Home-made accessories for nihonto

[Janrudolph]

Good day friends. I would very much like to show you two pics. Please see below. Johan

[Janrudolph]

[Janrudolph]

The top pic you will recognise as a double kiri box. I made it to hold and preserve my mini-collection of tsuba. Underneath there is a compartment for some documentation, with the purpose of identifying the tsuba for a viewer.

 

The left one is a signed iron Echizen (no) Ju Kinai Saku, made by the 6th generation (rokudai) of the Takahashi family. The design is of a single aoi leaf and stalks. The tendrils are inlaid kin zogan. Clues point to this tsuba to have been made between 1809 and 1821.   

The one on the right is a nerikawa tachi tsuba with a classic aoi hollyhock-shape and inome sukashi (boar's eye openwork similar to a heart shape). On the single o-seppa there appears a motif repeated four times, bearing at each end an inome (representing vigilance, so I am led to believe). The o-seppa is shakudo and the cross motif is gold. I believe it was made sometime between 1800 to 1867.

 

PLease consider when reading what I have said about the two tsuba, that I am not stating proven facts. But having read up extensively and hearing forumites' opinions, these are the only conclusions I can arrive at. In stating my views on these two tsuba, I am making it easy for any of you guys to voice your difference in opinion. Please do come in and comment - I have not stopped learning yet!

 

Bottom pic: Forumites have suggested I should put my Nobuyoshi katana in shirasaya. Only way I could do that is to make it myself. I used poplar wood and spent seven weeks at my work bench trying my utmost to get the thing perfect. I am happy with the end result, but not so happy with what the constant repetitive handwork it took to make the shirasaya caused to my right hand: I developed painful carpal tunnel syndrome and a trigger finger. I might have to have it surgically fixed. But the shirasaya project is done! Of course I also had to make a wooden blade to hold the koshirae together, and the stand to exhibit the set. 

 

Regards. Johan

[Rich S]

Johan

 

Very nice work indeed. I especially like the Kinai tsuba design. Did you make the katana kake also?

 

Rich

[Janrudolph]

That's affirmative, Rich. I used what was left over of the poplar wood I procured for the shirasaya.

In making the shirasaya, I thought of bringing in a small improvisation to serve as my signature feature, by adding the two dark brown spacers as a koiguchi and to lie next to the fuchi. I though the contrast would look nice. Shortly thereafter I chanced to see a nihonto in shirasaya having exactly the same two dark spacers as mine. And I thought I was being original! Johan  

[Janrudolph]

Thee following pic shows the shirasaya that I drew my inspiration from. It is in the book War in the Pacific, and shows the shirasaya belonging to Gen Hideki Tojo, who you will know was Prime Minister and War Minister of Japan, WWII. At 40 cm long it is the largest photograph I could find with which to take measurements from, as I had no way of getting my hands on a real shirasaya to use as a model.