Kiipu

After the umbilical cord had been cut, the baby was given his first bath. In keeping with the old custom, the water had been drawn from the Kamo River and was mixed with well water. For the next few days, until the baby was given swaddling clothes, he was dressed in an undershirt and a sleeveless coat. His bedding was laid on a katataka (a thick tatami that has been sliced in half on the bias, leaving one end much higher than the other) in the main room of the little house where he was born. A pillow was placed at the high end of the tatami to the east or to the south, and it was guarded by two papier-māché dogs facing each other. Between the two dogs were placed sixteen articles of cosmetics. Behind them was a stand on which the “protective dagger” the prince had received was placed along with an amagatsu doll6 also wrapped in white silk but with red silk pasted to the ends of its arms and its feet. 6. A very simple doll, rather like a modern kokeshi except for the arms, which stick out at right angles from the body, forming a kind of cross. Such dolls were placed beside the bed of an infant to absorb evil influences and thereby protect the child. They were kept by the bed until the child had reached its third year. The doll was about a foot and half tall.

Keene, Donald. Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852–1912. Columbia University Press, 2002. Chapter 2, Page 11. Before the birth, Nakayama Tadayasu had borrowed safe-delivery charms from various auspicious temples and individuals. He was now able to return them with thanks and presents. A court lady sent by the emperor to inspect the prince left with him a protective dagger and a sleeved coverlet (kaimaki). The baby would receive many other presents that though traditional, may appear bizarre to contemporary readers. First, however, was the ceremony of cutting, binding, and cauterizing the umbilical cord.4 The placenta was washed and placed in an earthenware vessel which, in turn, was placed in a bucket of unpainted wood, wrapped in white silk, and displayed on a stand in the next room along with a pair of knives, two blue stones, and two dried sardines.5 In front of them a lamp was kept burning day and night, and a screen was placed around them. The wooden bucket was decorated with designs in white paste showing pines, bamboos, cranes, and tortoises but not plum blossoms (usually associated with pines and bamboos in artistic compositions) because plum blossoms fall, an inauspicious association. Notes, Page 728 4. Ibid., 1, p. 3. A knife, called a tekōnagatana, normally used in the gembuku ceremony to cut the hair of a boy who has come of age, substituted in the ceremony for the umbilical cord. The authors of the Meiji tennō ki commented that this was probably a remnant of some “old custom.” 5. The sardines were of the kind called gomame, and they were considered to be felicitous because their name includes the word mame, meaning “healthy.”

The instructions above also work with Windows 10. If anyone is using Windows 11, can you check and see if the above instructions work or not? Since posting, I did run into one resizing problem. My comments about using 25% worked just fine for images over 2 megabytes (MG). For images under 2 megabytes, start with 50% instead. Any comments, corrections, or criticism welcomed.

If using Windows, try this method. It is what I use for resizing. How to resize a photograph on a Windows computer

It is the words underneath that prompted the rethink. Not sure how a horse is associated with a warrior. Of note, the bottom of WARRIOR is flat while the top is bowed in.

Sorry to be a stick in the mud, but it does not look like a horse head to me. Looks more like a Roman helmet. Boy am I in hot water now!

Cross-Reference Translation courtesy of @Nobody. 氏房 高山刀鍛錬所作 – (Ujifusa, Takayama-To Tanrensho saku) – Made by Ujifusa at Takayama-Sword Forge. Garage Find WW2 Okinawa Sword

Threads never die, just servers! 謹作高山刀　Kinsaku Takayama-tō. 刀匠 Tōshō Swordsmith:　服部･正廣 Hattori Masahiro. 研師 Togishi Polisher:　福田･耕平 Fukuda Kōhei.

Ran across the above book today and had not heard anything mentioned about it. I did find on this forum a German language book by the same author. Not sure if this is an English translation of it or an entirely new book. A New Book For German Collectors Maybe someone can compare the table of contents of the German book to the English book? Hint: @vajo

Japanese Blacksmithing : Traditional Forging Methods for Knives, Swords, and Tools By Rudolf Dick Available on Nov 28, 2024 Discover the blacksmithing techniques used to make 10 traditional Japanese objects with insights from the artisans and rare glimpses inside their workshops. The art of blacksmithing and steel processing didn't reach Japan until more than 1,000 years after it was developed in the Western world. It is therefore all the more astonishing to see the high culture of forging that developed in the Land of the Rising Sun within a short period of time. This comprehensive reference book explains the traditional methods used by Japanese tool-, knife-, and swordsmiths and gives the reader a rare and unique look inside their workshops. Size: 6.5in x 9.0in | Pages: 160 | 175 color photos Binding: Hardback ISBN: 9780764368516 PRICE: $24.99 Link: Japanese Blacksmithing

Many thanks Lawrence. Characters and pronunciation below. Very nice sword in excellent condition. Thanks for sharing! 昭和己卯秋　Shōwa Tsuchinoto-U Aki. 興亞一心　Kōa Isshin. 満鐵作之　Mantetsu kore wo tsukuru　South Manchuria Railway Company (SMR) made this.

Pat, the first page of NIck's thread goes into who could carry the Type 95. Short Development History of Type 95 Gunto Besides the lower ranks, officers could also buy or rent a Type 95. So the Type 95 could be carried by just about anyone if entitled to carry a sword. With that said, it is unlikely a colonel or general would be seen with one! Good luck with the display manikin.

It is a sword made by the South Manchuria Railway Company (SMR) and is better known by the name Mantetsu. If possible, take a picture of the markings on the nakago mune (this is the blunt edge of the tang). Below is a link to a brief article about them. Mantetsu - South Manchurian Railway

These are army inspection marks and indicate the blade is most likely traditionally made. This blade predates the adoption of the later "Star" stamp. 名ホ.

昭和廿年仲春日　A day in mid-spring 1945. ？　豫州北條住博正作　Yoshū Hōjō-jū Hiromasa saku [? Possible "Star" stamp peened out.] Note the variant form of 住 used.

Trystan, thanks for solving the mystery of the Mikasa 三笠 logo. The JSW logo looks like the English letters A-T-V, but not sure of the order. Armstrong and Vickers were investors in JSW. A = Armstrong. T = ?. V = Vickers.

The "Star" stamp was not used this early in 1942. It came later in 1942. However, if an army contract blade, it might have some inspection marks on the nakago mune.

The tang is marked with the number 46. 四六 = ４６.

The sword was refitted during the 1944 to 1945 time period for military purposes. The 昭 stamp is clearly visible and thus accounts for the second mekugi ana (tang hole). 関佐光信光作 Seki Sakō Nobumitsu saku. This sword is a textbook example of what is discussed in the article below. Note the poorly cast brass crossguard, the non-pierced iron? kabutogane. As indicated, it would have had a leather combat cover over the scabbard. I think the sword is worth the asking price. The Atsuta Factory & Military Swords

Just one more thing, the katakana characters are following the order of the Iroha poem. Japanese mllitaria collectors frequently refer to them by the number and not the sound. 1.　イ　I. 2.　ロ　RO. 3.　ハ　HA. 4.　ニ　NI. Iroha

It is the katakana character ニ which is pronounced as "NI". It is used as a prefix to the serial number. ニ 三七五 NI-375. When time permits, can you post pictures of both sides of the tang and one overall picture of the sword with scabbard placed below the blade? For starters, take a look at the article below. Mantetsu - South Manchurian Railway

Many thanks for looking Peter. No need to proceed further and risk damage to the habaki. The kabutogane looks to have a deeply struck 東, which would indicate an army contract blade from 1942.

The red paint toward the bottom of the tang is the number 23. The prefix to this number eludes me however. This number is also on the bottom of the hilt. 二三 = 23.

Peter, can you check the date side of the tang, that is the side marked 昭和壬午秋, for any small M stamps. The flattened M stamp will usually be located toward the top, the bottom, or both top & bottom. If on the top, they are sometimes under the habaki.

Type 95 Military Sword made by Suya, serial number 49810. Seems the pictures are now missing from the OP. Fortunately, I had downloaded and saved the pictures for later viewing. Attached are the pictures which have been resized and converted to jpegs.