European Sword Fuller manufacture - it IS Nipponto related!

[Peter Bleed]

Friends,

I am trying to work up a paper on want I am sure is a late18th/early 19th century European cavalry sword that was remounted in Japan into a - well - tachi. I see it is the extreme end of the Namban craze. The blade was reshaped at the tip and given a kessho hamon. It is unmarked, but I recall reading treatments of the development of blade fuller rolling. This technology created age distinctive ricassos I can't recall where I saw that discussion. I think I read about it, but I think it may have been addressed on other sword board. It is not rolling out of my library. I also recall that Sanson's history described a specific instance of a European blade being repolished in Japan. But, I'm not finding that reference either. Are there any "cosmopoletes" on this Board who can point me to discussions of this topic?

Peter

[Davis]

Peter

The To-Ken Society of Gt. Britain held an exhibition in 1968 at the Ashmolean in Oxford. Bon Dale edited a catalogue of these exhibits. One sword exhibited being a blade of European manufacture that had been polished and remounted in Japan. I'm pretty sure this sword later came up for auction in a London saleroom about six years ago. Unfortunately I no longer have this catalogue but I feel that someone, somewhere has a copy and can provide more details.

Mick

[Jussi Ekholm]

Can't really offer much help but I can provide this interesting pic from Knives, Swords and Daggers encyclopedia by Harvey Withers & Tobias Capwell. I bought this book to get info about some various daggers around the world and I was surprised to find this... I believe this tanto is property of Royal Armouries.

 

[IanB]

Peter, The tanto illustrated was bought by me for the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds where it is now on display. It had been described in an art magazine during the 1930's and as you say exhibited in Oxford in 1968 where I first saw it. The blade appears to have been made from a German hanger or sabre dated 1623 or 1625, the inscription being partially obliterated by polishing. The maker was from a well-known Feisser family working in Solingen at that date, but the individual is unidentified as his initial is again almost lost and might be either P or F. The original blade has been cut down to leave the forte and fullers with their inscriptions, re-shaped and given a traditional yakiba and polish. It is now mounted in a saya covered with 'Dutch leather' and a kozuka with a fretted iron namban panel. I interpreted the kamon as one used by the Matsura family of Hirado where the Dutch has a factory before being moved to Dejima in 1640. The museum on Hirado fairly recently found a namban armour made up from elements of two Dutch pikemen's armours that can be dated to about the same age as the blade. Although it is pure speculation, it is possible that the original European sword and the armours formed part of a gift from the Dutch to the Matsura on leaving the island to move to Dejima.

Ian Bottomley

[Kai-Gunto]

Here in Denmark in the Tøjhus museum ,we have a Japanese sword with a european blade mounted.

I have an old book with pictures of it. I look for it.

[Peter Bleed]

Thank you All!

The Board really and truly does make access to a fabulous community easily available. These insights have moved this project is a rather different direction than I had planned. I suppose that is good. I am quite sure that my sword started life as something like an English 1796 style Cavalry saber. Quite as such things go. I'll try to post an image - I I am challenged by the image process.

Again, thanks.

Peter

[Brian]

I am constantly amazed, and very grateful, for the level of participation we have here on the forum. We are very lucky indeed.

 

Brian

[Jussi Ekholm]

Thanks for sharing that information Ian, it's great to hear about the background of that piece.

[Dave R]

Were photo's posted and then lost?

[Brian]

Pic was here, but external links usually die eventually

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/822/v8dx.jpg

[paulb]

Peter and Ian

I remember when Ian first showed me the tanto in the armouries, it is a very interesting piece.

I assumed at the time that this was done more as a novelty or fashion creation rather than for any technical reason. From your research to date do you know if this is the case or did those having such blades modified believe they offered some technical advantage?

Also as a reverse of the above and a slight distraction there is a sword illustrated in the Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing sale (that of Kiyomaro fame) of a Yokayama Sukenaga blade which the Field Marshal had modified to fit in to his Mameluke general Officers fittings. I know he was a very big man but I am guessing that that resulted in a difficult sword to handle.

Peter I look forward to reading the final paper

good luck with the ongoing research.

[Kai-Gunto]

Heres the katana with european blade......

And the aikuchi.