A Most Attractive & Handsome Antique Shinto Wakazashi Around 1600. With Silver Koshirae & Late Edo Sukashi Hawk & Chidori Tsuba. Fine Blade With Beautiful Suguha Hamon, Itame Hada. In Full and Beautiful Polish .

All original Edo period saya with fine stone finish ishime urushi lacquer in black, with carved buffalo kurigata and fittings throughout. Kozuka pocket with copper gilt kozuka, decorated with takebori mounted samurai attacking a tower castle fortification and a bright late polished steel kogatana blade. Fully bound tsuka with original Edo silk ito over samegawa. 'Hawk and Chidori' silvered sukashi tsuba of a raptor within a pine tree espying sparrows. Silvered fuchigashira decorated with village scenes including a cedar tree, a village house with thatched roof, bushels of wheat, a half water barrel, a double gourd drinking vessel, and a waterfall.

Wakizashi have been in use as far back as the 15th or 16th century. The wakizashi was used as a backup or auxiliary sword; it was also used for close quarters fighting, and also to behead a defeated opponent and sometimes to commit ritual suicide. The wakizashi was one of several short swords available for use by samurai including the yoroi toshi, the chisa-katana and the tanto. The term wakizashi did not originally specify swords of any official blade length and was an abbreviation of "wakizashi no katana" ("sword thrust at one's side"); the term was applied to companion swords of all sizes. It was not until the Edo period in 1638 when the rulers of Japan tried to regulate the types of swords and the social groups which were allowed to wear them that the lengths of katana and wakizashi were officially set.

Kanzan Sato, in his book titled "The Japanese Sword", notes that the wakizashi may have become more popular than the tanto due to the wakizashi being more suited for indoor fighting. He mentions the custom of leaving the katana at the door of a castle or palace when entering while continuing to wear the wakizashi inside. Wakizashi were worn on the left side, secured to the obi waist sash. The Sengoku period Sengoku Jidai, "Warring States period") is a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war, social upheaval, and intrigue from 1467 to 1615, straddling the end of the Koto era and into the early Shinto.
20.3 inches overall in saya, 13.5 inch blade tsuba to tip blade Overall in very nice condition, natural aging wear to the tsukaito, usual age wear to fuchigashira. Saya and blade excellent.

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Code: 25759