Fun Topic: The Unusual: Blades, etc.

[barnejp]

Hi All,

 

The Unusual.

 

Please post any item you feel is unusual. 

From a blade designed to cut the stem of a flower, or a blade designed for woodblocks, etc.

Mountings, like a tsuba that is unusually large, etc. 

 

A Fun topic for these difficult times. 

 

Cheers,

Greg

 

[waljamada]

Shared this before but have this guy with an unusual bohi placement. Sue Tegai early muromachi blade in tachi mounts. Got some character.

[EastCoast]

Wal,

 

That is odd. Why would they do that?

[waljamada]

Not sure honestly. Style, religion, a statement/meaning, hide a flaw, custom order...experimenting? It's a mystery to me.

[Jussi Ekholm]

I remember asking in the previous thread if your sword has a high shinogi (a fairly large difference in thickness between shinogi and mune)? That is one fairly easy explanation for the placement in my mind. Although I do think that the placement in yours is not aesthetically the most pleasing. Here is a large suriage Motomitsu blade for reference as it has the hi at the shinogi.

 

 

 

[Dave R]

Does this counts as an unusual blade.... It is a known type, but one that I think is not seen that often. 

 

 

[IJASWORDS]

Greg you did say blades not swords, and you did mention flowers. So here is my contribution. I think hand forged, crazy sharp, and carbon steel that rusts quickly if not oiled. 

[Peter Bleed]

The thing to remember whenever considering anything "Japanese" is that in Japan, "unusual" is always a challenge. It may be all right, but it is rarely "good."

Peter

[waljamada]

Jussi, aesthetically I'm a fan. Its grown on me a lot and that sword you shared I would LOVE to own. So the mune is 4cm and the shinogi is 7cm above the habaki. Its a rather slim blade.

[Blazeaglory]

I figure its the smith trying something new or out of the ordinary.

[Teimei]

  On 4/21/2020 at 11:52 PM, IJASWORDS said:

Greg you did say blades not swords, and you did mention flowers. So here is my contribution. I think hand forged, crazy sharp, and carbon steel that rusts quickly if not oiled. 

I own the same pair of scissors, ridiculously sharp.

 

regards,

[vajo]

  On 4/21/2020 at 9:21 PM, waljamada said:

Shared this before but have this guy with an unusual bohi placement. Sue Tegai early muromachi blade in tachi mounts. Got some character.

 

Hit me but this is a fascinating eyecatcher! If anyone doesn't like it - i love it! Thanks for showing this sword.

[Mark C]

Like it very much Adam, Odd but fascinating.

 

Dave - I think it counts because as you say, not unknown but not common plus it was once in my collection   

[ChrisW]

Definitely not a blade anymore.. but I wonder if it was made 100% from the start this way or if an existing koshirae was adapted. Or is this a fantasy item?

 

https://www.collectorsfirearms.com/rare-tanto-pistol-ah4472/

[Dave R]

 I just remembered that I had this one in my files. No idea where I saw it, but it was fairly early in my rekindled interest in Nihonto....

[Ray Singer]

https://collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-54908.html

 

 

Description below:

 

Purchased at auction from Bonham's auction house, 4 April 2007, Lot 26. Previously in the private collection of Clement Millward since at least 1940.

 

Physical Description

The blade is thought to be from a European hanger, single edged, slightly curved and broad, with a broad fuller at the back and a narrow one at the forte. The blade has a stamped inscription in the broad fuller on both sides; several of the letters are now rubbed almost out of existence and can no longer be made out but those that can are arranged 'F/P??? KEISSER ANNO' on one side and on the other 'ME FECIT SOLINGEN 16??'. The edge has been cut down to form a hira zukuri blade (almost flat on both sides without obvious pronounced ridges), and it has been tempered with a gunome hamon (a pattern visible along the cutting edge which presents as a series of faint waves or semi-crcles of regular size). There is a silver foil covered habaki (collar around the base of the blade). The blade is stamped with a mark resembling a sceptre in an oval on the tang.

 

The hilt and scabbard metalwork fittings are of heavy gilt metal carved with the Matsuura mon of three stars (represented by three solid circles) in relief on an ishime (roughened texture like the surface of a stone) ground. The hilt is bound with white braid interwoven over brocade.

 

The scabbard is covered with gilded and painted leather of the type that was popular in contemporary Europe for covering walls and furniture, with a raised texture that was particularly associated with Dutch leathers (goudleer). The leather is tooled and gilt with green and red, and decorated with the same Matsuura mon present on the metalwork fittings of the hilt and scabbard. At the chape is an eyelet with a brown leather loop. The kozuka (small supplementary knife usually mounted on the inside of a saya (scabbard); kozuka refers to the hilt, whereas the blade of the knife is called kogatana) is a namban (foreign) style hilt, with a gold frame enclosing a fretted iron panel decorated with shishi (mythical beasts resembling a cross between a lion and a dog) on a ground of scrolling foliage. The blade is signed 'Kane-' and 'kao'.

 

The dagger has an associated bag of green Chinese brocade with dragons and clouds in red and yellow.

 

The blade has a stamped inscription in the broad fuller on both sides; several of the letters are now rubbed almost out of existence and can no longer be made out but those that can are arranged 'F/P??? KEISSER ANNO' on one side and on the other 'ME FECIT SOLINGEN 16??' Stamped with a mark resembling a sceptre in an oval on the tang.

[Bugyotsuji]

Inscription in part, with thanks to LRA and Ian Bottomley.

[Brian]

That one certainly qualifies. A Western blade repurposed by the Japanese? And they managed to re-harden it and add a hamon. I like it. Must have been quite unique.

[Dave R]

  On 4/23/2020 at 4:33 PM, Brian said:

That one certainly qualifies. A Western blade repurposed by the Japanese? And they managed to re-harden it and add a hamon. I like it. Must have been quite unique.

 

 It is a cracker, and if you are ever in the UK, well worth a look.... As is the rest of the Japanese collection in the Leeds RA.

[francois2605]

  On 4/21/2020 at 9:21 PM, waljamada said:

Shared this before but have this guy with an unusual bohi placement. Sue Tegai early muromachi blade in tachi mounts. Got some character.

 

This blade looks like a shinogi zukuri with the hi from a kogarasu zukuri. 

[waljamada]

  On 5/23/2020 at 6:00 PM, francois2605 said:

This blade looks like a shinogi zukuri with the hi from a kogarasu zukuri.

I had to Google those terms, but I would say that is a really accurate description.

[IJASWORDS]

Along the lines of Adam's blade, is a similar one to his. Ok, I am a Gunto guy, but this is a Koto blade in Gunto mounts. The bohi goes about two thirds down the blade, and one side only. It was in leather combat cover (since gone) but has retained the wood kurigata and a leather suspension ring fixture. 

Due to the fact that the bohi is only on one side, and not the usual full length, I wondered if it was put there by the sword Smith to hide a fault? 

[waljamada]

  On 5/27/2020 at 4:54 AM, IJASWORDS said:

Along the lines of Adam's blade, is a similar one to his. Ok, I am a Gunto guy, but this is a Koto blade in Gunto mounts. The bohi goes about two thirds down the blade, and one side only. It was in leather combat cover (since gone) but has retained the wood kurigata and a leather suspension ring fixture.

Due to the fact that the bohi is only on one side, and not the usual full length, I wondered if it was put there by the sword Smith to hide a fault?

What an interesting blade. That also belongs in another forum post in military called short guntos. I feel like that blade deserves a name like "Dragons fang".

[Bruce Pennington]

It’s truly quite interesting Neil. Even the leather ashi!

 

Hope someone has an idea about your question though. Interesting possibility.

[Fuuten]

I stumbled on this piece a couple of weeks back, not solely the Smith was of particular interest to me, but I did not know about the so called Hoko yari at all. The site also mentioned the wiki page which is short but has some extra information.

 

The sugata is also quite unique, I hope it fits the topic subject.

 

https://www.e-sword.jp/yari/2010-4023.htm

[doomsdaymachine]

Weird looking, but I like it. Willing to bet this is like satsuma age on a naginata with a broken tip. Odd muneyaki otherwise imho.