My First Koshirae Project.

[samuraiteddy96]

Hello Nihonto friends!

Hope everyone is well, holiday season is coming. 

I would like to ask you knowleadgeble folk of the nihonto world some advice. 

I have been collecting Nihonto for around 3-4 years now and most of my swords that I own are in Shirasaya.  I am currently waiting for a commissioned sword from a smith and asked my agent about the process of getting a koshirae made for it on top of the shirasaya.  He told me that the way it works, is for me to hunt for the fittings and then send it to him or the chosen Sayashi, as I've been told that it is usually the Sayashi who is the master coordinator for the various different craftsman involved in making a koshirae.  I was also told that it would be better to get the Koshirae made the same time they are making the Shirasaya for the blade, so that the blade does not risk getting scratched before final polishing of the blade.  

So if I wanted to get a koshirae made for the blades I already own that only have shirasaya, there is a chance that during the process of having a koshirae made for them, they might get scratched in the process and may need to be sent for polishing.  Is this correct?

Further concerns that I have are regarding antique Fuchi Kashira.  Firstly, when I begun hunting the pieces, I was fortunate enough to be at my first ever Dai Token Ichi this year, I had picked a theme in my head already, and just as I was about to purchase a fuchi kashira,  my friend stopped me saying that it might not fit for my modern blade.  So I took out google translate and asked the dealer and they said the fuchi kashira would be too small for a modern blade.  

So, what do I do? Are Antique Fuchi Kashira pieces usable to make a Tsuka for a modern blade?  When I look at sites that specialises in iaito and iai and tameshigiri blades, they sell modern sword fittings and the Fuchi Kashira are indeed larger in size. 

So I guess in the end, besides my concerns above, does anyone else have experience having a koshirae made for their swords? whats the process like? Did you find all the pieces of a specific theme together to create your custom koshirae?

Thanks in advance friends. 

-Nicholas

[John C]

Nicholas:

I am very new to this hobby, however I was given some advice when I posed that exact question. It was suggested that I not make, or have made, new koshirae for swords in shirasaya. The main reason was cost and, like you said, the potential for damage to the blade during fitting. If you find a set of koshirae you like, you can display it with the sword without it actually having to fit. But like I said, I'm new and others may have dissenting opinions.

Regards,

John C. 

[Hoshi]

I'll bite. 

 

Pre-requisite: 

Get a tsunagi made for your sword (a wooden copy) to high levels of fidelity. 

 

Option A: American-saku Koshirae

- Carry the tsunagi around and use it as a go/no-go rod to prod into F/K's and Tsubas. 

- Remember that it's a whole. Fuchi needs to fit the tsuba dimension wise. 

Pro's:

- Express your inner self. You want a pink wrap? go for it. 

- Honestly the most fun you can have. The value is in the journey. 

- You can use this method for non-standard size blades

Con's: 

- You can get into Frankenstein territory and end up with an amelican skool koshirae. As you go deeper into the hobby you'll come to realize you've messed up pairing theme X with Y, school A with B, etc. 

- Set your money on fire. This is the cost of expressing your inner self, the next owner most likely won't have the same taste as you.

- Hard to visualize the end result. Sometimes the dream is better than the reality. 

 

Option B: Tsuruta-saku Rattler

- Source the "Koshirae by the Kilo" merchants. Usually you'll find a bunch of old, near valueless, koshiraes in the back of dealer shops kept to make ensemble. Use your greatest diplomatic skills to ask if you can prod around with your handy rod. Once you find one that has an approximate fit, you go in with a wood file, add filler seppas (usually from leather), and patchwork it together. Dealers have experience with the ol'wood file and can help you. 

Pro's:

- CHEAP. You can get away sub 1K with this, all included. 500$ even. 

Con's: 

- Your sword could get scratched or worst when visiting this saya. Old Sayas can be full of a mucky, abrasive mixture of oil, dust and fine sand. Beware Sword STDs.   

- Get ready for the RATTLER. Since it hasn't been fitted properly, it'll rattle and give off all sorts of signs of awkwardness. 

 

Option C: Edo Retrofit

-Carry the Tsunagi and prod into all the koshirae you can find as your go/no god rod. Once you find an approximate fit, you get the experienced sayashi confirmed it's doable, and exercise his craft.

Pro's

- Perfect fit. The best Sayashi can achieve marvelous degrees of fit. 

- Authentic koshirae. You can get a good, historical, and valuable koshirae.

- Sayashi will clean the Saya so your sword doesn't get AIDS. 

Con's: 

- Adds 1K above Option B

- For standard length, motohaba and sori. 

- Since you're spending to make it properly, you're likely going to be spending much more on the Koshirae to get a good one. 

- Need to navigate Japanese cultural waters. If you show an tiny Aikuchi tanto koshirae to the venerable master Sayashi and point to some massive Odachi dinosaur slayer and ask "Can you fit it?" chances are you won't get a clear no and your project will sit on the sidelines for six months in deep cultural awkwardness. 

- Just like polishing a sword, once you've adjusted a koshirae, you've drained some life out of it (and modified a historical artifact). Now, most end up murdered and boxed up anyway at some point. Koshirae life is rough to begin with. But that is still a moral price to pay. 

 

Most of us pay our dues and start with the Tsuruta Rattler or American-Saku path...

 

Good luck in your quest. 

 

[Ooitame]

My opinion on a koshirae, is make sure you choose appropriate sayashi and tosgu. I picked a theme, and a matching set. An issue was found later that the tsuba was quite thick and the mekugi ana was high. So I had to have a custom habaki made for everything to fit. Use the assistance of the dealer and sayashi and use a good sayashi above all. Looking forward to seeing how everything turns out!

 

Christopher makes good points and options as well.