dakary

Thanks Jussi! Those ebay ones look right to me (am I wrong?) but I still think there is something suspect about attaching them with a screw. I'm guessing it was really pin/nail or rivet of some kind that secured these things. All of those that you show don't have a sarute. I posted in another threat about the purpose of the sarute and I think it is probably just another way to have a tassle?

Thanks Larason. I suppose a pin or rivet makes sense then, if they didn't like to glue, because back in the tachi heyday I'm guessing that screws probably weren't common (if they were around at all) - especially that small!

Ah thanks Larason! I guess the sarute is there specifically for a tassle but it is just that some people opted not to use it. Sort of like the holes in tsuba - not everybody who had those holes had a Kogai and kozuka. They just provide an option.

Hi everybody, I am wondering about how tachi tassles were attached. Some questions were raised in my head when I looked at these reproductions: https://www.ebay.ca/...0:g:cVQAAOSweE1jeNwc They have closeup pictures that show screws being used to attach the caps to the rope or leather. I thought that looked funny, and also can't be right considering how difficult screws must have been to make back in the olden days (especially that small) but they have what they call "network pictures" that show similar tassles that seem to have something...maybe like a pin?...but those swords don't look to be antiques. Any insights? I always thought they might have been glued in but I have no idea. I haven't seen any in real life or even pictures. I have only seen them represented in period art. Thanks! Dan

Hi everybody, Basically the title says it all. What is the purpose of the sarute on tachi? I think it is to hold a tassle but I have seen some period art that has the sarute with a tassle handing off it, some without, and some where a tassle replaces the sarute. Any insight? Is it just an option for a tassle that not everbody utilized? Or is there something I'm missing. Thank you! Dan

Thanks for the info (and the spelling correction!)

Hi everybody, I am wondering how common it was for rayskin to be dyed historically on tachi, katana, etc. (in particular, during the sengoku period) and, if they did it, what colours were common and, perhaps, how they did it (recipes, etc.). I think I have seen a few black ones, but I don't think it was common. I can't recall ever seeing other colours. Thanks! Dan

Thanks Jussi! I think you might be the person to ask this then: in the sengoku period, on tachi, would you find wide a variety of tsukamaki (where maybe personal preference takes over)? Or was it pretty uniform in terms of strict fashion for certain swords (or maybe classes? Were there upper and lower class tsukamaki?)? What kinds of tsukamaki would you find? Would hinerimaki be out of place on a tachi from that period? I think I have seen tsumamimaki and hiramaki on katana from that period and maybe also hinerimaki (but I am not sure - I can't remember).

Thanks for the response! So I guess what I am looking for is something like a picture database whereby I could punch in a time period and get images of various fittings...is there something like this?

Hi everybody, I imagine, and of course I might be mistaken, is that certain kinds of fittings were popular at different time periods. For example, particular themes symmetries, etc. might have falling out of fashion, seen revivals, etc. (maybe people in a particular decade, for example, really liked symmetrical fittings, while in another they liked asymmetrical ones? Maybe for a while people liked tigers, then that fell out of fashion for cranes? etc.) Is it possible to summarize of perhaps check databases of examples based on time? I'm mainly interested in the earlier Sengoku period (first half-ish). I wonder if the fittings here were more simple and utilitarian in general than periods with less turmoil. But I haven't got a clue. Thanks! Dan

Thank you very much for the responses. Yes, I do think I have seen before that very early tachi had just a ray skin with no silk or leather wrap. I find it interesting that katatemaki came first. My initial intuition was that it would come later because I thought that hinerimaki came much later and hinerimaki seems like a variant of katatemaki (or the other way around). It makes sense though, that katatemaki would come first because it is pretty simple (comparatively). That might mean that hinerimaki is actually pretty old too. If that's right, then it totally makes sense for hiramaki or tsumamimaki to then be classic for tachi in the sense that it is classic to refurbish them that way.

Hi everybody, I'm hoping somebody could help me with some questions about tsukamaki. When it comes to tachi, it seems like hira maki is the classic. But isn't it also true that tsumami maki were also on tachi? Would you find, for example, tachi in the sengoku period with tsuamami maki or when you see this, is it just that it a newer style of tsukamaki put on an older blade? Also, when did the katatemaki show up? Thank you!

Dan, I don't know how I missed that. I thought I was very thorough checking the sword museum! rematron has a good point there. It might be that the sword Dan posted has later fittings on an older blade. I don't know how to veryify that though...still the other points everybody has made has done a nice job filling in this picture for me. Thank you so much everybody!

A, hopefully, simple question here: anybody know when the Kozuka/kogatana appear on Katana? I'm not able to find anything other than Edo period. However, I think I am finding tsuba with side holes which are for Kozuka/kogatana earlier than Edo - but I am not sure if they are just holes on the tsuba or if they are for Kozuka/kogatana. But then I wonder why would these holes be there if not for Kozuka/kogatana? Maybe there's something deeper here. The holes appear earlier for decoration and then some clever guy (or gal) thought they could fit a small knife through that hole? Any insights? Thanks!