Out Of The Past

[Aloof Pegasus]

 

I just ran across a story which I'd like to share here. Some may feel this post is a tad premature: no details, no pictures, not much provenance. You must judge for yourselves. In any event photos will be forthcoming-hopefully, just not today. If it's any consolation I'm as anxious to post them as I hope you will be to see them.

 

 

Last week I fetched up in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand in a rustic and charming Airbnb. The lady owner who is in her early '60's lives in the house her grandfather built from teak logs deemed unsuitable for export by his English employers. So he got them for free. This was in the period 1910-30. 

 

 

The house itself is raised several metres above ground-level on the above mentioned  slightly misshapen teak logs which still bear the marks of axes. Recently cement cladding painted white was added around the bases of these logs as reinforcement. It is shady and pleasant underneath the house. There are tables and chairs where one can have breakfast and so on. Guests sleep in rooms in the tree studded grounds.

 

 

Last evening I was sitting there talking to her about the house and her grandfather who was Chinese and educated in boarding school in India in the 1890's. He married a local beauty known for her tender years and beautiful pigtail, and took her to live at the jungle logging operation where they had a daughter, the mother of the lady telling the story.

 

 

This grandfather founded the family fortune. He prospered under the English, and through the war years, he worked closely with the Japanese. In fact in 1945, just before his arrest an army officer entrusted his sword to the grandfather, preferring to leave it to a man he had worked with rather than see it fall into enemy hands. His name may have been Iguchi-san. He could have been a major.

 

 

Indeed so close had they become that- and here the story becomes slightly garbled- someone in the Japanese family contacted the grandfather in the succeeding years wanting to co-operate in some business venture or other. It doesn't seem to have been the officer but a family member. Nor did anyone request the sword's return. Or if they did it wasn't sent because at present it is in the ladies' other house where her mother still lives aged 90 a mere 10 kilometres from where I write, hidden under a bed and wrapped in something nondescript.

 

 

As to the sword itself the story gets even sketchier. It is a 'long' katana. From the sound of it in gunto mounts. Over the years the lady did her best to take care of the sword: preventing a 'bad' nephew from getting his hands on it to sell, oiling the blade with coconut oil and removing any small rust patches with sanding paper.

 

 

She has promised to bring me the sword to examine next week.

 

 

To be continued.

[ROKUJURO]

Philip,

nice story! Best of luck!

[Brian]

Looking forward to the pics. Probably a Showato, but with a great story attached. Hope you are able to assist them with some info.

We'll be waiting for the continuation.

[Aloof Pegasus]

Sword arrived early but...as you see.

On a footnote to this story- maybe a fitting one. When he gave the lady pictured below's grandfather Major Iguchi-san knowing his strong Buddhist beliefs assured him that the sword was never used to kill a living thing.

 

On the off chance I sent the kanji to a mate to see if he could make anything out. Maybe...

[Aloof Pegasus]

Can anyone make out any of the kanji?

[Aloof Pegasus]

More pics

[Aloof Pegasus]

Couple more.

[Gunome]

Hello,

It is signed Kaneshige 兼重

[Aloof Pegasus]

Cheers for that quick trans.1920's?

[ROKUJURO]

I think I can see a SEKI stamp under the heavy rust, which would make that a WW II blade. But that may well be an effect of the not so good photos. The corrosion on the blade looks typical for fingerprints. 

[Aloof Pegasus]

Mobile pics only 'frail. Below any help?

[Stephen]

Same as stated.kaneshige

[Aloof Pegasus]

Jean, where did you think the seki stamp was? I was hoping under the sig.

[Stephen]

it would above what you have shown, near habaki or under, above the peg hole anyway

[ROKUJURO]

Philip,

I had the impression that there was a stamp right above the KANE- of the MEI, but it may just be the heavy rust. As Stephen wrote, normally these stamps are a little below the HABAKI.

Before you start brushing the rust away, please let an expert from this board or from a renowned NIHONTO club (not your martial arts center around the corner) have a look at your blade. It is easy to damage a blade, even if it is "only" a machine made blade, as the sloppy signature suggests.    

[Aloof Pegasus]

Jean

 

Heavy rust mate. But did find a stamp and another kanji on the nakago hantai.

 

If I was back home in J and with the sword I would certainly follow yr excellent advice. Google is giving me nothing for a Chiang Mai nihonto group. Maybe in Bangkok.

 

The owner is following this thread with a lot of pleasure and thanks you all for yr help.

 

Pics to follow.

[Aloof Pegasus]

There's a hamon in places but no keshki.

[Jean]

Seki stamp

[ROKUJURO]

Yes, clear SEKI arsenal stamp (not the one I meant to see), so everything fits fine. At least, there are a TACHI TSUBA and a 'private' FUCHI mounted.

[Aloof Pegasus]

Thanks everyone. You have no idea how much pleasure all this has given the owner.

[Peter Bleed]

The tee shirt is marked "Wolf" with an interesting variation of the the "o" character.

P

[Aloof Pegasus]

Wolf Conservation Centre is a very worthy charity.

[ggil]

If I may pontificate a bit, and show support for this person's good cause...

 

I used to poke fun at my wife over her passion for helping animals. You know, my thinking is that is just a western medicine, to treat symptoms (failing ecosystem and suffering animals) over problems (we/humans and our culture, are the problem). Anyway, the Bible story of lot says something along the lines of.. if there is one good person around, than the entire earth is worth saving. So now I support her in her fight for animals. Anyway, one can mentally equate animals to poor folks, in that it hard to survive in this world of poorly distrubuted resources, hate/fear, and vast waste of those who are in possession. Carry on with your good work helping those predators, as the ecosystem does crumble without them. Dr. Bleed is also doing his part in that he is shaping minds of the future, in enlightening students of our sordid past.

[Aloof Pegasus]

http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?u=96aae4d71726eb91ae4d20fec&id=146a0f972b&e=f1c75fc493