Kunisada wakizashi

This is an excellent koto o-wakizashi by Kunisada. It is 1 shaku, 7 sun, 8 bu which classifies it as an "O" or long wakizashi. This is done in chu sugu ko-ashi iri and the nakago is suriage (shortened) though it retains part of the original mekugi ana as well as the two character (nijimei) signature, "Kunisada". The hada is a ko itame with abundant chikei applied. There are expertly cut bo-hi and so-hi on each side adding to the beauty of this blade. The kissaki looks as though it has been reshaped over it's life time as the boshi gets close to the edge though it is definately all there, (as shown in the pictures). The blade comes in a top quality shirasaya and Tokubetsu kicho papers from 1978 attesting to the quality of the blade and the validity of the signature. This was my first blade and a great study piece, at just over 6 cm short of a katana length, it makes a great addition to any collection.