| Zangetsu tells Ichigo what it's called during the Kenpachi/Ichigo fight.
It's called Asauchi, which is:
Wiki: Shinigami who are unable to communicate with their zanpakutō wield a nameless version known as asauchi, meaning shallow cut.
It's technically Shikai, because any zanpaktou that has not been released tends to look identical; a plain samurai sword, but since Kenpachi's looks different (that whole jagged-edged ancient look to it), just like Ichigo's, it's assumed he's already in a constant released state. |