Topic: Unusual triangle blade wakizashi - 17 replies

I ran into  this wakizashi which at first seems to be made from a yari, but it absolutely was not, it was made sort of like a steel I beam with 3 edges and was made to be non-lethal with all edges being made flat and the tip is non piercing also.  I have a good idea what its purpose was but I wanted to see if anyone else had the same idea or some different theory.    

Interesting I have not seen this before, cannot see why you would need a "pratice" wakizashi, would it be for an attentant so he was suitable equipped but would not get ideas about doing the boss over?

Leroy, what class of samurai actually used non lethal weapons in their everyday duties?

Government, Police, Fireman? The only other thing I can think of is a child so he didn't cut his little fingers off!

In Don Cunningham's book Samurai Weapons Tools of the Warrior he says on page 131 "The Doshin either ground the ha (sharpened edge) off their wakizashi or carried special wakizashi forged with extra thick blades. Much like the uchiharai jutte, the short blunted wakizashi were considered more suitable for making arrests, especially around confined spaces. A resisting suspect could easily be stunned and immobilized by a strike without risking a potentially lethal injury as with a sharpened sword." I believe the pictured wakizashi is a form of this type of blunted arresting weapon, the construction makes it very sturdy for striking with no way for the blade to be bent due the the spine.

OK so this is an alternative to the Jutte?

Bet the blades not Japanese

The blade is close in style to some European blades but it appears to be Japanese made, maybe based on a European type of blade, the fittings seem to have been made for the blade and there is some kanji on the blade, it could have been originally a European bladed fitted to Japanese mounts, here are some more pictures. 

Hi estcrh,
unfortunately can`t use the link. At first glance it looks very similar to an old European socket bayonet.
Cheers

I will post the link again, the blade is close to some European blades except that all the edges are flat, it looks like it was never meant to be sharp. I saw a fencing blade that looked close.   http://s831.photobucket.com/albums/zz238/estcrh/Triangle%20blade%20sword/

Uwe, I knew the image reminded me of something and I agree I have several socket bayonets and the design matches. Makes me curious about the age of this item?

 

If you look at an "epee" fencing type of blade you will see the same triangle shape.

Now the link works estcrh!
Hmmm??................. interesting!
The cross section of an rapier or fencing sword blade maybe similar, however such blades (like in your example) taper not that much.
Thus I guess, it is an reworked socket bayonet. Unless, the blade is remarkable heavy.............then we had to start again
Cheers

Leroy, no glue about the age

Your right, it does look a lot like the picture of a socket bayonet I looked up.  The blade is light also, I will have to see if and wnen the Japanese made this type of bayonet.  Thanks for the info.

Please let me know, what you spied out

Here is some interesting information on socket bayonets in Japan,  it seems that they were available in Japan from at least the 1860s on.   http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:R9dDh6tcP4YJ:www.bayonetsofjapan.com/_pdfs/sample-p29.pdf+Japanese+socket+bayonet&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShRl7SdMRmBmuDyfGNVtAdvpWUkJrpXhDdaMPEWGESTre1aP0Zw5VMFT6eI2FJQ6YAKSBVvcih31-XUR-mc-mdj3_BcCl-G-c__Wd4LarqtvbD-lH2JQByZKswRC1gAIeJD4M6u&sig=AHIEtbQXW6ev6mwjWxsForWpz6MRbsAk8A

Socket baynets had been around for several hundred years before that and I am sure that Western visitors would have had examples with them. Looking at this I have a feeling it may be Spanish although many socket bayonets are much the same. What is the length?

Thanks for sharing this