Antique Japanese Wakizashi
I purchased from an estate. I was told the former owner brought it back from WWII. A few years ago, I a sword expert in Portland, Oregon, who is now deceased, whose name I can't recall told me it was 16th century and had been made from a Naginata.
25 inches
Garage / Yard Sale
Yes
Hello, this item is an antique Japanese wakizashi, likely an Edo-period or earlier blade mounted in old but worn civilian koshirae. The curved blade form could possibly be a naginata-naoshi or shortened polearm blade, as the owner was told, but the photos do not show enough detail of the tang, hamon, hada, or signature area to confirm a 16th-century attribution. The tsuba and small fittings appear genuinely Japanese and hand finished, while the saya and tsuka show age, losses, oxidation, missing wrap, and general storage wear.
Because the blade is unsigned or not clearly signed in the photos, unpapered, and in unrestored condition, the market would value it conservatively as an antique Japanese short sword rather than as a confirmed Koto-period collector’s blade. Do not clean the tang or attempt modern polishing, since both can reduce value. If the blade has an authentic visible hamon and receives NBTHK or NTHK papers, the value could rise significantly, but as presented it sits in the lower-to-mid collector range.
Fair Market Value: $800–$1,500 USD
