Smaller blades thread

[Dave R]

  On 2/11/2021 at 1:21 PM, Geraint said:

Dear All.

 

Not sure how small we need to be but here is a little tanto.  Nagasa is 150mms

 

 

All the best.

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 That is a truly lovely piece.

[Geraint]

Thanks David, when I saw it I thought the same.  It didn't take a lot of thinking about and at the time it wasn't a lot of money.

 

All the best.

[kissakai]

My letter opener

 

[Bugyotsuji]

They’re kind of fun, aren’t they. Yours has some real sori to it.
 

Against a Kozuka, for size comparison, here is a *Koshin, I mean a Bazuka, Uh, er, ... from Kyūshū perhaps 🤔 The blade is not loose in the hilt; I do no want to pull too hard to test how it is inserted/fixed.

 

*Kozuka/Bashin cross.

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Took some better shots of this unusual little Kyūshū Kozuka. Seems to made of various materials in a tiny space, and different front and back.

 

[Geraint]

I had forgotten these two.  Both are original to the koshirae they came with, both are from diminutive tanto.

 

 

The one with the waves has a famous mei but I think spurious.

 

All the best.

[Geraint]

And one with a story.

Some years ago we wanted to get something for one of my sons who was passing out in the forces.  He showed me an article about a knife maker who was working ion the Japanese tradition and so we commissioned a knife for him from this man.  The build time and the passing out parade were running a little close and as a present the knife maker, Andrew Jordan, slipped in a kozuka because he knew of my interest.  It's a
little too large for any koshirae but it's a nice piece.  If anyone is interested his website is worth a look, he does good work.  http://www.jordanknives.com/home/

 

 

All the best.

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

That's a pretty Kozuka, Geraint. Thanks for posting.

[Bugyotsuji]

This is the signed one I was given by Senju Sensei’s son Sōju. (Wow, that’s a mouthful!)

 

 

[JH Lee]

  On 2/25/2021 at 12:53 PM, Bugyotsuji said:

This is the signed one I was given by Senju Sensei’s son Sōju. (Wow, that’s a mouthful!)

 

 

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Is this a "bashin"?  I've read different things about their use.  Was it basically used as a stiletto?  Or something else?

[Bugyotsuji]

John, this one is less than fifty years old, so I figured it to be a paper knife, a modern creation with traditional feelings, of bashin perhaps as you suggest. 

 

The bashin/umabari 馬針 in general was carried more commonly in the Koshirae of Kyushu where horses were frequently ridden. Originally it was used as a fleam, to lance a tired horse's gorged lower ankle blood vessels in order to relieve pressure after a hard ride. The double-edged blade and the hilt were of one piece 'Tomoe' construction, (unlike the Kozuka). It later had other extended uses such as Shuriken, etc. Well, that is my background understanding.

 

Similar construction, but more classically formal in style and different in purpose (in my mind) was the 貫級刀 Kankyuto, although many today use these words interchangeably. 　

[Jim Manley]

I picked up this little Ken at the Chicago show a few years ago. I pulled it out the other day to work on the signature and found it’s Unshu from the early Kamakura. 
Jim 

[Bugyotsuji]

Now that is a sweet object, Jim. The pin is there for size comparison? Can we see an upright shot of the Mei?  

[Geraint]

Dear James.

 

I love the idea that you have had this kicking around for a few years and then discover it is a Kamakura piece!

 

Thank for sharing that one.

 

All the best.

[Jim Manley]

I’ll post a couple shots of the other side of the nikago too. I’m still working on the translation but I’m thinking a town or province. The ridge down the center makes it difficult to do decent photos. And I ran out of ohsigata paper.

[Jim Manley]

Sorry, I didn’t check my photo before I hit sent. The previous photo is the reverse side. I’m struggling with photos as all are too large to attach .

[Bugyotsuji]

re 雲生 Unshō

Been trawling the net looking for comparative examples of this famous Mei but not managed to find one. Many Mumei (attributed) and others not showing the Mei, so taking a break before hitting the books!

 

PS Two examples of Unsho in Fujishiro show a very poorly written Mei.

Regardless, it is a nicely shaped object to own, IMO!  

 

PPS Maybe stepping back and increasing the distance from the object would help to flatten out the surface.

[kissakai]

Maybe this will help

The second image would be better by changing your camera angle to get a better contract

 

 

[ROKUJURO]

Not Japanese, I apologize! Quite some years ago, I made a Damascus letter opener for my mother in BASHIN style. Blade length 110 mm. The handle slabs are old elephant ivory.

[Bryan B]

Hi all

I am new to the collecting of Nihonto So I know very little but I am trying to learn so having seen this thread I thought it might be the right section to show you all this that I bought recently it being my first purchase, I bought it not because I had any knowledge but because I liked the overall look and the blade seams very delicate. ( I now know that that is not the right thing to do after reading this message board) but if possible I would like to know more about it good or bad .

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Hi Bryan, thanks for posting.

 Without any measurements, it's hard to say, but you've chosen the smaller blades thread so that tells us something. Aikuchi koshirae, blade, habaki, mekugi, nakago, it all looks like a start in the right direction!  (Smaller than a Tanto brings us into the realm of Kogatana, Chiisagatana, Futokorogatana (Kaiken) Mamorigatana, etc.) 

[Marius]

Here is a curious blade. A 15.7cm ken, signed Hoki no kami Fujiwara Nobutaka, 3rd generation (Enpo era 1673-1681). The first photograph shows it next to a 19.4cm tanto. Ura has a flat surface, unlike in standard ken.The flat surface has a hitatsura hamon. 

 

I wonder what was the purpose of making such a diminutive blade...

 

Enjoy

 

 

 

 

[Dave R]

  On 3/29/2021 at 10:49 AM, Marius said:

Here is a curious blade. A 15.7cm ken, signed Hoki no kami Fujiwara Nobutaka, 3rd generation (Enpo era 1673-1681). The first photograph shows it next to a 19.4cm tanto. Ura has a flat surface, unlike in standard ken.The flat surface has a hitatsura hamon. 

 

I wonder what was the purpose of making such a diminutive blade.

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 Are you sure it's a Ken and not a small Yari, mounted as a tanto?

[Marius]

  On 3/29/2021 at 12:52 PM, Dave R said:

 

 Are you sure it's a Ken and not a small Yari, mounted as a tanto?

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Dave,

 

Yes, I am reasonably sure. It is ubu and has no kerakubi.

I understand that your question is due to the atypical shape (one side being flat), but  a modified yari would most likely look differently.

[Mark C]

Hi Everyone, 

 

Here's my offering. Nagasa of 14.6cm

 

Regards

[Bryan B]

  On 3/29/2021 at 8:26 AM, Bugyotsuji said:

Hi Bryan, thanks for posting.

 Without any measurements, it's hard to say, but you've chosen the smaller blades thread so that tells us something. Aikuchi koshirae, blade, habaki, mekugi, nakago, it all looks like a start in the right direction!  (Smaller than a Tanto brings us into the realm of Kogatana, Chiisagatana, Futokorogatana (Kaiken) Mamorigatana, etc.) 

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Hi thank you for the reply the blade is 17 cm long 16mm wide and 3mm thick .

[Jussi Ekholm]

About the Unshō 雲生 ken. I have about 30+ mei of Unshō in my sources and unfortunately this is slightly different to the verified examples, would still run it through the experts rather than just my look on it. I cannot see & read the other side of the signature from the picture.

 

So far I have not encountered a ken by this school (Ukai).

[Dave R]

Here is one of my own, a small Yari, bought on Ebay for the price of a large family Pizza because no one knew what it was! I think it's probably a Te-Yari or Makura-Yari, anyway I like it,and it was the first Nihonto I bought this century... Apologies for the poor pics, phone camera only.

[Bugyotsuji]

We're starting to verge over into Yari territory, which is a whole nother kettle of fish!

 

My mobile phone takes really good photos, Dave. Have you thought about upgrading? Your Mei has me scratching my head. 道久? Can you get us a couple of shots from different angles?

 

Really nice treasure find though. That reminds me of an acquaintance in the UK who found a rusty Jumonji Yari in a bucket at the antiques market. He gently lifted it out of the junk; the dealer leaned over and said "Give us a tenner, mate".

 

To show what a mobile phone can do, here are a couple of shots of the Bashin above, after it came back from the polisher on Saturday. (Reduced from 3 Mb to 500 Kb for the site)

 

 

[Brian]

That is awesome Piers! Love it.