Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

Hi all,

the fittings belongs to my unrestored shinshinto tachi. The pattern on one side of fuchi and kabuto-gane looks like a "snake or rope" form (dificoult to see on pix.), but on other side of fuchi (on picture) is a diferentstrange looking pattern which (gold or copper filler).

Massive iron tsuba looks old and have a signature. On both sides are thiny rays which goes from the center to the edge.

 

I kindly ask you for any opinion on fuchi and tsuba mei translation,

Regards,

Bojan

post-382-14196755751894_thumb.jpg

post-382-14196755754145_thumb.jpg

post-382-14196755755759_thumb.jpg

Posted

That's because it is not a tachi tsuba, but a katana tsuba Barry :-) It is a gimei Yamakichibei. The tsuba would be from the 1600's though I think, the fuchi and kashira do not match so I suspect this was all put together at some time by someone and may in fact not have much to do with the sword at all ???.

 

I would hazard a guess at the kashira being a late Higo piece, and the fuchi, well not sure, could be Shoami work.

 

Cheers

 

Rich

Posted

Hi,

thank you for answers. Fuchi and kashira have the same "snake style", open work is just on the other side of fuchi. Sword is 29 3/4 inches and it is possible to be a long katana with a tachi style fittings.

Regards,

Bojan

post-382-14196755762163_thumb.jpg

post-382-14196755762959_thumb.jpg

Posted

Does not the presence of a fuchi, together with that form of kashira, constitute a handachi mounting of the blade, irrespective of whatever type of saya the sword may have acquired?

 

John L.

Posted

Hi,

old saya is covered with later ww2 leather, semegane, sayajiri are under a leather cover. In sayajiri area leather cover has little opening, so I can see the same style of fitting.

Regards,

Bojan

post-382-14196755780297_thumb.jpg

Posted

Jean, I agree, a beautiful sword; like you, I suspect, I would prefer it to have an aoie-gata tsuba. Bojan’s sword appears to have a katana saya that has been modified by the attachment of removable rings for wear as a military tachi. As a matter of rather esoteric interest, would you consider such a sword to be a true tachi, or to be a handachi modified for wear as a military tachi?

 

Regards, John L.

Posted

John,

 

IMHO, I think it was a handachi modified for wear as a military tachi.

 

Seldom do we find real tachi koshirae for this kind of sword, too rich to be brought to war. In fact, I have never seen a common tachi mounting, only elaborate ones

 

http://www.aoi-art.com/sword/wakizashi/ ... shirae.jpg

 

Even this one is elaborated (not mentionning Efu, Itomaki no tachi much more refined)

 

In fact, my first katana was in handachi mounting and when you said : I would prefer it to have an aoi-gata tsuba, I was thinking to myself John is reading my mind

Posted
John,

I was thinking to myself John is reading my mind

 

Ive always found wearing a kabuto works better than silver foil, you get funny looks but thats cos they cant read your mind anymore. :freak:

Posted

Hi,

it was wery clumsy to carry this 29 inch and heavy sword in to battle during ww2..? Any guess about the possible age of this simple handachi fittings, they looks older than showa era to me.

 

Regards,

Bojan

Posted

Finally, Jean, what about the Naval Officer's sword, with its o-seppa and gilt metal, tachi fittings on a black lacquered saya; or the Non-Commissioned Officer's sword, with its full tachi fittings integral to a metal saya - are these, then, full tachi?

 

John L.

Posted

I don't know why people thing that a Handachi should be a Tachi without Obitori, and a Kurigata instead - and all Kanagu en suite. One has only to look at the book published by the Tokyo National Museum "Sword Mountings" (東京国立博物館 - 刀装篇) to see many example of Koshirae that don't fulfill those "requirements". There are even pics of swords with Handachi Tsuka and "regular" Saya, owned by the Tokugawa, no less! From a collector's point of view it might be desirable to have matching Kodôgu, but in the old days fittings were often chosen for their individual merit, not because they followed a common theme.

Posted

Interesting Guido,

 

How would you define Handachi then?

A Koshirae with an element of a tachi?

Could you post some pictures of the examples mentionned in the Tokyo National Museum "Sword Mountings" (東京国立博物館 - 刀装篇) (unless forbidden by copyright)?

 

Now referring to this koshirae, does the kabuto-gane alone justify the term Handachi (forget about the saya), in the same way if the saya had a saya-jiri as the kabuto-gane mentionned above, would it be qualified as a handachi?

 

In a handachi, can we talk about kabuto-gane and saya-jiri or kashira/kojiri?

Posted

I don't think that there's a water-proof definition of "Handachi", and it isn't a topic the Japanese experts seem to loose sleep over. One person's Handachi is the other's Uchigatana. Rose is a rose ... Anyhow, if Tachi-esque fittings are used, I would apply the terminology for Tachi Kanagu.

 

Below are two scans of the style I mentioned above.

post-13-14196755795389_thumb.jpg

post-13-14196755796175_thumb.jpg

Posted

Doesn't the method of wear (along with time periods) also dictate a bit of the differences in terminology?

 

Within the terminologies; A tachi is tachimei, a katana is katanamei. Mumei O-suriage is katana by default. Put a Mumei O-suriage in an Efu no Dachi...and it's a tachi. A Hizen Katana is signed Tachimei but not a tachi. An Aoe Tachi is singed Katanamei but not a katana.

 

So Put a zaimei Aoe in Bukezukuri mounts and it's a Bukezukuri Katana mounted Tachi with reverse signature.

 

All wine is liquor but not all liquor is wine. Just pour me something to drink though, it's been a looonnng week. :phew:

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...