Lot 79
East Asia, Japan, late Edo period, ca. 1830s CE, signed "Morihiro Saku" on tang. A gorgeous wakizashi with an Edo period blade, sheath, and hand guard as well as a modern lacquered wood sheath. The handle (tsuka) is wrapped with stingray skin (samegawa) and cotton straps (tsuka-ito) and is adorned with a pair of abstract ornaments (menuki). Gilt iron handle caps (fuchi & kashira) adorn each end of the handle and increase its stability, and beneath is a square hand guard with rounded corners (nadekaku tsuba). The shinogi-zukuri blade features a diamond-shaped (iori-mune) profile, a curved (chu-kissaki) tip, and a wavy temper pattern (gunome-choji) formed by the tight-grained hammer-folding process (itame-hada). The tang bears a hammered signature reading, "Morihiro Saku." The sheath is covered in dark brown lacquer (urushi) and has a waist strap (sageo) hanging from an integral loop. A cavity for a by-knife (kozuka) is on the side as well. Size (w/ sheath): 2.4" W x 25.7" H (6.1 cm x 65.3 cm); (blade): 16.7" L x 1.1" W (42.4 cm x 2.8 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.
Over the centuries that katana and wakizashi were made, the process of their manufacture became heavily regulated. For example, in 1683, the Tokugawa Shogunate made laws concerning the maximum size of katana and wakizashi. Meanwhile, once a samurai took ownership of his new weapon, he had to wear it in a highly regulated manner. Wakizashi and katana in this period were both deadly weapons and signs of prestige. The craftsmanship of this piece is evident and reflects hundreds of hours of work.
Provenance: private Jones collection, Boulder, Colorado, USA; ex private Sacramento, California, USA collection
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#169088
- Condition: Blade, handle, and sheath are likely not original to one another, but all are from the Edo period; sheath and sageo tie are modern. By-knife missing as shown. Minor abrasions and small cracks to sheath. Small abrasions and nicks to blade and handle, with light encrustations and darkening to some handle components, otherwise intact and excellent. Tsuba is slightly loose atop blade shoulder. Great patina across tsuba, handle, and blade.
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