Red Stuff

[Henry Wilson]

Why is there red laquer in the hi of this blade?

 

http://www.aoi-art.com/sword/katana/06141.html

 

Or could it be blood?

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

I'm sure it is red laquer, but not so sure about the purpose.

AFAIK it's cosmetic.

[David Flynn]

I have seen this on a Koto blade in gunto mountings as well. I think it is just for effect

David

[Ted Tenold]

I've seen this on some sue-koto naginata and yari. It's one way of covering up loose kitae in the bottom of the horimono from exposed core steel. Other than that perhaps it's particular to a period??.

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

I've seen this on some sue-koto naginata and yari. It's one way of covering up loose kitae in the bottom of the horimono from exposed core steel. Other than that perhaps it's particular to a period??.

 

Hi Ted. So it was made after some polishing and not at the very beginning of the life of the blade ?

[Mike]

AFAIK this red laquer is used to hide kitae ware, usualy found on late koto naginata and nagamaki hi. So while modifying into katana or wakizashi the red laquer is sometimes left. Mike

[Ted Tenold]

Carlo,

 

Since the period was so long ago it's likely that little, if any, of the lacquer we see would be "ubu". However perhaps if it were originally there it's replaced to keep consistancy to the piece in subsequent polishings? I am speculating a bit here based only upon what I've seen. And nothing's to say that core steel could have been exposed later and then lacquer installed because it is a practical phenominon to begin with. That being said, the kitae ware were likely exposed in the original initial carving of any Horimono. Sue koto was a period of mass production and the order of the day was quantity over quality. Now also remember that naginata and yari were considered even more disposable on the battlefield than a sword. So the attention to construction was less and concern about shingane or the exposure thereof not of great importance. So likely, the kitae ware were always there and the lacquer just kept crud and moisture out of them. Japan is a very humid place in the "battle seasons" of spring and summer, and marching in the monsoon, through rivers, blood, mud, etc., so all that stuff gets trapped in loose hada. The same is true (or at least hypothosized) of iron tsuba that have traces of lacquer on them, that it was placed there to protect it from the elements.

 

The refference sword is an interesting study of all this. First of all, it's *sue* tegai. Second it's osuriage and the lacquer extends all the way through the Nakago. Ubu? Probably was there and judging from the looser hada the hi were installed to remove larger kitae ware. The hi are also oddly located and assymetrical from side to side indicating to me that they were installed for that reason.

 

Again, I don't have a really textbook backing for all this. It's just my thoughts on the matter, but when I hear galloping hooves I assume it's horses and not zebras.

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Ted, this make a lot of sense to me. Suriage and still red laquered,

disaxed, period... 2+2 =4. No zebras here.