Miniature Tachi By Tomonari

[kusunokimasahige]

Hello all,

Thanks to Roy I am now the proud owner of this sweet little Tango no Sekku (Boys Day) miniature tachi in shirasaya.

The maker is Tomonari but which generation the Mei is I do not know. Oshigata for boys day swords to compare mei are quite hard to find.
Would of course be cool if it was the first Tomonari but I guess this is a much later one. Whether this is a Sukenaga-Tomonari is also unclear.
The only other Tomonati boys day tachi I found was on Kevin's site and the mei is difficult to compare.
( http://www.ryujinswords.com/tomonari.htm )

It is slightly out of polish and a hamon is hardly discernable but maybe just a very careful touch up with hazuya might show something.
If that is done I will post additional images.

Having this polished would constitute quite a challenge for any polisher I think due to its size.

Length total blade including Nakago : 35.4 cm
Nagasa : 28 cm
Ha-machi to Munemachi : 1.8 cm
Zori: 0.9 cm
No nakago-ana
Signature Tachi-Mei: Tomonari

A full album can be found here :

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/IMPERIALCOMMAND/media/Tomonari%20Tachi/WP_20150905_13_26_44_Pro__highres_zpslgdbvfzv.jpg.html

To view superlarge detail images first press the magnifying glass and then right click on the image and view image.

 

[Stephen]

Happy Bday high jinks..

[Jean]

Nice to have a ko Bizen sword, HBD H-j

[kusunokimasahige]

Thank you Stephen and Jean !!

OMG.... Jean.... are you certain of that ? Ko-Bizen  ?

That would be awesome indeed !!!

KM

[Stephen]

Back to the sword. I dont think it would pose a problem to a good togi, all you need to do is ask.

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Henk-Jan,

Sorry to burst a bubble but there is no chance this was actually made by Ko Bizen Tomonari.  Most likely, if this is signed Tomonari it is in homage, much the same as all the WWII and slightly later knives that are signed Munechika.

Grey

[kusunokimasahige]

Grey, you are not at all bursting any bubble. As I already stated I think this is a much later sword signed Tomonari.
The one Kevin had on his site was made in the 1850's. So only a polish and then shinsa might attest a maker

And then, when it is an homage, the question always is. How well known were Ko-Bizen smiths and their work during the later periods ?
All the lists compiled roaming around these days, did they also exist in the same form and with the same widespread

knowledge and exposure back then as they are now ? (a bit of a philosophical question but well...).
Say for instance you could go to a smith in Echigo around 1615 and ask him. Did you ever see Ko-Bizen work
and have you ever heard of this or that Smith ? He probably would say no.

 

[Jean]

But if you went and see a Daimyo, the answer would be probably yes.

[paulb]

no actually there a lot of old records recording early smiths, certainly dating from the late 16th and early 17th centuries and I think I may have seen references to some even earlier. The names of top smith were well known from an early time. In a recenttly read book I remember an expert on court etiquet writing in the 14th century stated that an ubu signed blade by ko-Bizen smiths (he named them but I cant remember who) and signed Awataguchi daito were suitable gifts for the Shogun.

[kusunokimasahige]

Interesting !! 

Indeed Japan has the benefit of having kept A LOT of their archives. And I guess knowledge would be widespread amongst some in the higher classes.
The book on shinto Smiths I once posted here which was printed in 1853 has great colour images of Hamon as well as Nakago and Mei.
So yes I guess that they in fact knew a lot more.

And Ko-Bizen or not, I just love my little sword.

[Stephen]

and most important

quote from HJ

"And Ko-Bizen or not, I just love my little sword"

 

It has found a good home and care taker