Show Us Your High Class Gunto

[Bruce Pennington]

Quote

 

Forget the blade!  I need the translation for the Kakihan!!! Ha!  Just kidding (ok, maybe not!).  Classic Neil-style drop dead gorgeous!  Someone spent a pretty penny fitting this one out.

 

I got the date down: Manji 3, so 1660, Nov 10th.  Will need help with the rest though!

[Stephen]

The Beatles song number nine number 9 number 9 number 9 kept going through my head it's really a 10 to me.

The hard lacquered saya any chips in it?

I would not be suprised if its coverage of same*. You should be able to tell where the lacquer ends on saya under fuchi.

You sure know how to find them brother.

Well done.

[BANGBANGSAN]

3 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

Forget the blade!  I need the translation for the Kakihan!!! Ha!  Just kidding (ok, maybe not!).  Classic Neil-style drop dead gorgeous!  Someone spent a pretty penny fitting this one out.

 

I got the date down: Manji 3, so 1660, Nov 10th.  Will need help with the rest though!

万治三年十一月十日

三ツ胴截断

山野勘十郎成久（花押）

The on in the middle has same Mei

[Bruce Pennington]

41 minutes ago, BANGBANGSAN said:

万治三年十一月十日

三ツ胴截断

山野勘十郎成久（花押）

The on in the middle has same Mei

That’s honestly very kind of you Trystan, but I can’t read your Japanese print any better than I can read Japanese in the Nakago!

[Stephen]

November 10, Manji 3rd year Mitsu body cut off Kanjuro Yamano Naruhisa (Kao)

per Google search

Edited December 1, 2020 by Stephen

[BANGBANGSAN]

7 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

That’s honestly very kind of you Trystan, but I can’t read your Japanese print any better than I can read Japanese in the Nakago!

This sword passed 3 bodies through cutting test.

Yamano Kanjūrō Narihisa  performed  the cutting test.

 

[Bruce Pennington]

15 minutes ago, BANGBANGSAN said:

 Yamano Kanjūrō Narihisa

Cool Trystan, thanks!

 

Sorry Neil, ..... and back to the show!

[Bryce]

G'day Neil,

Now that is a high class gunto! Who made the blade?

Cheers,

Bryce

[Jareth]

One of the absolute nicest I’ve seen to date! Congrats!

[Toryu2020]

Exceptional!

[BANGBANGSAN]

6 hours ago, Bryce said:

G'day Neil,

Now that is a high class gunto! Who made the blade?

Cheers,

Bryce

I thought it was made Yamano Kanjūrō Narihisa 山野勘十郎成久. John corrected me, 山野勘十郎 is not a sword smith but a professional cutting tester and executioner.

[PNSSHOGUN]

That is the name of the Samurai who performed the cutting test.

[BANGBANGSAN]

27 minutes ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

That is the name of the Samurai who performed the cutting test.

John

Thanks for correcting. 山野勘十郎 is professional cutting tester and executioner.

「江戶初期，有名的試刀家是谷衛好、谷衛友父子。衛友的弟子中川重良兼任幕府的旗本（家臣），他的弟子山野加右衛門永久被認為是最早的專職試刀家，據說他試斬了6000多名罪人。永久之子，山野勘十郎久英，不但擔任幕府御用試斬官，也負責處決死刑犯。也就是說，先砍了頭，再把屍體搬來試斬，他一個人包了。但久英的後人沒有能夠掌握這項技術，之後山野家被解除了職務」。

 

[IJASWORDS]

Another old blade, this one in KAI GUNTO Navy mounts, at 52 cm some would call this (wrongly) a submarine crew sword, due to its shorter length. The large ray skin "eyes" on the SAYA are quite unique. 

I think it is made by KANETSUNA in the 1500's, but I am open to more knowledgeable translators.   

[Jareth]

Beautiful kaigunto! Do you have deluxe tsuba with alternating gold plated rays? 

[IJASWORDS]

Unfortunately, no. 

[Jareth]

Keep me in mind if you ever let it go. I only collect navy 

[Ian B3HR2UH]

That it a nice looking sword Neil . I have difficulty seeing Kanetsuna there and if I had to guess might say Kaneyoshi . Why don't you put it up on the translation page and see what others think .

Ian Brooks

[IJASWORDS]

Ian, thanks. The mei was translated from the FUJISHIRA book. The odd style KANJI is a type of the period, 1400-1500's, and no longer used.  

[mecox]

A difficult mei.  The best we could do was  late Mino (Sue-Seki) Kanetsuna in Fujishiro (1991) Nihon Koto Jiten page 85 with trans by HA watson .   

And also that strange mysterious book Mino-to (1993) by Malcolm Cox  page 213 end of Koto. 

[reeder]

Here’s some of my favorite gendai.

[Leen]

Minty koshirae, which smiths Brandon?
 

[reeder]

The group of 5 are Yasunori. The 2 are Tomita Sukehiro & Imai Sadashige. 

[Bruce Pennington]

It's a great visual display, too, of the variations of haikan (ashi) and other parts.  Nice gunto Brandon!

[Leen]

You are one lucky Gendai collector Brandon, if you ever come across a Sukehiro again let me know 😊

[Jim Manley]

I wanted to share these photos. So many collect Gunto swords and so few have them properly polished. Once polished the skill of the smith, at least the better ones, is revealed. So many have hastily done "war time" polishes which along with decades of neglect or abuse, hides their beauty. 

[Jim Manley]

One more. 

jim

[IJASWORDS]

Jim, agree! My polished NOBUFUSA is a also go-to sword for enjoyment. 

[PNSSHOGUN]

Great swords, still hunting for an example by Nobufusa done in Yamato-Den.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Mint condition vs field used company grade tassels. These are the uncommon variant with a "V" or Herringbone stitch on the straps: