Interesting Gunto Mountings

[Ontario_Archaeology]

http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/r229271104/image/0

 

Just thought it was interesting / second opinions.

 

Matt

[Stephen]

http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/r229271104

[PNSSHOGUN]

Brown lacquered sharkskin saya, usually seen on Kai Gunto. Very nice.

[vajo]

Very, very well made koshirae. Who ever buys it congratulation. 

[Bruce Pennington]

http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/r229271104/image/0

Just thought it was interesting / second opinions.

Matt

Quite beautiful - I've never seen a tsuba painted like that. I wonder if that was done post-war? Also, I thought sharkskin had diamond-like shapes, and eel-skin has the round shapes. But very nice.

[Ontario_Archaeology]

The Tsuba got me thinking that this whole piece was "too good to be true"

 

Matt

[Stephen]

Same skin be my guess, looks kosher to me.

[vajo]

No it must be same gawa (Ray Skin) Shark looks different. I saw the same Koshirae on Ohmura Study.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Hmm, I always get the two mixed up for Saya. Would have thought Samegawa is too small for a full wrap like that.

[Bruce Pennington]

The Tsuba got me thinking that this whole piece was "too good to be true"

 

Matt

Yes, it would cause caution. But all the parts look legit. I think someone just thought they could "pretty it up" with the paintjob.

[Ontario_Archaeology]

Thanks Bruce,
 

I tried to become the proud owner of these mounts, but, unfortunately my curse of being runner up in auctions continues. 

 

My patients will pay off one day.

 

Matt

[brannow]

Looks like a nicely restored Gunto Koshirae to me.

[Dave R]

Hmm, I always get the two mixed up for Saya. Would have thought Samegawa is too small for a full wrap like that.

 

 It was explained to me by a curator at the Royal Armouries that the Same is boiled until it's no more than collagen and nodes rather than skin. The hard nodes are then painstakingly applied to the saya, lacquered and then cut back to a smooth surface. I have no doubt I have simplified the process and skipped a step or twenty, but you can see why this finish is so rare.

 I once had a Wakizashi with this finish on the saya, let it go and regretted it since...... I did notice what looked like a seam on the ura of the saya I had, so I think the same is not applied directly, but to a substrate which is then glued to the wood of the saya.

[Kai-Gunto]

On military swords hole skin is used, both ray and shark.

The shingunto in the thread has full wrap rayskin saya.