Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini

Of course I meant a legit one, matching the length, Sori, and Mei not one attached to fool the purchaser. But got what you mean. No proof enough because of too few details easy to be matched by non traditional items.

Are you sure ? http://www.una.edu/faculty/takeuchi/DrT ... Letter.htm quote... Only traditionally made Nihontô can be registered, i.e. swords made in Japan from Tamahagane 玉鋼 (and Shintô swords that are inscribed "Motte Namban-Tesu 以南蠻鐵" ["made using steel from the southern barbarians"]). This means in effect that it has to be either an antique, or made by a contemporary, licensed smith. Mass produced WWII swords (so called Shôwatô 昭和刀) and foreign made swords are not eligible for Tôrokushô. unquote.

What about to find if somebody here have had, or know of, or has seen a star stamped sword with Torokusho ?

I think Ted was wisely suggesting your sword need some more research amongst the more "modern" smiths and that it's not by THE Kaneuji, thing that I suppose you already were aware of.

Maybe they don't know you enough, yet. I'm there by... two board-changes ago. And our specialization in weaponry cut us off from most of the topics and studies, so it's not surpising. Emmanuel too is posting seldomly, for the same (specialization) reason.

Piers, just post them on Samurai Archives. Emmanuel is not the only one that would love to see them ...

It makes sense. Considering how much this chinese one widens at the muzzle, it's possible that "grapeshots" were highly prized in Far East.

Welcome Tsugio.

Yes, sorry, used the wrong word.

Thanks for your kindness Doug, but i don't deserve the the prefix -san.

Doug, if you are interested in the different types of mountings this article by Guido is a must-read : http://www.arscives.com/historysteel/ja ... rticle.htm

Cool. Thanks for sharing.

Just kidding... It's not a bad idea that might be followed by others to rise the ranks. Crossed-subscriptions between clubs of different nations.

South Africa, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada... the majority of Commonwealth's area ! You're planning veeery long holydays to visit all of them for the annual shinsa, aren't you ? :D

As far as swords goes, Italy is surely such a place. Notwithstanding this, it is perfectly possible to purchase, sell, import, export, collect, show and enjoy them. I think that John and Brian would love to have the UK's availability of weapons to study, together with the restriction laws, where they live. To the Victorians : "sursum corda" and go ahead.

I would also add thanks to the fellow forumite Markus Sesko for having translated it.

Moriyama San is right, you're possibly referring to different items. Tosu, even in the multiple-blades saya John has depicted, weren't meant as weapons. Maybe you're referring to the straight type of shuriken, that are different items, not intended as backup for a Tanto that, I think, was the "extrema ratio" on battlefield.

Tosu weren't (at least originally) meant to be a woman's weapon, nor a combat item . The classic samples found in Japan of such early weapons are either of chinese origin or made adapting the chinese style to Japanese taste, when they become smaller and grouped in a multiple saya. They were adopted by the T'ang from the Tujue/Gokturk/Ashina and some have a chinese-rhino (once there were rhinos in China) horn handle :

Intetresting. Seems you're suggesting is not ht pavise for sieges or to put on the terrain to protecd a couplke or more men, rather one similar as the one pictured in Suenaga's book. But what I've in mind are very early and rare items. Dimensions for one man only ?

Looks like it has welds on the top, that is disaxed.

Reminds a Jaipur Dhal, but :? :?

Thanks Ian. Guess I've to search into russian or maybe turkish sources...

It's a reconstruction, based on archeological examples. Still much earlier than the period you are interested in. The connections between India-Persia-Central Asia and China-Korea-Japan is what I'm focusing now, so I too have found this detail interesting. BTW, may you kindly tell me if the RA have examples of Kök Türüks weaponry pre-dating the Xth (or at least not later then XI) century ? Nope,the fault is mine. I had to suppose you were already aware of them. In fact seems easier to find archeological examples than functional ones of the period you mentioned.

In Venice there is one that looks very Edo, which I've no picture of, that is incredibly huge even for a Siege-Teppo, still maintaining the proportions of such siege weapons. It has not signs that can allude to a mount bearing the weight and the recoil, so I wonder if there were also presentation-ones...

Ian, maybe you're interested in this Silla Horse armor (forgive if you're already aware of it) : http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/ ... id=2907709 and these pics of miscellaneous ancient korean weaponry (first one with strong T'ang influences) :