Itomaki no Tachi, Bear skin saya.

[Matsunoki]

Hello again from the UK. Apologies for posting another sword but as usual I’m asking for help both on the blade and the koshirae. The age of both puzzles me. Usual non-mint UK as-found condition. I’ve done my best with the images.

Please do give me your opinions.

Firstly the blade. Very heavily forged in predominantly a quite loose flowing masame with the odd itame area. The hamon is suguha with very  mild midare and gentle sunagashi in places and sprinkled with dark ko-nie. The boshi is O-Maru (almost squarish) one side and slight hakikake the other. The ubu mumei nakago looks shinshinto although the mune edge is far more heavily aged. I am obliged to give an option even if totally wrong, so……to me the forging and hardening look more koto (loose masame with quite a few fine hadaware)but the nakago looks shinshinto. So I’ll go shinshinto.
Nagasa 77.7cm (overall 98cm)

Motohaba 3.8 cm

Sakihaba 2.6 cm

Motokasane 1.1cm

Sakikasane 0.6cm

 

The koshirae is also heavily made to support the large blade. The blackbear skin is a shadow of its former self. Age has taken a huge toll and only the “under fur” is left with a few traces of the much longer outer black fur. It is coming out in handfuls…..but is original and has obvious age. The understated heavy mounts all appear to be of thick shakudo with a beautiful shakudo habaki. The Ito is very faded as is the silk brocade. I think both were once more gold in appearance. There is considerable wear to the ashi and I have had to repair them a bit (one was hanging off) One Tokugawa mon is missing. This probably isn’t the first koshirae that this blade has had (two mekugi ana….only one in this tsuka). So…….is it the real deal…a late Edo period Samurai Tachi, or maybe a shrine sword? It’s not flash enough imo to be a Meiji creation….not smothered in gold mon etc. 

What do you all think??….please chip in.

Many thanks. All the best. Colin

 

 

 

 

[Matsunoki]

Not sure if these images are any better

 

[Rivkin]

Definitely Yamato with strong masame.

One option is probably 1460-1500 sue Tegai, Kuniyasu or such.

Another is Sendai Kunikane. Sugata is a poor match but hamon does look a bit bland (shinto) to me. maybe just the polish.

[Bruce Pennington]

Incredible fittings!  Never seen a bear skin saya before.

[PNSSHOGUN]

The fittings all look to be of quite decent quality, very interesting indeed and I can see why you bought it. Maybe it's just me but the overall effect is slightly awkward and doesn't possess the grace one is accustomed to seeing in good Tachi Koshirae.

[Matsunoki]

20 hours ago, Rivkin said:

Definitely Yamato with strong masame.

Kirill, many thanks for taking the time and trouble …….lots for me to think about. Kind of you. Colin.

 

50 minutes ago, Bruce Pennington said:

Never seen a bear skin saya before.

Hi Bruce…..likewise I’ve never seen one anywhere.

 

14 minutes ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

Maybe it's just me but the overall effect is slightly awkward and doesn't possess the grace one is accustomed to seeing in good Tachi Koshirae.

Hi John, maybe it’s my images that don’t quite capture it but I know what you mean. I think it’s just that the bearskin makes it look cumbersome and unbalanced and the sword is very substantial anyway thus the koshirae are oversized. I believe originally (early Koto) it was to prevent the saya rubbing on armour whilst on horseback but later, in Edo they became a bit of a status symbol. I guess we don’t see many (any?) because they simply fall to bits…..the skin on this one is so dried and crusty that the fur is simply shedding and has lost all the lovely long  darker haired top layer. A rare survivor???

I have found a few images and info……