{ "schemaVersion": 1, "canonicalUrl": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/objects/kunikane-wakizashi/", "recordUrl": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/objects/kunikane-wakizashi/record.json", "accession": "NA 2026.008", "title": "Wakizashi Signed Kunikane", "japaneseTitle": "脇差 · 國包銘", "classification": { "category": "nihonto", "form": "wakizashi", "presentation": [ "koshirae" ] }, "period": "Period unrecorded · Edo or later, not established", "summary": "An unpapered 53.1 cm wakizashi in black-lacquer koshirae, signed with the two characters 國包 (Kunikane); the signature is recorded as cut and no maker attribution is asserted.", "attribution": { "label": "Kunikane · mei as cut", "japanese": "國包（銘）", "qualifier": "Two-character signature recorded as cut on the nakago; unpapered, and no generation or maker attribution is asserted" }, "highlights": [ { "label": "Nagasa", "value": "53.1 cm" }, { "label": "Sori", "value": "0.4 cm" }, { "label": "Mei", "value": "國包 · two characters" } ], "revisedOn": "2026-08-20", "revisions": [ { "date": "2026-08-19", "note": "Catalogue record established from the ended listing and its 21 gallery photographs; held at draft pending the owner's release." }, { "date": "2026-08-20", "note": "Released for publication by the owner; entered both site projections." } ], "hero": { "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/01.jpg", "alt": "Kunikane wakizashi drawn beside its black-lacquered saya on purple cloth" }, "sections": [ { "title": "Object record", "facts": [ { "label": "Item", "value": "Wakizashi (脇差) in black-lacquer koshirae" }, { "label": "Mei", "value": "國包 · two characters, as cut\n国包（出品表記）" }, { "label": "Nagasa", "value": "53.1 cm" }, { "label": "Sori", "value": "0.4 cm" }, { "label": "Width", "value": "Motohaba 2.9 cm · sakihaba 2.1 cm" }, { "label": "Kasane", "value": "Motogasane 0.6 cm · sakigasane 0.5 cm" }, { "label": "Mekugi-ana", "value": "One · both nakago faces photographed" }, { "label": "Period", "value": "Unrecorded · no appraisal paper supplied" } ], "notes": [ { "lead": "Attribution boundary.", "body": "The nakago carries a worn two-character signature read from the photographs as 國包, using the older form of the first character; the source description transcribes it 国包. The name Kunikane belongs to the Sendai line of Mutsu province, whose smiths signed it across many generations from the early Edo period into the nineteenth century — background offered here only to locate the name, not as a finding about this blade. No paper accompanies the sword, no generation is proposed, and the signature's authenticity is not established by this archive." } ] }, { "title": "Condition record", "facts": [ { "label": "Photographs", "value": "Twenty-one archival photographs · no video" }, { "label": "Documents", "value": "No registration card, NBTHK/NTHK paper, or other certificate shown" } ], "notes": [ { "lead": "Visible record.", "body": "The ji photographs dark and hazy with pale mottling and scattered dark points along the shinogi-ji; the tang carries uniform dark patina with orange corrosion spotting. No grain pattern is legible and no hamon type is assigned. Nothing here classifies a defect: severity, and whether any mark is a flaw at all, is left for inspection in hand." } ] } ], "plates": [ { "number": "IV.1", "group": "IV", "groupTitle": "Koshirae & Ensemble", "title": "Ensemble, drawn", "japanese": "拵・全体", "caption": "The blade laid out beside the mounting: black-lacquered saya, black-wrapped tsuka over pale same, gilt-toned fuchi, dark iron tsuba and a plain copper habaki. The blade shows a bright polished ha against a dark, hazy ji.", "alt": "Wakizashi blade drawn and laid beside its black-lacquered saya and mounted tsuka", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/01.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "IV.2", "group": "IV", "groupTitle": "Koshirae & Ensemble", "title": "Koshirae, housed", "japanese": "拵・全体", "caption": "The complete mounting with the blade housed. The saya is black lacquer with a matte, lightly worn surface, a narrow slot visible ahead of the koiguchi and a squared end; the tsuka-ito is black and shows wear at the wrap crossings.", "alt": "Complete koshirae with the blade housed in the black-lacquered saya", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/02.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "II.1", "group": "II", "groupTitle": "Sugata & Nakago", "title": "Full sugata · omote", "japanese": "姿・茎", "caption": "Full length on the face carrying the inscription. Nagasa 53.1 cm with 0.4 cm sori — a notably shallow curve — with modest taper from 2.9 cm at the machi to 2.1 cm at the yokote (measurements per the source description). The tang is dark with orange-brown corrosion spotting.", "alt": "Full blade, mei face, tip at upper left and tang at lower right", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/03.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "II.2", "group": "II", "groupTitle": "Sugata & Nakago", "title": "Full sugata · ura", "japanese": "姿・茎", "caption": "Full length on the reverse face. No inscription is visible on this side in the gallery photographs. Old polish and reflected light limit any reading of the hamon at this scale.", "alt": "Full blade, reverse face, tip at upper right and tang at lower left", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/04.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "II.3", "group": "II", "groupTitle": "Sugata & Nakago", "title": "Nakago · mei", "japanese": "姿・茎", "caption": "The tang with one mekugi-ana and a two-character mei cut below and behind it, read here as 國包 — the older form of the first character. The source description transcribes the signature as 国包. The strokes are shallow and partly obscured by corrosion; the reading is recorded from these photographs alone.", "alt": "Close view of the tang showing one mekugi-ana and a worn two-character signature", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/05.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "II.4", "group": "II", "groupTitle": "Sugata & Nakago", "title": "Nakago-jiri", "japanese": "姿・茎", "caption": "The tang end reads as a flat (kiri) finish set at a slight angle. Patina is uniform dark brown with orange spotting; file marks are not resolved at this exposure, so yasurime are not recorded.", "alt": "Close view of the tang end, flat and slightly angled, with heavy patina", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/06.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "II.5", "group": "II", "groupTitle": "Sugata & Nakago", "title": "Machi & mune", "japanese": "姿・茎", "caption": "The machi seen from the mune side, habaki removed: a clean step where the polished blade meets the tang, with the corrosion line ending square at the notch.", "alt": "Close view of the notch area where blade meets tang, seen from the back edge", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/07.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "II.6", "group": "II", "groupTitle": "Ji & Ha", "title": "Ji & ha · above the machi", "japanese": "地刃", "caption": "The blade immediately above the machi. A bright hardened edge runs against a darker ji; the boundary is soft at this exposure and no hamon type is assigned here. Scattered whitish cloudiness and darker specks are visible on the shinogi-ji.", "alt": "Base of the blade above the notch, showing the start of the hardened edge", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/15.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "II.7", "group": "II", "groupTitle": "Ji & Ha", "title": "Ji & ha · lower mid-blade", "japanese": "地刃", "caption": "Lower mid-blade. The ji photographs dark and hazy, with pale mottled patches and fine dark points along the shinogi-ji. No grain pattern is legible in the photographs.", "alt": "Mid-blade surface with dark ji and pale mottling along the ridge", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/16.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "II.8", "group": "II", "groupTitle": "Ji & Ha", "title": "Ji & ha · upper mid-blade", "japanese": "地刃", "caption": "Upper mid-blade. Small rust-coloured points sit near the mune, with broader grey staining across the shinogi-ji. Severity and classification are left for inspection in hand.", "alt": "Mid-blade surface with staining and small rust-coloured points near the ridge", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/17.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "II.9", "group": "II", "groupTitle": "Ji & Ha", "title": "Ji & ha · full width", "japanese": "地刃", "caption": "A full-width view carrying mune, shinogi-ji and ha in one frame; the hardened edge holds an even width along this stretch, and the polish is bright at the ha and dull above the ridge.", "alt": "Wide view of the blade including the back edge and hardened edge", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/19.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "II.10", "group": "II", "groupTitle": "Ji & Ha", "title": "Ji & ha · direct light", "japanese": "地刃", "caption": "The same region under direct light. Glare crosses the ha and suppresses surface detail; the frame is retained as part of the complete gallery record rather than for surface reading.", "alt": "Blade surface under direct light, showing glare across the polished edge", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/20.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "II.11", "group": "II", "groupTitle": "Ji & Ha", "title": "Kissaki · mei face", "japanese": "地刃", "caption": "The point on the inscription face. The yokote is visible as a clear line and the tip area is brighter than the ji above it; whether the hardened edge turns back at the point is not resolved by this photograph.", "alt": "Point section showing the yokote line and the hardened area in the tip", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/18.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "II.12", "group": "II", "groupTitle": "Ji & Ha", "title": "Kissaki · reverse face", "japanese": "地刃", "caption": "The point on the reverse face, brightly polished with faint darker patches along the edge. The kissaki is compact and its outline is intact in this view.", "alt": "Point section, reverse face, brightly polished", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/21.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "III.1", "group": "III", "groupTitle": "Koshirae Fittings", "title": "Loose implement", "japanese": "拵金具", "caption": "A slender brass-toned rod, faceted along its length and drawn to a needle point; only its upper portion is in frame and the source description does not name it. Its full form and whether it belongs to the saya are left open.", "alt": "Slender faceted brass-toned rod tapering to a needle point", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/08.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "III.2", "group": "III", "groupTitle": "Koshirae Fittings", "title": "Habaki · first face", "japanese": "拵金具", "caption": "The habaki off the blade: one piece of copper alloy, plain and undecorated, with lengthwise working marks and a warm unlacquered surface.", "alt": "One-piece copper habaki, first face", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/09.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "III.3", "group": "III", "groupTitle": "Koshirae Fittings", "title": "Habaki · second face", "japanese": "拵金具", "caption": "The reverse of the habaki, showing the stepped rear edge and the same plain finish. No file-cut decoration or applied foil is present.", "alt": "One-piece copper habaki, second face", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/10.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "III.4", "group": "III", "groupTitle": "Koshirae Fittings", "title": "Tsuba · first face", "japanese": "拵金具", "caption": "The iron tsuba with its two brass seppa. The design is carved in relief and cut through: bamboo culms fill one side, a large animal form crosses the top, and a small figure sits at the lower edge. One oval hitsu-ana opens beside the tang aperture.", "alt": "Iron tsuba with bamboo and animal design, flanked by two brass seppa", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/11.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "III.5", "group": "III", "groupTitle": "Koshirae Fittings", "title": "Tsuba · second face", "japanese": "拵金具", "caption": "The reverse: a striped tiger walks head-down through bamboo with a standing figure opposite. Two short columns of small characters are chiselled on the seppa-dai either side of the tang aperture; they are too shallow and too small to read at gallery resolution and are recorded here as present, not transcribed.", "alt": "Reverse of the iron tsuba showing a tiger, bamboo and a faint inscription on the seppa-dai", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/12.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "III.6", "group": "III", "groupTitle": "Koshirae Fittings", "title": "Fuchi & tsuka, mounted", "japanese": "拵金具", "caption": "The fittings in place: a gilt-toned fuchi worked with cherry blossoms in relief, black tsuka-ito over pale same, a bamboo mekugi seated in its hole, and dark green-toned menuki showing between the wraps. The tsuba's rim relief and its dark iron surface are visible behind.", "alt": "Tsuba, fuchi and tsuka wrap seen mounted, with bamboo mekugi in place", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/13.jpg", "redacted": false }, { "number": "III.7", "group": "III", "groupTitle": "Koshirae Fittings", "title": "Kashira", "japanese": "拵金具", "caption": "The kashira, matching the fuchi in metal and subject — cherry blossoms in relief over a plain ground — with the ito knot drawn through and a shitodome eye at the side.", "alt": "Kashira at the tsuka end, worked with cherry blossoms", "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-008/14.jpg", "redacted": false } ], "rights": { "catalogue": "© 2026 whiskey.works", "photographs": "Courtesy of GN-1-Japan, used with permission. No downstream reproduction permission is granted." } }