IJA Parade Sword with Family Mon

[dnmmilo]

G'day,

 

I've just got hold of an IJA Parade Sabre in good condition with a silver family mon on the backstrap. The sword appears to be of higher quality than some others I've owned. Does anyone have any idea which family the 'mon' belongs to?

 

Cheers David

[Baka Gaijin]

Hi David

 

The Kamon is known as Maruni Chigai Taka no Ha and I believe was used by various families including the Asano.

 

Cheers

[george trotter]

That's right...the most famous user of this mon were the Asano clan of Ako. His death led to the revenge raid of the 47 Ronin in 1703.

As to who used it on your sword, we can't say as after 1913 (or 1909?) anyone could use any mon they liked (except the Imperial line mon).

Regards,

[Baka Gaijin]

Hi George,

 

I also found a reference to the Ôtani using it.

 

I found a source in Japan that says Kamon were deregulated in 1868:

 

http://www.tokyotrad.com/ebay/kamon_explain.htm

 

Here's an interesting snippett from Louis Vuitton archive:

 

After the death of his father Louis, Georges Vuitton began a campaign to build the company into a worldwide corporation, exhibiting the company's products at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. In 1896, the company launched the signature Monogram Canvas and made the worldwide patents on it.

 

Its graphic symbols, including quatrefoils and flowers (as well as the LV monogram), were based on the trend of using Japanese and Oriental designs in the late Victorian era.

 

 

Cheers

[george trotter]

I found a source in Japan that says Kamon were deregulated in 1868:

 

Hi Malcolm, 1868 may be correct, I was only quoting a Japanese book of about 1913 and I may have got the date of change over wrong.

Regards,

[IanB]

Malcolm. Not only did Louis Vuitton use stylised kamon as a design on his leather, he actually was inspired to make his luggage after seeing Japanese cartridge boxes at a Paris Exposition.

Ian Bottomley

[lonely panet]

PM sent

 

regards H

[Baka Gaijin]

Thanks Ian,

 

I can always rely upon you to add interesting Flesh to the Bone

 

In "The Diary of an Art Dealer" Rene Gimpel (who dealt with Van Gogh's estate, Monet, Renoir and a very young Picasso) mentions disapprovingly in one of his diaries that a distant cousin is setting up in Paris selling luggage...........

 

Cheers

[lonely panet]

this item is now in ebay,

 

abit of a shame it was offered to members first, considering they helped with all the questions.