A Nice House warming Gift - Tokubetsu Etchu Ko Uda

[Oshy]

In the chaos of closing on a new house, packing, cleaning, showing and working through the sale of my current residence I found myself a nice treat.

A beautiful blend of Soshu and Yamato as well as a splendid peach tree(my favorite motif along with plum) koshirae as icing ontop. Strong correlation to Etchu Norishige and Yamato Shizu Kaneuji places it in early nanbokucho/late kamakura.
 

Special thanks and big thank you to Ray.

http://swordsofjapan.com/project/ko-uda-in-koshirae/

https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/NOR312

https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/KAN416

 

[Babu]

I've got a naginata Naoshi with a very pronounced hada identical to that.

The Fuchi kashira remind me of the work of Murakawa Hiroyoshi a little. He died in 1841/2 active from around the turn of the century.

I was looking at a couple of his works just this morning.

Is the Fuchi perhaps signed?

Lovely BtW

[Oshy]

37 minutes ago, Babu said:

Is the Fuchi perhaps signed?

Il check when it arrives in a couple days ☺️

[16k]

Beautiful one, Mike, I’m jealous! 

[Oshy]

Thank you for the kind words JP!

 

Adam, discussing with Ray he believes the fittings appear to be mitokoromono set from the Edo period. Again, will check when they come in.

[Ray Singer]

I mentioned to Michael that the fittings appeared to be a mitokoromono (set of fuchigashira and menuki that appear to have been make by the same Edo-period artist).

[Ken-Hawaii]

That is indeed quite lovely, Mike. Wish my budget was as sword-friendly!

[Mister Gunto]

Beautiful blade, and I dig the koshirae as well. 

[Kanenaga]

Mike,

The sword looks fine, but I really envy you the koshirae. I've been collecting fittings with the peach theme -- not very common, and as you likely know an attribute of Seiobo, Queen Mother pf the West, in whose garden grew the peach tree of immortality. I have tsuba, kozuka, kogai, and menuki, but I've never seen a fuchi-kashira with this theme, until now.  Very rare. Congratulations.

 

Les

[Yasaka Azuma]

What an old romantic naga-wakizashi! There is Nie-suji, which is said to be the "crawl of slugs", so it is certainly Uda-school.
The 23.5-inch O-suri-age is very similar to my own sword. I suspect that it is not a modification of WW2, but a modification for the two-handed saber of Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905).
Admiration.

 

An example of two-handed saber of Russo-Japanese War.

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/493690629

 

 

[Oshy]

Thanks Yas! Yes, when Ubu this Ko-Uda was very likely a magnificent early nanbokucho 80+cm tachi then shortened several times. Probably an important and wealthy non-samurai who was forced to shorten it last just below the 60cm regulation in the Edo Period.

[Oshy]

Finally arrived! 

 

More pictures posted here: https://imgur.com/gallery/VLFNouU

[SteveM]

Nice one, Mike. An enviable package. 

[Oshy]

Thanks Steve, like a school boy on Christmas I have been eagerly awaiting its arrival and it did not disappoint, not in the slightest. Both the shirasaya/sunagi by Tirado and original set of Edo period koshirae are immaculate and marry one another perfectly. I spent several hours studying the blade this afternoon, I can already tell this one will take many years to fully explore. Every inch is jam packed with so much detail, its a 700 year old masterpiece I will cherish for a very long time! 

[mywei]

Very nice package

I really like the shark-skin Kairagi saya aesthetic on the koshirae 👏

[Greg F]

Congratulations on such a beautiful sword and koshirae Mike.

Les I really like your tsuba btw.

 

 

 

[b.hennick]

Oshy, doing a full oshigata of the blade will make you study every mm of the blade. It will take hours, but it is a worthwhile activity.