cm); size (with scabbard): 26.5" L x 2.75" W (67.3 cm x 7 cm)
This traditional Japanese sword was both a weapon and a symbol of authority and social status. The wakizashi paired with the longer katana sword marked the wearer as a samurai. The shorter sword was seen as an auxiliary weapon, also used for fighting in close quarters. Wakizashi could also be worn by non-samurai if worn alone, and members of the merchant class (chonin) wore them because of the frequency of encountering bandits when traveling between Japan's cities.
Provenance: private Jones collection, Boulder, Colorado, USA
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#129693
- Condition: Blade is in excellent condition with an area of small casting flaws near its center. The tang has slight wear to its surface and has not been oiled (unlike the blade). Patina from age and handling on the leather surfaces.
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