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Looking for information on antique Japanese Wakizashi sword

SMiles

SMiles
14 Jun 2018
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I recently purchased a very old wakizashi in a bone shirasaya, but upon inspection I noticed the blade was forged with the last 1/3 of the top of the blade sharp (last 1/3 of the blade to the point). I was hoping someone could tell me what to call a blade that is sharpened on both sides like this so that I could do further research to determine the swordsmith or age of this sword. Any and all help is appreciated!
 
You could try contacting a swordsmith in Japan. Yoshihara Yoshikazu has a Facebook page that seems to be his official account, but I'm not sure: Swordsmith of Japanese sword ; Yoshikazu Yoshihara 【刀匠 吉原義一】 - Home | Facebook

If you message him, he might respond, but I think he speaks only Japanese, so find a Japanese-speaking (writing) friend to contact him, if you don't have that proficiency.

Alternatively, you could try to find an iaido dojo or sensei and show them a photo of the sword. I realize they generally use practice swords and/or longer swords like katana, but they may still be able to point you to a reputable swordsmith/manufacturer who could help you. At the very least, one of them might know the terminology for such a blade.

Otherwise there are a number of sword collector forums and individuals online who might be able to provide insight.
 
Send pictures of it to the site below. They can help you.
General Nihonto Related Discussion - Nihonto Message Board

Usually bone shirasaya indicates a tourist piece from Meiji times.
A sword that is sharped on both sides is usually called a "ken", however a ken (剣) has a unique shape, and looks very different from a wakizashi. If it is a typical wakizashi shape with a sharp edge on both sides, the style is called "moroha zukuri. You can read more about this style here
history of kissaki moroha zukuri style
 
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