Have you checked your sword's design dynamics?

[fjohns]

Hello all,

 

When I would bare the sword to reflect, I would be content in the appreciation of what I thought I was seeing. Until, finally, I had to check. I got out the dividers and a mm rule. The more I measured, the more I appreciated the dynamics and balance that I thought was there. I was certain I was seeing repetitions, recurring dimensions, an equilibrium. The mune is not included in the measurements. Below are my discoveries. As for pictures, more later. The third image is of the blade mid-way. The shading, values, change due to a canopy above to mask a confusing ceiling. The mune is in shadow. I would like to know more about the sword, if possible. Some of the dots I understand are common with a point and shoot digital camera. Any thoughts, off hand, on the sword? Again, measurements are in mm.

 

If anyone can give an interpretation on the Mei, I would appreciate it. I know what the kanji are but not a reading. I don't know the smith and the tang has been cut right at the last kanji, which may have had the smith's name. Appreciative.

 

Fred J.

[Gunome]

Hi,

 

I read the mei as follow : "Yamashiro kuni ju fuji". I guess "fuji" is for "fujiwara".

The name of the smith was cut off. You just have the province "Yamashiro" and the title "kuni".

For me the sugata looks a kanbun shinto blade.

 

Sebastien

[fjohns]

Sebastien,

 

Thank you. Yes, that is the same that I got on the kanji. and as I said also, I knew the smith's name had been cut. I was hoping there was some kind of reading unique to Mei that might have some hidden clue. The sword was buried in a Japanese garden at the end of the war to escape the fate of those in the picture below. It's a shame that I don't know more because the sword has some historical merit. A sensei at Japan Sword [Tokyo] looked at it and placed it with a group working in Yamashiro around 1576-1613. If it was crafted in these years, it missed the Sword Hunt of 1588 as well as the collection in 1945. So you were not too far off on your guess. Wouldn't we love to go through the rows and piles depicted below.

 

Fred

[FlorianB]

It's very interesting what You found out concerning the proportions of this blade. However, allow me the remark that this sword has been shortened and repolished and the original measures would be different ones.

But nevertheless, of course it could be the polisher's idea.

 

Although it seems beguiling to discover metric rules of blade-design please keep in mind, too, that through history blade proportions changed by personal taste, practical use, later alteration and last but not least because of fashion. So even the standardised definitions how a blade has to look like at a particular period or area are only general because of a great amount of exceptions.

 

I want to note the term "koroai" (meaning "just right") for describing a blade - alas, no measures (like "golden ratio") are used but the impression onto the viewer that proportions looks perfect in all respects.

 

Florian

[mdiddy]

Ironically, the sword the soldier is holding is a machine made NCO Gunto. If you look close, you can see the locking mechanism on the metal tsuka. Most of the pile he is sitting on is machine-made. In the lower left corner of the picture is the good stuff peeking out.

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Matt, it's hard to know what was mounted into those scabbards.

But I wholeheartly hope you'r right, cause their probable fate.